“Tom and Jerry,” one of the most iconic animation franchises in history, is to get a localized new version made with Southeast Asian audiences in mind.
The cat and mouse duo will take their chases to the streets, buildings and cityscapes of Singapore in a 7 x 3-minute series of shorts, produced locally in Asia, and in association with Warner Bros. Animation. A pilot episode will launch in August.
The show is destined to play on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO Go, Warner Bros. Discovery’s interim streaming platform in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong later this year, before being rolled out internationally.
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.
“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,” said Christopher Ho, head of kids, Southeast Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Vishnu Athreya, senior VP 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.”
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 leading franchises in the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio. The conglomerate reports that it has a global social reach of 50 million followers and almost 30 billion minutes watched on the Warner Bros. Kids YouTube channel. In 83 years, there have been more than 500 episodes and 15 movies produced. The franchise has won seven Academy Awards.
