Tom

 

Thomas "Tom" Cat is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Tom is a blue/grey anthropomorphic domestic short-haired cat who first appeared in the 1940 animated short Puss Gets the Boot Tom was originally known as "Jasper" during his debut in that short, however, beginning from his next appearance in The Midnight Snack and onward, he is known as "Tom" or "Thomas".

His full name "Tom Cat" is based on "tomcat", a phrase which refers to male cats. He is very rarely heard speaking with the exception of a few cartoons (such as Tom & Jerry Tales' League of Cats) and "Tom and Jerry: The Movie". His only notable vocal sounds outside of this are his various screams whenever he is subject to pain or panic. He is continuously after Jerry Mouse, for whom he sets traps, many of which backfire and cause damage to him rather than Jerry. Tom rarely sets out to eat Jerry, only to hurt or compete with him, going to great lengths in order to torment Jerry. However, Tom is shown to get along with Jerry at times.

Tom has changed remarkably over the years, especially after the first episodes. For example, in his debut, he was quadrupedal and had normal cat intelligence. However, over the years (since the episode Dog Trouble), he has become almost completely bipedal and has human intelligence. As a slapstick cartoon character, Tom has a superhuman level of elasticity. When acting as Jerry's antagonist, Tom is usually defeated (or very rarely, killed) in the end, although there are some stories where he outwits and defeats Jerry.

Jerry

Jerry Mouse is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Jerry is a brown house mouse, who first appeared as an unnamed mouse in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. Hanna gave the mouse's original name as "Jinx", while Barbera claimed the mouse went unnamed in his first appearance.

The name "Jerry" was chosen by MGM animator John Carr, who submitted "Tom and Jerry" as potential names for the duo after an important Loews Inc. distributor in Texas asked for follow-ups to Puss Gets the Boot. While the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo was considered shopworn by the 1940s, Hanna and Barbera decided to expand upon the standard expected hunter/prey relationship. Their Jerry Mouse, an "incurable scene stealer", served more or less as the protagonist of most of the films; instead of being a "cowering victim" of his pursuer, Tom Cat, he took delight in besting, and often torturing, his antagonist (though sometimes, Tom is just following orders or is even just minding his own business and is antagonized by Jerry). Hanna and Barbera considered Tom and Jerry "the best of enemies", whose rivalry hid an unspoken amount of mutual respect.

In later Tom and Jerry cartoons, Jerry acquired a young ward: a small grey mouse called "Tuffy" or "Nibbles" depending upon the cartoon, who was left on Jerry's doorstep as a foundling baby in the 1946 short The Milky Waif. Jerry and Tuffy were also featured together in a sub-series of Tom and Jerry cartoons set in 17th century France which featured the characters asmusketeers. The first of these shorts, The Two Mouseketeers, won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.

Hanna and Barbera served as writer/directors of the Tom and Jerry cartoons until 1956, when they also became the producers. Fourteen Tom and Jerry cartoons between 1940 and 1954 were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, with seven of the shorts winning that award. MGM shut down its animation department in 1957, but new Tom and Jerry cartoons were produced by Gene Deitchand later Chuck Jones during the 1960s. Jerry would also appear in later Tom and Jerry productions made for television, a series of direct-to-video features, and Tom and Jerry: The Movie, a 1992 theatrical film. Later productions eschewed much of the violence the 1940s and 1950s shorts were known for, and in several of the television shows Jerry was given a red bow tie and a kinder disposition.

Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh, a fictional teddy bear created by A. A. Milne, became an unexpected cultural phenomenon who inspired numerous book, film, and television adaptations from 1926 to the present. Pooh shattered language and cultural barriers around the world, with notable entries to the lexicon being  a Latin book translation and a Soviet film trilogy.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin were both based in reality - Milne's son, actually named Christopher Robin, owned a teddy bear that inspired the stories. The younger Milne also owned stuffed animals called Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo; his father used these names as well for the tiger, donkey, kangaroo, and joey in the story. The characters of Owl and Rabbit were added for the story while Disney added Gopher to its adaptations in the 1960s. Milne's bear was named after a black bear named Winnie at the London Zoo and a swan named Pooh. In the stories, Milne explains that the bear is often simply called "Pooh" because he often had to blow flies off of his nose instead of swatting them with his paws.

