Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear (2024)

With his cinema debut, Tummy Tom joins the ranks of countless movie cats who have previously appeared on the silver screen. The enormous popularity of online cat videos fuels film producers’ interest in the cat as a character! Now these movie cats are joined (or competed) by Tummy Tom.

Tummy Tom, possibly the world’s meekest cat character, is now on the international radar with a #10 ranked position on the domestic box-office – 60,000 admissions achieved so far.

Two films in 2024!

His first film Tummy Tom and the lost teddy bear (62’) just premiered successfully in cinema on the domestic Dutch market and will be released in Belgium in September. Also the English narrated version is now available.

A winter edition ‘A new friend for Tummy Tom’ will hit the silver screen later this year in December. The stories are standalone and are specially written to match the season in which they take place.

About Tummy Tom

Tummy Tom is a 45-year-old classic in the world of children’s books. Jet Boeke created her first Tummy Tom picture book for the television program Sesame Street. On March 3, 1978, Tummy Tom appeared on television for the first time. Since then, he has stolen the hearts of toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents and has become a Dutch heritage brand just like the Miffi, who appeals to children all over the world.

Tummy Tom is a young, playful orange tomcat. He is curious, cheerful, and a bit impulsive. Tummy Tom loves to play and is not afraid of unfamiliar situations. In fact, his curiosity is piqued by them, and he prefers to dive right in. He is also a little impatient, and easily carried away. Often he does not foresee the consequences of his actions. His teddy Bear is his most cherished possession. 

The animation

Instead of flashy 3D the films are animated in the hand-drawn style of the books, which is iconic: the pencil lines, the ink, and the watercolor. Every background and every cat is lovingly hand-drawn by the animation team, frame by frame. 

The animators studied hours and hours of these online videos to make Tummy Tom move exactly like a real cat. How does a cat really stretch, for example? How does a cat sneeze? Also real cat sounds were recorded for the film.

The target audience

This animated film is especially designed for young children to form their very first cinematic experience. And, together with the orange tomcat, they are allowed to do what every young child loves to do: talk, sing, clap, and stomp along. After all, at their age they can’t sit still and listen for very long yet. With Tummy Tom you don’t have to. In fact: their active participation is a must! As parents pay very high attention to have quality time with their little children this film could contribute to that. 

In The Netherlands we are very well experienced in cinema events for these kids called Mini-Mornings. During these Mini Mornings, the little ones are introduced to the wonderful world of the Silver screen. Every Sunday morning you can see the best children’s films. The lights are dimmed, the sound is turned down and you can always leave the room. Afterwards, the little ones receive a special film diploma. You will never forget your very first cinema film! They even organize Meet & Greets with the Character and they make coloring pages available.

Learning letters

For school programs we created and launced succesfully special learning letter, which are accessible for international market too: www.dikkiedikindeklas.com