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'Hatch Up Your Troubles (1949)' is a 'Tom and Jerry' short in which the latter becomes acquainted with a newly born woodpecker. The first half of the piece is totally cat-free, focusing on the chaos caused by the wood-pecking toddler as he obliterates almost everything in Jerry's humble little mouse-hole. Once Tom comes into the fray, the short becomes a more classic cat-and-mouse caper; the bird and mouse duo must now outwit the ferocious feline that chases them. It's all good fun, with inventive sight gags throughout. It isn't massively funny but it has its moments and is generally rather charming. Of course, it's predictable. Yet, it's an enjoyable experience nevertheless. 7/10

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.

This is a very entertaining Tom and Jerry cartoon, thanks in part to a cute little woodpecker who is funny and a bit a change. Instead the whole cartoon being a chase scene, as so many T&J cartoons tend to be, it's only the last two minutes. For most of it, we see Jerry trying to deal with this little just-hatched woodpecker, who buzzes through furniture faster than a chain saw.

It all started when the bird's mother put a "Gone to lunch - back in 10 minutes" sign draped over his nest where a pink egg remains. That eggs falls out of the nest and miraculous lands on the ground safely after several soft items broke its fall. Then it rolls right into Jerry's bed! Of course, it hatches and the little guy thinks Jerry is "mama." Craziness really abounds after that incredulous premise.

Overall - very, very entertaining and highly recommended!

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.

I said that this is a beautiful cartoon--and so are the Tom & Jerry cartoons of the 40s and well into the 50s. While this series lacked the originality and kookiness of some of its competitors, these shorts were the most beautifully animated shorts...period. Not surprisingly, it was also nominated for an Oscar--it was that pretty. Now it's not just the animation that is great, but the backgrounds...wow! They are just gorgeous.

"Hatch Up Your Troubles" begins with a woodpecker's egg falling out of the nest and rolling into Jerry's home. At first, Jerry hates to have the little hatchling about, as it begins destroying EVERYTHING. However, when Tom is up to no good, the little guy saves the day. Overall, a lovely cartoon that also is a lot of fun. While ALL Tom & Jerry cartoons are a bit repetitive, this one is a bit different and a joy to watch.

By the way, the Oscar winner that year was the Looney Tunes short "For Scent-imental Reasons"--starring Pepe Le Pew.