Remember Gremlins? They’re back, in animated TV series form. The reptilian monsters are part of a new block of family-friendly programming from streaming service HBO Max.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai takes place some decades prior to the monster movies, in the 1920s. It’ll explore the relationship between the adorable Gizmo, and a young Sam Wing, who has Gizmo at the start of the first Gremlins. Izacc Wang and AJ LoCascio voice Sam and Gizmo, respectively, and Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, and MAtthew Rhys are among the actors that fill out the cast. Tze Chun, who’s worked on Gotham and Once Upon A Time, is producing and writing.
Secrets of the Mogwai is part of ‘ACME Night’, featuring a number of spin-offs based on Warner Bros properties, as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter. On the animation side, it’s joined by Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, and the DCEU cartoon Aquaman: King of Atlantis. Then we’ve Harry Potter Wizarding World, a quiz show based on Harry and the world of Hogwarts, and three animated movies: Merry Little Batman, Did I Do That to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story, and a Looney Tunes production starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
Merry Little Batman is described as a Home Alone riff about Damian Wayne defending Wayne Manor against invaders, something which inevitably leads to him fighting for all of Gotham, because of course it does. Regular Show creative director Mike Roth is directing, from a script by Morgan Evans.
The shows will be available on Cartoon Network as well as HBO Max, to build an audience across platforms. “We know families want to spend time together,” Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, commented, “so we’ve created a destination for multigenerational stories that pull families together through the power of imagination.”
The block starts airing on Cartoon Network on September 19, before moving to HBO Max in early 2022. We don’t know when those pesky Gremlins will be available over in the UK, but rest assured, we’re keeping out eyes peeled. Here’s the best family movies to keep everyone happy otherwise.