Wonder Pets: In the City! creator Jennifer Oxley on the significance of Tate the Snake (Exclusive)

Wonder Pets: In the City! introduces the Justice League of extraordinary pets, comprising Izzy the Guinea Pig, Zuri the Bunny, and Tate the Snake— a trio devoted to helping animals in need. If you're a furry being in peril, fear not.

There's a snake among these lovable superheroes, you ask? Wonder Pets: In the City! creator Jennifer Oxley spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda about the significance of this character who appears scaly and slimy on the outside but is just as caring on the inside.

Oxley also spoke about how Zoom simplified the casting project for what is essentially an animated opera. Wonder Pets: In the City! uses music to add a new dimension to the storytelling.

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In Wonder Pets: In the City!, the character of Tate the Snake was created for a very specific reason

Jennifer Oxley wants to both educate and entertain through Wonder Pets: In the City!. During the interview, she talked about how Tate the Snake's character embodies what the show is all about.

"Why now? Why are we doing this series now? And well, I started thinking to myself, what if there was this vast network of animals, super saving animals all over the world? And with the teamwork, I wanted to infuse this added layer of storytelling. Messages of compassion, empathy, kindness. The joy of helping others," Oxley said.

Created by Nickelodeon Animation, Wonder Pets: In the City shows Izzy, Zuri, and Tate traveling across the world in their Jetcar to help pets in need. But not everyone is receptive to a snake helping them out.

"And I thought what if we had a character that embodied that? This snake. You judge him by his looks as being a slimy, scary type of character. But in reality he’s just this lovable creature. You just want to be friends with him," Oxley continued.

Each of the characters in Wonder Pets: In the City! comes with its own special skill set. The lack of limbs on its serpentine being makes Tate an asset to this super squad.

"And also, he does things differently in that he doesn’t walk, he doesn’t have hands so he’s got a different way of doing things than others. So that is also a story driver for us. So, him as a character. I feel like he represents what we were trying to do in this new series, to tell deeper stories," Oxley said.

This author has been unable to stop humming the Wonder Pets theme a week after he watched said screeners. Oxley reiterated how important music was to the series:

"The singing is so important. But also the charm of the show is that they are young voices. They live in a pre school classroom. They are preschoolers singing. So, first and foremost we want those cute, adorable kid voices. But we are also looking for them to sing as well."

Thanks to the power of the internet, casting did not have to be limited to New York City. Oxley spoke about how they discovered the talented trio of Victoria Scola-Giampapa as Izzy, Vanessa Huszar as Zuri, and Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. as Tate.

"Now with Zoom, you can get kids from all over the place. So, you know, it does create a broader net of talent that we can tap into. We went through multiple rounds and multiple callbacks. Deciding on their acting abilities. Did they have the right sound for the part. And then, of course, can they sing?" Oxley noted.

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Wonder Pets: In the City! premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, December 13. In addition to the voice cast, the show also features Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-award-winning composers.