If you were a fan of the early 2000s Kids WB series, Jackie Chan Adventures, get ready to dust off your martial arts uniform for Jackie Chan’s latest animated follow up series, J-Team: All New Jackie Chan Adventures.
The 3D cartoon series aimed at children ages 3-10 follows a team of protagonists, including a child version of Jackie Chan, who’s part time responsibility is to defend a magical land from evil invaders. The series will feature a well known actress from the popular Chinese series, Dad, Where Are We Going? Kyana “Poppy” Downs will co-star, along with Chan appearing in a live form briefly at the end of each episode to drive home a lesson well learned, instilling Chinese values and “healthy habits” through comedy.
“It’s meant to help young children to do things they don’t always like to do — like, don’t look at your phone for too long, remember to brush your teeth, respect your elders, pick up the trash,” Chan said in an interview at the recent Beijing International Film Festival. Chan added, “If you just tell them that, sometimes children won’t listen, but through comedy and action, then they will start to follow,” reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Producers are trying to shop the 104-episode series to international networks, with plans for the Hong-Kong created series to premiere later this year. China will see the show air on 200 terrestrial stations and three children’s satellite TV channels.
Boasting a $6 million production price tag, Chan’s production partners Zhejiang Talent Television & Film, Khorgas JJ Culture Media Co., and VJ Animation Studio are ambitious to market the series with merchandise, a 2019 feature film, and theme park attractions. Contrasting his investors high hopes, Chan insisted, “That’s the investors, they have so many plans. For me, I just want to make a cartoon for the children around the world.”
In an article with The Hollywood Reporter, Chan proclaims his goals are not self-serving, “[This show] is not about making money — I have a lot of money already,” Chan continued (he earned $61 million last year alone, according to Forbes). “Today, what I’m really doing with this cartoon is, I can show to the world, it used to be Jackie’s adventures from America, but these days, everything is made in China.”
Jackie Chan Adventures aired on Kids WB for five seasons from 2000-2005, in over 60 countries.
Jackie Chan has been acting since the 60s, and is best known for his acrobatic fighting style in films like Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2 and Shanghai Knights.