The Duck Doctor

A group of migrating ducks fly through the sky, when Tom uses a rifle on a duckling, injuring its wing and sending it crash-landing outside Jerry's door on a farm. Jerry nurses the duckling back to health, but every time it hears the other ducks flying on their merry way he keeps trying to rejoin them, always putting himself at the mercy of Tom's shooting. Will Doctor Jerry be able to keep the duckling safe while its wing heals? This is another Tom & Jerry cartoon featuring the duckling introduced in 'Little Quacker', and it is very funny. Only thing is: how come the duckling is differently-coloured to his usual yellow appearance in the other cartoons it featured in? It speaks with the same voice...

Being a huge 18-year old Tom and Jerry fan, I am very fond of The Duck Doctor. Although it is very funny with some great visual gags, it is also very touching as Jerry vows to protect the adorable little duck. The animation is of true beauty here, with the beautiful colours and backgrounds, it is by far one of the most beautifully drawn Tom and Jerry cartoons. The music is also lovely, really gives some poignancy to the more slower, less action-packed parts. The story is simple, but it is engaging and touching, it has the same emotional level as when I watch the Disney Silly Symphony Ugly Duckling. As I do with Ugly Duckling, I find the little duck absolutely adorable and huggable, and it saddens me that anyone would want to hurt him. Jerry is still his sweet self, while being the source of kindly affection, while Tom is still dastardly. I will say I found myself rooting for Jerry and the little duck than I did for Tom here. Overall, very funny and very touching. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons I've seen, definitely rated in the top echelon. It has a very funny character in this little duck, who keeps getting shot and injured by Tom and repaired by Jerry and it has outstanding artwork. I rarely comment on the drawings in T&J cartoons, but you can't help appreciating the beautiful art in here, right from the opening scene.

The tale of the little duck, and Jerry's efforts to save it, are both hilarious and touching. Many times I wind up rooting for poor Tom in these Tom & Jerry cartoon since Tom many times takes undeserved abuse....but not this time. In particular, the comic bit with Tom and the anvil is outstanding.

Nobody could root against this poor little, green-headed duck who - I guarantee - you will just love.

The Duck Doctor sees the return of that bloody irritating, cloyingly cute duckling Quacker, this time as the unfortunate target of shot-gun toting bird-hunter Tom. Winged by Tom as he is flying South, Quacker crash lands on a farm where his injuries are tended to by Jerry the mouse. Meanwhile, Tom goes searching for his downed prey, gun at the ready…

As you might have guessed, I really don't like the character of Quacker (he's almost as sickening as Nibbles the mouse), so I guess that it is testament to the skills of this cartoon's creators that I rate it as highly as I do. The animation is superb with the farm setting looking particularly fabulous, and there are lots of great gags (nearly all of them at Tom's expense), but the best is most definitely saved for last: on realising that he cannot avoid being hit by a falling anvil, Tom digs a grave, smokes a cigarette and waits for the inevitable, falling into the hole when he is hit.

N.B. To my knowledge, this is the first T&J short in which Tom dies at the end—but it wouldn't be the last (the very next short, The Two Mouseketeers, would see him meet a very grisly end!).

6.5 out 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.