Warner Bros. Discovery is looking East and giving a “Singaporean twist” to one of its iconic kids franchises.

The company is producing a package of Tom and Jerry shorts (seven x three minutes) that will feature the duo in “unique Singapore locations and stories,”  and this project marks the first time the long-running cartoon will be localized in a series. 

A pilot will drop in August, with the shorts rolling out on Cartoon Network APAC and HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong later in the year. WBD will also launch Tom and Jerry consumer products to align with the premiere. And there are plans brewing to expand the content into more international territories. 

It’s a deliberate strategy to strengthen the brand in the APAC region. While it remains popular around the world, Tom and Jerry’s signature slapstick humor has generated a particularly strong appeal and following among Asian audiences over the years.

The first-look poster (pictured) showcases a number of regional landmarks, such as the Merlion sculpture and the Marina Bay Sands resort. 

The series will also pay homage to the franchise’s legacy by bringing back the Hanna-Barbera 1950s animation style, according to Christopher Ho, head of kids for Southeast Asia at WBD. Since the IP was first created as a series of comedy shorts in 1940, Tom and Jerry have been featured in more than 500 episodes and 15 movies.

The new series is produced locally in association with Warner Bros. Animation. Aum Animation Studios in India is handling the animation, with Singapore’s Robot Playground Media and Chips and Toon developing the stories and designs. WBD’s Carlene Tan is the producer on the project, and Aum’s Vivek Bolar (Andy Pirki) serves as lead director.