Warner Bros. Discovery is to make the first-ever localised Tom and Jerry series, featuring the popular cat and mouse duo as they take their rivalry through Singapore.
Produced locally in Asia, and in association with Warner Bros Animation, the new series comprises 7×3-minute shorts and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand later this year.
A pilot episode giving a flavour of what’s to come will launch in August with further details will be announced soon.
Christopher Ho, head of kids – Southeast Asia at Warner Bros Discovery, said: “This series brings back the iconic music and classic animation style from the Hanna-Barbera 1950s era – but with a modern Singaporean twist. With distinctive landmarks, backdrops and atmosphere, the Asian city-state is the ideal location to create a humorous addition to the Tom and Jerry canon.
“Working with homegrown creative talent in Singapore and across Asia, this project grows the much-loved franchise in the region and beyond.”
Vishnu Athreya, senior vice president of series, Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network Studios said: “Tom and Jerry are two of our most universally loved characters, proving that laughs can translate to any audience. The fans in Asia have long embraced these characters and it’s great to finally give them a version to call their own.”
The project is produced by Warner Bros Discovery’s Carlene Tan. Vivek Bolar serves as lead director. The project is animated by Aum Animation Studios India, with stories and designs from Singapore-based Robot Playground Media and Chips and Toon Studios.
More Tom and Jerry merch coming
There are also plans to launch additional Tom and Jerry-branded consumer products to complement the series launch later this year.
Tom and Jerry is one of the franchises in the Warner Bros Discovery portfolio with a global social reach of 50 million and almost 30 billion minutes watched on the Warner Bros Kids YouTube channel.
There have been more than 500 Tom and Jerry episodes and 15 movies made so far in its 83-year history, securing seven Academy Awards along the way.
About Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) produces and develops projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat- Family, Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Creature Commandos, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Merry Little Batman, My Adventures with Superman, Noonan’s, Teen Titans Go!, Tiny Toons Looniversity, and Velma.
The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the animated characters from the DC, Hanna- Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces animated films – including the DC Universe Movies – for DVD, Blu-ray and digital media. WBA has won six Academy Awards, 40 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honouring excellence in animation).