The setting is Ashdown Forest, which is located in Sussex, England, 30 miles south of London. Milne owned a country home there where his family vacationed in the summer, and he subsequently picked the area as the setting for the Pooh stories. Iconic "Hundred Acre Wood" is in fact Five Hundred Acre Wood and Galleon's Leap is a fictionalization of the Gill's Lap hilltop. The illustrations are likewise directly inspired by the actual landscapes of Ashdown Forest.

Milne's first collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, titled Winnie-the-Pooh, was published in October 1926. In 1930, Stephen Slesinger purchased rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in the U.S. and Canada, and by the end of the next year, Pooh had exploded to a $50 million a year business. Pooh gained his famous red shirt in 1932, the first time the characters appeared in color, due to Slesinger's drawing the shirt and its being constantly reproduced afterward. (Pooh had worn a shirt even in the first book, but it had not been red until Slesinger colored it red.)

Slesinger's and Milne's widows both licensed rights to Disney in 1961, and the company has produced animated features, direct-to-video films, and television series starring the Pooh characters since 1966. 

Overall, Pooh has had many adaptations: two theatrical, several audio readings, recordings, and dramatizations, five theatrical feature films, five television series, four holiday specials, and five direct-to-video films.

Aladdin

Aladdin was born 18 years prior to the first film to Cassim and an unnamed woman. When Aladdin was only an infant his father left him and his mother in order to find a better life for his family. However, Aladdin's mother was captured by bandits when Aladdin was two, and was presumed dead. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, and thus was forced to learn to survive in the streets of Agrabah. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to give what he has stolen to others as poor or poorer than him, making him a sort of Robin Hood-type thief.

When Aladdin was seven he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard. Aladdin had stolen an apple from a fruit stand (in the same manner as Jasmine in the first film). Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards. Eventually, he was apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon. However, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothes line. When he was sixteen he fell in with a group of circus performers; Aziz, Fatima, Minos and their pet, who would eventually become his best friend, Abu the monkey.

Personality

Aladdin is cheery, trustworthy, bold, loving, generous and resourceful. He is referred to in the first film as a "diamond in the rough", with his true worth hidden beneath his street-rat exterior. His heroism is often demonstrated by his selfless acts and his determination to rescue Jasmine whenever she needs his help. Aladdin's resourcefulness often shows in his ability to easily steal food for him and Abu, but he will often offer it to others less fortunate and reprimand Abu if the monkey tries to take more than they need. Aladdin's simple upbringing has taught him to cherish all that he has, especially those close to him. His concern for others has helped reunite him with his father and meet Jasmine. Unfortunately, this works against him on such occasions when he helps people like Iagoand Cassim, forcing him to deceive Jasmine and the palace guards.

Aladdin is not without flaws. While courting Jasmine under the guise of Prince Ali, he constantly lies about his true identity, feeling that Jasmine would not accept him as he was. He initially acted arrogant, but came to realize that this performance was angering Jasmine. However, he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes, and will do everything in his power to make up for it.

Physical Appearance

Aladdin is a handsome, slender, slightly muscular young man with black hair and brown eyes. As a thief he is shirtless with only a purple waistcoat, white pants with a yellow patch a brown belt and a crimson fez, he is also barefoot. Wheras as a prince, he has a white turban and clothing and Arab style shoes. In the third movie, he wears a similar wardrobe that includes shoes.

Dumbo

Dumbo is the titular protagonist of the 1941 Disney film of the same name. Dumbo is a small elephant and the son of Mrs. Jumbo (which makes him the only boy elephant out of all the elephants seen in the movie). Dumbo is most famous for his giant floppy ears.

He is usually a silent character (except in comics), though he was voiced by Katie Leigh in the 1985 television series Dumbo's Circus.

Dumbo has the personality of a small child. He is playful and very fun. He loves being around his mother and hates being alone. When he does come along, his sidekick Timothy comes along and becomes his best friend. As he is only a baby in his first appearance, he does not talk during the film. However, in Dumbo's Circus, he does talk when he's nearly a teenager.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is the main protagonist in the 1953 film of the same name, and the one of the two protagonists (the other being Jane) ofits 2002 sequel. Peter travels from the enchanted isle of Never Landall the way to London just to hear Wendy Darling spin tales about him and his adventures. While his ego may seem inflated at times, even his arch-nemesis, Captain Hook, knows that Peter's no ordinary boy. He can fly without wings and match Hook's cutlass with nothing more than a dagger. He's also the undisputed leader of the Lost Boys and allows no breaks in ranks. Time makes little difference to him; when you never grow up, life is nothing but fun, whimsy and adventure. He was voiced by Bobby Driscoll in the original film and currently voiced by Blayne Weaver.

