Tom & Jerry go full Roger Rabbit in first wacky trailer for the cartoon duo's feature-length film

Pop culture's favorite cat-mouse duo enter the Hollywood big leagues in the first zany trailer for director Tim Story's feature-length Tom & Jerry movie. Based on the iconic Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the early 1940s, the film was originally supposed to open in December 2020, but ended up being pushed to early March 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project, which was first announced in the fall of 2018, mixes animation with live-action for a Roger Rabbit vibe that brings the dueling feline and rodent into our flesh and blood reality. Written by Kevin Costello (Brigsby Bear), Tom & Jerry features a talented ensemble that includes: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Ken Jeong, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost, and Christina Chong. In particular, Grace Moretz plays Kayla, the newly-hired manager of a lavish hotel in New York City.

The esteemed hotel is on the verge of hosting a massive wedding, but needs to get rid of a certain rodent who's just moved in. Instead of calling an exterminator, Kayla brings in Tom to take care of the problem, and cartoon hijinks invariably ensue. Eventually, Kayla, Tom, and Jerry are forced to put aside their differences and team up after discovering that a nefarious hotel staffer plotting against all three of them. And since this is a Warner Bros. production, the film can get a little self-referential with the studio's various IPs, like Tim Burton's Batman.

Check out the trailer now:

Due to the global health crisis, the movie actually had to be finished in quarantine, with the post-production crew working remotely. 

"We broke ourselves out into departments: editorial, visual effects, animation, and overall post-production management,” producer Chris deFaria told IndieWire. “And with each of them, I asked to run three scenarios: status quo but with travel restrictions; a decentralized workflow with a central hub in London for editorial; or decentralize everything."

Per IMDB, Tom & Jerry will also explain how the two characters met and began their legendary rivalry. Story is known for helming two Fantastic Four movies at 20th Century Fox, as well as a reboot of Shaft at Warner Bros. The filmmaker executive produces the upcoming feature alongside Adam Goodman, Steven Harding, Sam Register, Jesse Ehrman, Allison Abbate, and Chris DeFaria.

Rated PG, Tom & Jerry sneaks out of the mouse-hole and into theaters March 5, 2021.