Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is an American animated fantasy adventure horror comedy television series. Serving as a prequel to the 1984 film Gremlins and its 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, the series is set in 1920s Shanghai, East China, and tells the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing met Gizmo, a young Mogwai. It was written and executive produced by Tze Chun. Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sam Register, and Brendan Hay also serve as executive producers, with Joe Dante (the director of the Gremlins films) as consulting producer. In February 2021, ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season.

The first episode had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2022, before the series debuted with the launch of Max on May 23, 2023, consisting of 10 episodes. The series was also set to air on Cartoon Network as part of their ACME Night block. However, the block moved to Adult Swim in September 2023 before that could happen.

The second season titled Gremlins: The Wild Batch is set to be released in fall 2024.

Premise
The series focuses on how 10-year-old Sam Wing met the young Mogwai called Gizmo. Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by Riley Greene, a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins. The series also delves into the creation of the Mogwai by the goddess Nuwa and her brother Fuxi.

Main cast

 * Izaac Wang as Sam Wing
 * Ming-Na Wen as Fong Wing, Yin
 * B. D. Wong as Hon Wing
 * James Hong as Grandpa Wing
 * Matthew Rhys as Riley Greene
 * A.J. LoCascio as Gizmo, Bucky, Clam, Snout Jr., Evil Mogwai
 * Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Elle
 * Calvin Shen as Radish
 * Haviland Morris as Theodora. Morris previously portrayed Marla Bloodstone in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

Additional stars

 * Eric Bauza as Sebastian, Noggin, Snout
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Creature #2, Evil Mogwai, Lion
 * Sungwon Cho as the Circusmaster
 * Grey DeLisle as Claw, Duckface, Evil Mogwai
 * Zach Galligan as Henchman #2. Galligan previously portrayed Gizmo's modern day owner Billy Peltzer in both Gremlins films.
 * Keisuke Hoashi as Wei
 * Sandra Oh as Nüwa
 * Randall Park as Yao / Odd-Odd
 * George Takei as Noggin (intelligent version)
 * Bowen Yang as Celestial Administrator
 * Julie Nathanson as Warbler
 * Keone Young as Fortune Telling Pigeon
 * Ramona Young as Fox Spirit

Development
On February 25, 2019, WarnerMedia greenlit an animated series based on Gremlins, for its streaming service HBO Max. Tze Chun was confirmed to write the series and serve as an executive producer with Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sam Register, and Brendan Hay. On July 1, 2019, the series, now titled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, was given a series order of 10 episodes.

In February 2020, Joe Dante, director of the original two films, revealed that he acted as a consultant for the series. In July of that same year, it was revealed that Howie Mandel would not reprise his role as Gizmo for the series. On February 17, 2021, ahead of the series premiere, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season at the TCA virtual Press Tour.

In February 2021, the voice cast of Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, B. D. Wong, James Hong, Matthew Rhys, and Gabrielle Green was announced, with A.J. LoCascio voicing Gizmo. In December 2021, the first clip was shown in an HBO Max trailer for 2022 releases. In July 2022, Zach Galligan, Sandra Oh, Randall Park, George Takei, and Bowen Yang were revealed to have roles in the series. Galligan previously portrayed Billy Peltzer in the films. Animation for the series was provided by Blue Spirit Productions and 88 Pictures.

Release
The first episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2022, before the 10-episode series debuted with the launch of Max on May 23, 2023. In September 2021, it was announced the series would air on Cartoon Network as part of their ACME Night block. The series aired in the United Kingdom on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on October 30, 2023.

The second season titled Gremlins: The Wild Batch is set to debut in 2024.

Critical reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.5/10 based on 20 critics. The website's consensus reads: "Recapturing the original movies' blend of cuteness and mayhem, Secrets of the Mogwai is delightful family entertainment -- just don't feed it after midnight." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on reviews from seven critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades
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 * Saturn Awards
 * Best Animated Television Series or Special
 * Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
 * Nominated
 * Annie Awards
 * Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
 * Leah Artwick (for "Never Give Up")
 * Nominated
 * Producers Guild Awards
 * Outstanding Children's Program
 * Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
 * Nominated
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 * Outstanding Children's Program
 * Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
 * Nominated
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