Warner Bros. has set release dates for two animation/live-action hybrid films of note: Sesame Street and Tom and Jerry are both slated to arrive in early 2021.
The Sesame Street film has been described as a “live-action musical,” and would presumably incorporate some of the musical guests that the former PBS series is famous for. Perhaps they can bring back Feist for a reprise of her classic “1, 2, 3, 4” rendition? That film is being directed by Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel, from a script by Mike Rosolio and Chris Galletta, and is set for a Jan. 15, 2021 release.
The odder of the two projects is no doubt Tom and Jerry, in the sense of “How do you make this combative duo into a feature-length movie?” Typical Tom and Jerry cartoons were only a few minutes long, and the characters have largely been mute throughout their histories, so it would seem some serious revisionism is probably in order: You can’t make a film of Tom getting repeatedly flattened, burned and electrocuted for 90 minutes. Tim Story of Ride Along and Shaft is attached to direct the Tom and Jerry movie, which is described as “a hybrid of animation and live-action.” Does that not sound a little creepy? Regardless, Tom and Jerry is set for an April 16, 2021 release, according to The Wrap.
Both films will no doubt be banking on tapping into some unmined nostalgia that exists for children of the 1980s and 1990s, although Sesame Street is still fairly relevant today. We’ll bring you more news on both projects as they head into production.