Tom and Jerry - 2021

Movie Info
Rating: PG
Age-appropriateness: plenty of slapstick, comedic violence as Tom and Jerry fight one another
Overview: Adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera property, which reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry. Tom and Jerry learn about conflict resolution. The characters also learn an important lesson: that fighting and hiding the truth in order to stay out of trouble ends up hurting everyone around you, including yourself.
Themes: conflict resolution, friendship, lying, animals, jealousy, Satan, marriage, honesty
The Quick 3
Ask these quick questions to hit the major themes of the film.
1. Conflict Resolution. When you are angry at someone, how do you usually try to solve the conflict? How can you live at peace with everyone instead of taking revenge?
Tom and Jerry are constantly fighting with one another. They play tricks on one another and they often end up getting hurt. Romans 12:17-19a says, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge."
2. Friendship. How can you start getting along with someone who you usually disagree with? What common purpose can you work toward together?
Tom and Jerry have to prove that they can get along. They spend the day in New York City doing activities together. They both agree to put their anger aside and work together for a common goal.
3. Honesty. Have you made any mistakes recently that you need to be honest about? How can you be sure to tell the truth when you mess up?
Kayla admits that she lied about her job history. She tells the truth about her actual skills and that she's unqualified for the hotel position. Kayla is finally honest with others and loses her job. Whenever you make a mistake, it's always really important to be honest about it as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more it's going to hurt everyone, including yourself.
After The Movie Discussion Guide
Follow this 5-10 minute discussion guide to drive an in-depth conversation.
1. Tom and Jerry are constantly fighting with one another. They play tricks on one another and they often end up getting hurt. Romans 12:17-19a says, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge." When you are angry at someone, how do you usually try to solve the conflict? How can you live at peace with everyone instead of taking revenge?
2. Kayla tricks her way into working at the hotel. She lies and takes Linda Perrybottom's resume so that she can get a job. Her lies even make the real Linda think that she wouldn't get hired. Listen to what God's Word describes in 1 Peter 3:10-11: "Scripture says, 'Suppose someone wants to love life and see good days. Then they must keep their tongues from speaking evil. They must keep their lips from telling lies. They must turn away from evil and do good. They must look for peace and go after it.'" How often do you say things that aren't true? How can you turn away from telling lies and start doing good?
3. Tom sees Jerry living in a fancy hotel, and he immediately gets jealous. Tom then tries everything he can to remove Jerry from the hotel so that he could live there instead. Jealousy is wanting to have something that someone else has. When was the last time you were jealous of someone else? What made you feel that way?
4. Ben and Preeta are a famous couple in New York City that will soon be in a high-profile wedding. A marriage is a relationship that is intended to look like the relationship Jesus has with everyone who belongs to the church. It's a relationship that is sacrificial, unconditionally loving, gracious, and kind. In what ways do you think a marriage represents the relationship that Jesus has with the church? What questions do you have about marriage?
5. Many animals are in and around the hotel. Some are pets while others live in the wild. What are your favorite animals? What animal do you prefer to be your pet?
Minute By Minute Guide
Use this break down of the entire movie in addition to the “After the Movie” discussion guide. Great for repeat viewings.
:04 Tom pretends to be blind so that he could amaze people with his piano skills and make more money. Jerry swoops in and tries to take money away from Tom. The people soon realize that Tom was tricking them, pretending to be something that he isn't. He was pretending to have certain skills so that others would like him. Why do you think Tom's actions were not appropriate?
:14 Kayla lies about her resume, saying that she has worked at all of these fancy hotels. She selfishly wants to get the job at the hotel, so she is willing to say things that aren't true and trick people into thinking she is someone else. Have you ever lied to someone to make yourself look better? What do you think that person would've thought of you if you just told the truth?
:25 Tom sees a devil and angel version of himself start to give him advice. The devil version tells Tom that he should be jealous of Jerry and that he should take revenge. The angel version tells Tom that he shouldn't worry about others so much, and that he should do the right thing. Do you ever have moments like this, when you have to decide between doing the right thing or doing the thing that feels good in the moment?
The devil is often depicted like this in cartoons: a funny guy with horns and a pitchfork. But the real Satan is much different. Check out this article about How to Talk to Your Kids About Satan/Evil.
:44 Preeta loses her giant engagement ring. Rather than telling her fiancé the truth, she makes up a lie to act like everything is okay. She's afraid that if she tells the truth, she'll get in trouble. Do you ever hide the truth from someone in order to avoid getting into trouble?
:55 The animals were fighting around the hotel. Eventually, they ended up breaking lots of things and making a huge mess. Often, our fights end up hurting people around us. If we cannot resolve conflict in a healthy way, more and more people are affected by it. Have you ever been in a fight that resulted in a lot of damage? What would've been a better way to resolve your conflict?
1:03 Tom and Jerry have to prove that they can get along. They spend the day in New York City doing activities together. They both agree to put their anger aside and work together for a common goal. How can you start getting along with someone who you usually disagree with? What common purpose can you work toward together?
1:21 Kayla admits that she lied about her job history. She tells the truth about her actual skills and that she's unqualified for the hotel position. Kayla is finally honest with others and loses her job. Whenever you make a mistake, it's always really important to be honest about it as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more it's going to hurt everyone, including yourself. Have you made any mistakes recently that you need to be honest about? How can you be sure to tell the truth when you mess up?
1:30 Ben apologizes to Preeta. He was sorry for making their wedding and relationship all about what he wanted. Instead, they both promised to tell the truth to one another. They also committed to trying to serve one another, trying to think of what the other person wanted. How many of your relationships are selfless like this? How many people do you have in your life that are having your best interests in mind?