On 26th July 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced its first-ever localized series of the iconic franchise Tom and Jerry, the beloved iconic cat and mouse duo who will take their rivalry through unique locations and stores in Singapore https://press.wbd.com/gb/media-release/wbd-unveils-new-tom-and-jerry-series-set-asia?language_content_entity=en
Tom and Jerry is one of the leading Warner Bros. franchises. Discovery portfolio with a global social reach of 50 million and almost 30 bn minutes, watched on the Warner Bros. Kids YouTube channel. Over 500 episodes and 15 movies have so far been made in its 83-year history, securing 7 Academy Awards along the way.
The new series being produced locally in Asia in association with Warner Bros. Animation will feature 7 episodes, each 3 minutes long, and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan later this year, before being internationally rolled out. The studio went to great lengths to create distinctly Singaporean scenarios for the new Singapore episodes, which have never been done outside of the US before. Although the series is the first localized version of the IP, it is worth noting that last year WBD released a series of cute Tom and Jerry shorts in Japan, but these were done in a distinctive kawaii/anime style, although they were still set in a traditional Tom and Jerry universe.
A pilot episode will launch in August – giving a flavour of what is to come, further details of which will be announced soon.
Familiar sights will be seen in the shorts such as the iconic Merlion and Marina Bay Sands, as Tom and Jerry chase each other through the streets of Singapore.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Carlene Tan is the producer, and Vivek Bolar serves as the lead Director. The stories and designs were handled by Singapore-based animation studios Robot Playground Media and Chips and Toon Studios, while the animation was by India’s Aum Animation Studios. https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/merlion-marina-bay-sands-new-tom-and-jerry-series-feature-scenes-set-singapore-debuts
According to a WBD release, there are also plans to launch Tom and Jerry branded consumer products later this year, to complement the series. Head of Kids content for Southeast Asia, Christopher Ho said that this series brings back the classic animation style and iconic music from the 1950s era of Hanna-Barbera but with a modern Singaporean twist. He added that the Asian city-state was the ideal location to create a humourous addition to the Tom and Jerry canon with its distinctive backdrops, atmosphere and landmarks.
Senior Vice President of the Series, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, Vishnu Athreya, added that Tom and Jerry were two of the most universally loved characters, who proved that laughs could translate to any audience. He went on to say that since the fans in Asia have long embraced these characters, it was great to finally give them a version to call their own.
