The Theater where Sherlock and company meet Red is the "Bruce Nigel Theatre". Nigel Bruce played Watson opposite Basil Rathbone in Universal's World War II-era Holmes films.
As Watson runs to talk to Holmes after the opening credits, Holmes deduces that Watson has been at the "Rathbone Inn". This is a nod to Universal's World War II Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone.
Holmes deduces the porcelain button is made by "Brett Jeremy, a tailor in Lancashire" . This is a nod to Jeremy Brett, who played Sherlock Holmes in Granada Television's productions in the 1980s-90s.
This is the first Tom and Jerry animated movie without their creator Joseph Barbera, who died on December 18, 2006.