‘Tom and Jerry’ Trailer Revives the Animated Characters for Live-Action Film

The favorite cat and mouse movie are taking their antics to New York City. Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled a trailer for the upcoming “Tom and Jerry” movie, scheduled for a 2021 theatrical premiere.

While the titular characters are animated in similar styles as the original television show, the new film diverges from tradition with live actors and a real-world set. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as an event planner hired by a hotel to organize a wedding, but she’s also expected to remove a pesky mouse — Jerry — from his recent residence within the building’s walls.

 These are iconic nemesis teams that have gone down in the hall of fame as the best antagonistic relationships to ever be shown to the world. But in the new Tom and Jerry movie, it looks like that there’s peace between the formidable animated duo, after decades of infighting. Of course, it doesn’t take much to reignite the old flame of adversary, as an all-star cast helps pit cat against mouse in a live-action/animation crossover event for the big screen.

While Tom and Jerry sees these two foes split up and somewhat peaceful, it isn’t long before Jerry’s new residence at a swank New York hotel causes an uproar that’ll bring him back together with Tom. As “four Presidents, three popes, and two kings” have previously made this city landmark the perfect spot for a “wedding of the century,” a young upstart employee (Chloe Grace Moretz) is tasked with taking care of this problem for the higher ups. Which leads her to hiring who she thinks is the best cat for the job; and leads to Jerry’s reaction confirming what audiences around the world have known for years. In this battle of wits, the competition isn’t even close.

This isn’t just going to be the same old Tom and Jerry shenanigans though. As this is another modern reinvention of an old classic, courtesy of Shaft director Tim Story, there’s a bit of modern inspiration mixed in the standard Hanna Barbera hijinks. Part of which comes from an impressive live-action cast of comedy performers, including the previously mentioned Chloe Grace Moretz. Alongside her are co-stars like Ant-Man franchise star Michael Pena, Deadpool 2’s own X-Force recruit Rob Delaney, and The Masked Singer judge/laugh riot Ken Jeong. Jeong especially looks like he gets to have fun, chasing after the animated Jerry through a kitchen set-piece that involves a lot of cake.

Introducing a new generation to the adventures of Tom and Jerry isn’t an easy feat, as some are still getting over the rather disastrous animated musical that is Tom and Jerry: The Movie. But this time around, it looks like the references and sight gags will do the talking for this historic team of rivals. Though now that we think about it, should Tom and Jerry do well enough at the box office, maybe it’s time to cross them over with Sylvester and Tweedy for the ultimate sequel.

Tom and Jerry is currently slated for theatrical release on March 5, 2021; though the trailer is quick enough to leave the film as “Coming Soon.” So if we get any updates on whether or not this movie will be arriving on time, or on a delay, you can check back at CinemaBlend for more info. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out our 2021 release schedule, as you can see what sort of competition Tom and Jerry will be facing in its current slot.

November 18, 2020