The upcoming “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” puts an animated spin on the popular horror-comedy franchise this year, and it’s coming to Max on May 23, 2023.

The half-hour animated series from WB Animation and Amblin TV is set in 1920s Shanghai and tells the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing met the young Mogwai called Gizmo.

Watch the official “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” trailer below, a fresh new look at the upcoming series that gives us a better idea of the storyline. In short, it looks like an evil villain is using the Gremlins in a sinister plot to take over the world, transforming the Mogwai into vicious beasts and allowing them to spread chaos. Think Gremlins 2… but in the open world!

The Wing family is voiced by an esteemed cast led by Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Mandalorian, Mulan), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner, Mulan), BD Wong (Mr. Robot, Jurassic World film franchise), and Izaac Wang.

• Fong Wing (voiced by Ming-Na Wen)—Fong Wing is Sam’s mother and a doctor of Chinese medicine. She’s resourceful, slyly funny, and fiercely protective of her family, even her frequently troublesome father.  She’ll do anything to aid and protect her son.
• Grandpa (voiced by James Hong)—A free spirit and self-proclaimed expert in Chinese myth and magic, Grandpa is the elder of the Wing family. He claims to have traveled the world on grand adventures, but nobody really believed him… until now. He alone knows the true power (and secrets) of the Mogwai and the importance of protecting them.
• Hon Wing (voiced by BD Wong)—Hon Wing is Sam’s father and the family’s calm rock. He’s never believed his father-in-law’s tales of magic and adventure. But when he and Fong become separated from Sam, he realizes the world is stranger than he thought, and that he’ll need to become braver to reunite his family.
• Sam Wing (voiced by Izaac Wang)—Sam Wing is a naïve 10-year-old boy who will one day become Mr. Wing, the mysterious shopkeep and Gizmo’s guardian in the original Gremlins films. Young Sam lives with his family in the tiny apartment behind their struggling medicine shop. Sheltered and cautious, Sam will be thrown into the adventure of a lifetime when he promises his Grandpa he’ll get Gizmo home.

“A period piece set in 1920s Shanghai, the series reveals how a 10-year-old Sam Wing – who becomes the future shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 movie – met the young Mogwai called Gizmo. They strike up a lifelong friendship as Wing attempts to return Gizmo to his family, encountering and sometimes battling colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore.

“Meanwhile, the two and street thief Elle are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins.”

“Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation. Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, Presidents of Amblin Television are executive producers. Tze Chun serves as showrunner and executive producer. Brendan Hay serves as executive producer with Dan Krall serving as Supervising Producer.