Details are beginning to come to light about the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will be taking a different shape this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the parade is still expected to include some eye-catching attractions — including a float that will advertise the upcoming Tom and Jerry movie. According to a new report, the upcoming Warner Bros. live-action/animated hybrid film will have a presence in the parade, with an animatronics float.
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Titled “Tourist Trap,” the float will feature smoke and other effects to spoof city life by throwing Tom into a series of wild squash-and-stretch sight gags. Among the indignities Tom endures are run-ins with a steamroller, a truck, a deceptively innocent-looking pretzel stand and a sewer gator. He’ll even inflate like a mini Parade balloon as Jerry flies above the pandemonium in a drone helicopter.
Tom and Jerry is just the latest property to factor into the event, joining Boss Baby, Blue’s Clues, and a float themed around the Lifetime Network. This year’s Macy’s parade will be significantly smaller than usual, with a live event in front of Macy’s 34th Street store, with only 25% of the participants. Earlier this year, it was announced that the event would be “reimagined” as a primarily-virtual experience, so fans can still enjoy the magic while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
“It will not be the same parade we’re used to,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in September. [Macy’s is] reinventing the event for this moment in history. And you will be able to feel the spirit and the joy of that day.”
The Tom and Jerry movie will be directed by Tim Story, and will follow the animated duo in an unexpected live-action story. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz, Micael Pena, Rob Delaney, Ken Jeong, and Colin Jost, and is set to charm viewers of all ages.
“Oh, man, that was so cool,” Pena said of the film in an interview earlier this year. “Sometimes, you show up on these movies, and the actor is still trying to find it. I don’t know if they’re not prepared or whatever, but it happens every so often. But, Chloe Moretz was so on the moneyโฆ She knew the script, and she was just awesome to go back and forth with. And Tim Story is just a stud. There are some directors who are good indie directors or good dramatic directors, but he’s a big movie director. He’s meant to be doing big movies. It didn’t seem like work when we were on set with the guy. He just wants fun, and fun is what we gave him. You always want to perform for your director, because he’s your first audience, and he was really easy to perform for. There’s a certain freedom that you want, especially for that kind of family movie. And sometimes, you don’t want that freedom. You want there to be a little bit of an edge and a little bit of tension. You can definitely sense that on some films.”
What do you think of the Tom and Jerry movie having a presence at this year’s Macy’s Parade? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The Macy’s Parade will be telecast on November 26th from 9:00 am to noon EST. Tom and Jerry is currently scheduled to be released on March 5, 2021.
h/t: Deadline