Tom and JerryIntroduction The first series of Tom and Jerry pictures, directed by Hanna and Barbera for MGM, 1940 -1957, were absolute masterpieces of animation. Beautifully drawn, very fast paced action all the way and lovable, likable characters.Tom nearly always came off the worst in any encounter with cute little Jerry mouse. The cat would often be gullible enough to accept a lighted stick of dynamite from the rodent, stand there admiring it until it exploded, leaving him nothing..