From Paramount animation comes the film adaptation of Laurence Yep’s book “The Tiger’s Apprentice” in which young Tom Lee (voiced by Brandon Soo Hoo) comes to terms with his lineage from the Guardians, or those who protect the mythical Phoenix stone, the source of all magic in the universe. Tom’s grandmother Mrs. Lee (Kheng Hua Tan) took him in when he was young, but he only just starts to realize who she really is before an old enemy Loo (voiced by Michelle Yeoh) comes back to hunt down the Phoenix for herself. Lucy Liu voices the empress Nu Kua.
Just before realizing how much danger he’s really in, Tom meets Rav (voiced by Leah Lewis), a foster girl who starts to hang out with him. But the appearance of the Zodiac Warriors takes him away from her for a bit. The Zodiac Warriors include Hu the Tiger (Henry Golding), Mistral the Dragon (Sandra Oh), Naomi the Monkey (Sherry Cola), Sidney the Rat (Bowen Yang), Rabbit (Greta Lee), Rooster (Joy Koy), Dog (Patrick Gallagher), Pig (Deborah S. Craig), Horse (Diana Lee Inosanto), Snake (Poppy Lee) and Ox.
Here are the cast and characters of “The Tiger’s Apprentice”:
Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo)
Tom Lee, a Chinese-American teenager living in San Francisco, discovers that he descends from magical protectors known as the Guardians. The Guardians do everything in their power, sometimes even sacrificing their lives, to protect the Phoenix stone, a purple necklace that connects to all the qi in the universe.
Brandon Soo Hoo is known for playing Young Storm Shadow in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” (2009), Tran in “Tropic Thunder” (2008) and Fly Molo in “Ender’s Game” (2013). He also voiced Garfield Logan, aka Beast Boy in “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.
Mrs. Lee (Kheng Hua Tan)
Mrs. Lee took Tom in when he was young. He sees her as a sometimes embarrassing grandmother because of her superstitions and beliefs, but that’s before he learns her true status as a Guardian of the Phoenix, the source of all magic.
Kheng Hua Tan is known for appearances as Empress Dowager in the series “Marco Polo,” Charlotte Sharma in “The Faith of Anna Waters” (2016) and Kerry Chu in “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018).
Hu / Tiger (Henry Golding)
The gruff, short-tempered and prideful owner of a local Chinatown antique shop, Hu can transform into a tiger at will. The magical member of the Warriors of the Zodiac, Hu is sworn to protect the Guardians of the Phoenix with his powerful roar. He is the first member of the magical beings that Tom meets.
Henry Golding is known for portraying Nick Young in “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), Dry Eye in “The Gentlemen” (2019), Tom in “Last Christmas” (2019) and Snake Eyes in “Snake Eyes” (2021). He recently appeared as Mr. Elliot in “Persuasion.”
Mistral / Dragon (Sandra Oh)
Mistral, aka the Dragon, stands tall when she is not in her flying form. Her hairdo matches her mane, and she gives Hu a run for his money as the most authoritative Zodiac warrior. They’ve been arguing since the beginning of time.
Sandra Oh is known for playing Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy,” Eve Polastri in “Killing Eve,” Stephanie in “Sideways” (2004) and Patti in “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003). She plays Jenny Yum in “Quiz Lady” (2023) alongside Awkwafina and Ji-Yoon Kim in the Netflix limited series “The Chair” (2021). Other voice credits include Virana in “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2021), Nuwa in “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” and Ming in Pixar’s “Turning Red” (2022).
Naomi / Monkey (Sherry Cola)
Naomi the Monkey is a prankster. She also has the power to shrink herself and others into miniature versions of themselves.
Sherry Cola is known for playing Alice Kwan in “Good Trouble,” Special Agent Lucy Chun in “Claws,” Lolo in “Joy Ride” (2023) and Alice in “Shortcomings” (2023).
Loo (Michelle Yeoh)
An old enemy of the 12 Zodiac warriors and all Guardians, Loo is cold, cruel and power-hungry. She has hunted the Guardians over the ages with her powerful dark magic and magical Umbrella because she wants the Phoenix all for herself to destroy the world and take all the qi for herself.
Michelle Yeoh is known for many roles, most recently that of Evelyn Wang in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) for which she won an Oscar. She played Eleanor Young in “Crazy Rich Asians,” and she played Yu Shu Lien in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” She also played Wai Lin in “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997). She more recently appeared as Professor Anemone in “The School for Good and Evil” (2022), Scían in “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” Guanyin Pusa in “American Born Chinese,” Joyce Reynolds in “A Haunting in Venice” and Eileen “Mama” Sun in “The Brothers Sun” on Netflix.
Rav (Leah Lewis)
San Francisco teenager and musician Rav has bounced around from foster home to foster home, and school to different school her whole life. The street-smart girl bonds with Tom over skateboarding, but their new friendship might put Tom in danger.
Leah Lewis is known for her portrayal of Ellie Chu in “The Half of It” (2020) and Georgina “George” Fan in the CW’s “Nancy Drew” series. She also voices Ember in “Elemental.”
Sidney / Rat (Bowen Yang)
Sidney the Rat is a clever and cunning thief and pick-pocket whose light touch makes him perfect at stealing treasured objects. He tends to put this skill toward stealing food, but his size also helps him get into and out of tough situations.
Comedian Bowen Yang appears on “Saturday Night Live.” He is also known for playing Brian in “High Maintenance,” Jason on “The Outs,” Donny’s Guy in “Isn’t It Romantic” (2019), Edmund in “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens,” God in “Dicks: The Musical” and Howie in “Fire Island.” He has several guest appearances in films like “Bros” and shows like “The Other Two.”