During the 46th Academy Awards, the film received three nominations for Best Original Song Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design, but failed to win any.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, seeking adventure and superstition, skip school to attempt resurrecting a dead cat through an incantation they believe will be empowered by the imminent death of a man named Hoss Williams.

When Aunt Polly, his guardian, seeks to discipline him for his truancy, Tom cunningly persuades other children to undertake his punitive chores, demonstrating his mischievous and manipulative nature.

Horrified, Tom and Huck witness the entire event and flee the scene, binding themselves with a pact of silence over the gruesome murder they observed.

During Muff's trial, as Injun Joe testifies with false claims, Tom, unable to bear the injustice, courageously reveals the true series of events on the stand, carefully omitting Huck's presence.

In a dramatic turn, Injun Joe retaliates by hurling a knife at Tom, narrowly missing him, and then makes a daring escape through the courthouse window.

During a subsequent Independence Day celebration, Tom and Becky's exploration of McDougal's Cave turns perilous when they encounter Injun Joe.

Jane Wyatt as forgiving Aunt Polly, Vic Morrow as the sinister Injun Joe, and John McGiver as Judge Thatcher are excellent.

[5] The paddle–wheeled boat used in the theatrical musical film was the Julia Belle Swain, currently (as of September 24, 2013) moored at Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Tom Sawyer also received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction–Set Decoration (Philip M. Jefferies, Robert De Vestel) and Best Costume Design (Donfeld).