A Chinese-American teenager takes on evil forces with the assistance of animal warriors in this animated yarn with voice work from Lucy Liu, Bowen Yang, Sandra Oh and Greta Lee.

Even in animated form, as a cartoon tiger, Henry Golding is handsome. It’s an incarnation that figures prominently in the new film based on Laurence Yep’s best-selling 2003 fantasy novel, the first of a trilogy. Featuring an array of notable Asian and Asian-American talents providing the voiceover work, The Tiger’s Apprentice is a fast-paced adventure that should prove highly engaging for its younger target audience when it premieres on Paramount+.

Cut to the present day, when Tom is mercilessly bullied at school thanks to his grandmother’s proclivity for adorning their house, both inside and out, with elaborate charms and amulets that make it resemble a temple. But Tom is more than capable of defending himself, as demonstrated by his sudden revealing of strange powers that send his tormentor flying to the ceiling.

As you might have already figured out from the title, Tom becomes Hu’s apprentice, teaming up with a dozen warriors assuming the form of animals from the Chinese zodiac — including the dragon Mistral (Sandra Oh), Dog (Patrick Gallagher, Big Sky) and Horse (Diana Lee Inosanto) — to take on Loo and her evil minions.

While the convoluted fantasy elements may make some older viewers’ eyes glaze over, the film fortunately features generous doses of welcome irreverent humor, as when the reluctant Tom informs Hu, “I don’t know what you’re thinking with all this apprentice stuff, but I’m not waxing cars.” The interactions among the Zodiac animal characters are frequently amusing, and the musical accompaniment for the climactic sequence makes fun use of, what else, “Eye of the Tiger.”

The powerhouse voice cast is another plus; besides the aforementioned, it includes Lucy Liu, Bowen Yang, comedian Jo Koy and Greta Lee (Past Lives), among others. Director Raman Hui, making his feature debut, keeps the proceedings moving at a suitably brisk pace, with the colorful CGI animation providing one diverting image after another. The Tiger’s Apprentice doesn’t really have the heft for the big screen, for which it was originally intended, but it’s easy to imagine it spawning sequels or perhaps a streaming series.