List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio films
The following list is a filmography of all animated short subjects distributed by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture studio through Loew's Incorporated between 1930 and 1958 and between 1961 and 1967.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were directors of Tom and Jerry from 1940 to 1958; subsequent cartoons were briefly produced by Gene Deitch and later by Chuck Jones from 1963 to 1967. As well, Rudolf Ising was the producer of Tom and Jerry's Puss Gets the Boot; subsequent cartoons were produced by Fred Quimby through 1955. Quimby retired in 1955 and from 1955 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera produced the shorts until the in-house cartoon studio closed in 1957, and the last cartoon was released in 1958. After a three-year hiatus, Tom and Jerry was brought back in 1961, and Tanner the Lion was brought back in 1963. The last MGM cartoon was released in 1967 as The Bear That Wasn't.
Between 1935 and 1957, MGM ran an in-house cartoon studio which produced shorts featuring the characters Barney Bear, George and Junior, Screwy Squirrel, Red Hot Riding Hood & The Wolf, Droopy and best of all, Tom and Jerry. Outside producers included Ub Iwerks, Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, William L. Snyder, and Chuck Jones.
Iwerks Studio (1930–1934)
During this era, Iwerks Studio produced 52 cartoons for MGM, one of those cartoons being held over to the Happy Harmonies era. None of the shorts have credited directors, but all of these listed cartoons are known to be directed by Ub Iwerks, with Carl W. Stalling as the composer.Many of the cartoons are also in the public domain as their copyrights are not renewed, with some exceptions like Davy Jones' Locker. Fiddlesticks had its copyright renewed, but being a work from 1930, it lapsed into the public domain on January 1, 2026.
Harman-Ising Productions (1934–1938)
| Release date | Series | Title | Director | Notes | Availability |
| March 7, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | The Old Mill Pond | Hugh Harman | • First appearance of the "Jazz Frogs". | |
| April 4, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | Two Little Pups | Rudolf Ising | • First appearance of the "Two Little Pups". | |
| May 2, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | The Old House | Hugh Harman | • Featuring Bosko. | |
| May 30, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | The Pups' Picnic | Rudolf Ising | • Featuring the "Two Little Pups". | |
| June 4, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | To Spring | William Hanna | • William Hanna's directorial debut. | • Technicolor Dreams and Black & White Nightmares Blu-ray released by Thunderbean Animation. |
| July 11, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | Little Cheeser | Rudolf Ising | • Third appearance of Little Cheeser, and the first cartoon to name him on-screen. | • Extra on the Blu-ray of Libeled Lady. |
| December 12, 1936 | Happy Harmonies | The Pups' Christmas | Rudolf Ising | • Featuring the "Two Little Pups". | |
| January 16, 1937 | Happy Harmonies | Circus Daze | Hugh Harman | • Featuring Bosko. • Last cartoon to label the name "Happy Harmonies" on the title. However, the remaining Harman-Ising shorts of this period are considered as part of the series. | |
| February 13, 1937 | Swing Wedding | Hugh Harman | • Featuring the "Jazz Frogs". | ||
| March 20, 1937 | Bosko's Easter Eggs | Hugh Harman | • Bosko's final solo cartoon. | ||
| May 1, 1937 | Little Ol' Bosko and the Pirates | Hugh Harman | • First of three cartoons pairing Bosko with the "Jazz Frogs". | ||
| May 29, 1937 | The Hound and the Rabbit | Rudolf Ising | • Extra on the DVD of Double Wedding. | ||
| July 10, 1937 | The Wayward Pups | Rudolf Ising | • Final appearance of the "Two Little Pups". | ||
| August 28, 1937 | Little Ol' Bosko and the Cannibals | Hugh Harman | • Second of three "Little Ol' Bosko and the Jazz Frogs" cartoons. | ||
| December 15, 1937 | Little Buck Cheeser | Rudolf Ising | • Fourth and final appearance of "Little Cheeser". | • Extra on the DVD of Captains Courageous. | |
| January 1, 1938 | Little Ol' Bosko in Bagdad | Hugh Harman | • Final appearances of Bosko and the Jazz Frogs. • Last cartoon produced by Harman-Ising Pictures for MGM. • Filmed in Technicolor. | ||
| February 5, 1938 | Pipe Dreams | Hugh Harman | • Featuring the "Good Little Monkeys". • Produced by Harman-Ising for Disney, but ultimately released by MGM. • Filmed in Technicolor. | ||
| March 12, 1938 | The Little Bantamweight | Rudolf Ising | • Produced by Harman-Ising for Disney, but ultimately released by MGM. • Filmed in Technicolor. • First MGM cartoon animated by Michael Lah. |