Watch A New Gremlins Film Reunite Gizmo And Zach Galligan

Gizmo and Billy reunite in this cute Gremlins short.

By Faith McKay | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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A little taller, a little grayer, but fortunately not any wiser, little Billy Peltzer is all grown up and he still does a terrible job of keeping Gizmo in line. Mountain Dew has a new thirty-second commercial for their zero-sugar product bringing our favorite Gremlins pair back together again. It’s been all over thirty years since we last saw them in Gremlins 2, but they’re still comfortingly the same. The commercial ends with Peltzer’s daughter showing up on screen, her own friend on her shoulder. Watch the clip below.

In case you weren’t sure: yes, that is Zach Galligan, the actor who played Billy Peltzer in the original Gremlins films. In fact, that is Howie Mandel voicing Gizmo as well. Galligan shared in recent interviews that he’s never actually met Mandel even after all these years. It’s always fun to see a child actor who has grown up to love the movies he made, and Zach Galligan seems to fall in this camp. While talking to Entertainment Weekly about reuniting with Gizmo after all this time, he said, “There was a time when we were shooting the commercial, and we had a little bit of a break, and the puppeteer is next to me and he’s manipulating Gizmo’s arms. I leaned over to Gizmo and I was like, ‘How are you doing, buddy? It’s good to see you.’” He excitedly tweeted about the release of the new commercial. 

Of course, seeing anything new with Gizmo makes us ask, “And what about Gremlins 3?” While it’s been a long time, this possibility never stops being discussed. Early in 2020, it seemed like a strong possibility. The script exists. There are people interested in making it happen. Galligan is on board. Howie Mandel is up for doing the voice. The puppets are clearly still around. Better yet, it’s been confirmed that they would use the puppets for Gremlins 3, no attempts at CGI on this project. However, the pandemic has thrown a wrench in many projects, and for now, it seems that while people are still interested, it’s just not clear when it will truly happen at this point. Galligan is holding on to hope though, and so shall fans. 

Meanwhile, HBO Max is releasing their own Gremlins project. The concept art has already been revealed. The prequel series takes place in 1920s Shanghai. The animated series is currently planned to be ten parts and will feature Gizmo with two young friends. Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is expected to release later in 2021. Galligan is hopeful that if the series attracts new young viewers, it will renew interest in Gremlins 3 and get the project moving again. 

Almost as often as Zach Galligan is being asked about Gremlins 3, he is asked about Baby Yoda. The actor is active on Twitter and fans regularly send him memes comparing Grogu to Gizmo. He is now asked in interviews which he thinks is cuter. Of course, he has to side with Gizmo. He told Entertainment Weekly, “He’s fuzzier and, to me, fuzzy is cuter. Baby Grogu seems like he’s kind of been shaved, or maybe he’s hairless.”

gremlins gizmo

Is there anything cuter than even 30 seconds of Gremlins nostalgia, alive and well and breaking all the known rules? Possibly Grogu, but that’s for the internet to debate.