Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Hatch Up Your Troubles" is a 7-minute cartoon from 1949, so two more years until this one has its 70th anniversary. It was made by Hanna Barbera and with that in mind you perhaps guess correctly already that this is another Tom & Jerry Cartoon. World's most famous cant and mouse duo is joined by a little woodpecker here, whose egg rolls out of the nest right into Jerry's hole and that's where he hatches. As a consequence, he mistakes Jerry for his mom and while Jerry enjoys the attention early on, he quickly gets enough of the little bird. But when he sends him out and birdie runs into Tom, who is mostly more interested in having his peace and reading a book than eating the bird, Jerry and the bird reunite and work together in keeping each other safe as Tom definitely still has an interest in eating Jerry. This little movie was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Pepe Le Pew. It is one of the more known T&J cartoons, but not one of the better I would say. The comedy here is mediocre mostly, but the film still succeeds thanks to the bird cuteness. Overall, a thumbs-up, but just a cautious recommendation this time.

BA_Harrison Not the most inspired of set-ups—a newly hatched woodpecker mistakes Jerry for his mum and inevitably gets into trouble with Tom—but despite the lack of fresh ideas, there's just about enough fun to be had with the little feathered fellow to make this one worth watching. The little bird's beak goes ten to the dozen, not just making short work of anything made of wood, but also causing Tom considerable pain, rapping repeatedly on his skull, chipping a hole in his teeth, and filling him full of holes when he unwisely swallows the woodpecker whole.The final gag—which sees the bird taking time to carefully calculate which way a telegraph pole will fall when he pecks its base, as Tom repeatedly tries to end Jerry's life with an axe—is still pretty funny despite its predictability.

Shawn Watson I'm not too keen on this one, I'm afraid. Jerry becomes an unexpected 'mama' to a baby woodpecker after an egg falls out of a nest and rolls into his quarters beneath the house. The baby bird hatches and mistakes Jerry for it's mother. Hardly an original concept for a cartoon, even back in 1949.As expected, the Woodpecker goes crazy, pecking stuff to into dust. When out in the open, Tom (who appears just two minutes before it's finished) takes an instant dislike when his afternoon sitting in a deckchair is interrupted and tries to kill the annoying little chick.I'm with Tom on this one.

Robert Reynolds This Tom and Jerry, nominated for an Oscar, concerns an egg, Jerry mouse and the joys and headaches of unexpected "motherhood" for a very surprised mouse when the egg hatches into a baby woodpecker. Tom gets involved and typical sight gags (most rather painful to Tom from the looks of things) abound with great rapidity, resulting in an enjoyable time for all, except for Tom, of course. Recommended.