Peter Pan is a young boy who lives on the island of Never Land. He has a pixie who is his best friend and sidekick and he is the current leader of the Lost Boys. He spends most days going on adventures and battling the notorious pirate Captain Hook.

An earlier story idea involved Peter's birth and how he came to be. When he was an infant, fairies entered his home and took him away to Never Land. When Peter returned he discovered another baby in his mother's bed. Feeling rejected and forgotten, Peter left and returned to Never Land - now his home. Eventually Peter meets Tinker Bell and gathers a group of younger kids and create the Lost Boys. The idea was dropped early in production as Walt Disneybelieved how Peter came to be was another story.

Personality

Peter Pan is incredibly adventurous and daring. His favorite activities include battling pirates, engaging in friendly wars with the Indians, and listening to Wendy's stories of his adventures. Being a young boy, Peter can be rather impractical at times but when it comes to rescuing his friends, he is far more mature than any adult can be. He is respected and loved by nearly every inhabitant of Never Land with the exception of Captain Hook (and his crew) who despises Peter for cutting off his hand and feeding it to the crocodile during their first battle. Ever since, Peter and Hook have been at wits constantly battling in the hope that one would finally "walk the plank". One of the many things Peter discards is adulthood. This drove him to create a team of kids who also desire to stay young who he deems the Lost Boys. One can say Peter stands as a father figure for the group as well. Peter's most trusted companion is Tinker Bell. Even though they have a close best friend relationship, it is obvious Tink has strong feelings for Peter. Whether or not he's actually aware is currently unknown although in the first film when Tink was close to death, Peter stated "Don't you understand Tink, you mean more to me than anything in the world!". Despite being heroic and charming he can be quite cocky and being an immortal child somewhat he can also be quite immature.

Designs

Many of Walt Disney's envisioned characters went through an evolution of designs, and Peter Pan is no exception. Most model sheets depicted Peter as a small little boy but soon later changed into more of a fairy tale-like creature. Finally Peter was given the look of a nearly teen-aged boy. His outfit is green resembling an elf's attire with a red feather on his Robin Hood like hat. His shoes are a dirty blonde and holds a belt around his waist which holds his dagger.

Abilities

Flight: Peter Pan's most unique trait is his ability to fly without any physical methods, he used this to gain the advantage on others who can't. Semi-Immortality: Peter Pan can't die, but it's never where he can survive death. Eternal Youth: Peter Pan can't age due to being in Never Land which he says nobody can grow up.

Goofy

Goofy is an animated character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. He is a tall, anthropomorphic dog who is best friends with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Along with not being extremely intelligent, Goofy's main flaws is predictably and clumsiness.

Clumsy, unintelligent, childish, and pure goofy are some of the few words that describes Goofy. Aside from this he is extremely lovable and very charming which is shown when he confessed his love forClarabelle. Mickey and Donald sometimes consider him annoying, but they still care for him and they count him as a close friend.

It can be possible that he does not always enjoy being goofy as his "How To" cartoons revolve around him trying out a new "pass time" and going to great lengths to accomplish it properly. Many times, in his classic cartoons, he has been dumbstruck by women being the only one of his friends not to have a love interest at the time. However, in recent years, Goofy has been romantically paired up withClarabelle Cow on a regular basis, though their relationship has been present since the 1970s in some Mickey Mouse comic stories.

He has shown a level of intelligence as he is shown to be a superb sports player which requires the ability to follow tactics. He is also smart enough to raise a child alone and provide the best care and eventually see his child grow into a responsible adult. Goofy sometimes notices things others don't. He is very caring and sympathetic and is always willing to help, although usually ends up doing more harm than good. Goofy has been shown to be embarrassed by his clumsiness at times, but that doesn't stop him trying new things.

While naturally on the carefree side, Goofy has a serious tone most often seen when his son Max is in the scene. Like most parents, Goofy is only strict when necessary and makes certain that a minor friction between him and his son doesn't destroy their bond. While Max feels embarrassed by his father's actions several times, he sees his father as only "highly animated". Goofy's stern side is also seen when he feels he's been insulted, although most of the time it's a misunderstanding. Even though he himself takes pride in being a goofy person, he never stands for others calling him rude synonym names along the lines of dummy, or idiot with the exception of Donald, who berates Goofy often.