Animated Lalu

I don’t know what their real motivation behind this was but the theme is sure to get them a lot of eye balls. They have already been covered by the Indian press and have been interviewed by television channels in India. I managed to catch a glimpse of the animated clip during one such interview and was horrified by the crassness of the content. The voice-over is pretty accurate no doubt but watching a semi-dressed Lalu in a vest and lungi, carrying a ‘lota’ for obvious reasons and being chased by a cameraman is not my idea of entertainment. Worse still, Lalu’s character then enters a loo and the cameraman focuses the camera inside the loo through the keyhole. Is that supposed to be funny? What on earth are Indian audiences going to be subjected to next?!

In terms of design, the quality is poor - very, very primitive and the animation is limited. The only saving grace is the guy who voices Lalu’s character - he is spot on.

The creator - Pawan

This is supposedly the first clip the team is about to release. They are looking for sponsors/financiers for subsequent episodes. The team members named in the news reports were Pawan - the cartoonist/animator and brain behind this project and Shashi - the voiceover artist who has mimicked Lalu’s voice quite well. You can read the IBNlive report here and watch the TV interview below. Would love to hear from my readers what they feel about this one.

If you are unable to view the above clip, see the original video on the ibnlive website

images courtesy IBNlive.in.com

Flipanimation.net has many more such fascinating bits of trivia besides some really good articles that make for engrossing reading. Do check it out!

So who is Sheikh Muhammad Munajid and why is he accusing our beloved rodents? The Telegraph, UK, reports that he is a cleric and a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, said that under Sharia, both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed. Mr Munajid was asked to give Islam’s teaching on mice during a religious affairs programme broadcast on al-Majd TV, an Arab television network.

According to a translation prepared by the Middle East Media Research Institute, an American press monitoring service, he said: “The mouse is one of Satan’s soldiers and is steered by him. If a mouse falls into a pot of food – if the food is solid, you should chuck out the mouse and the food touching it, and if it is liquid – you should chuck out the whole thing, because the mouse is impure. According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature. How do you think children view mice today – after Tom and Jerry? Even creatures that are repulsive by nature, by logic, and according to Islamic law have become wonderful and are loved by children. Even mice. Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases.”

Hmmm… I wonder what he would have to say about Ratatouille who is not just cute and adorable but a chef!

Created by Shemaroo Entertainment and Sun Animatics for the animated ‘Ghatothkach - Master of Magic’, the character - Ghatothkach has been adopted by PETA as the Official Brand Ambassador for their ‘Save The Elephant’ campaign.

The announcement was made at music launch function of the movie which is all set to release on this Friday, the 23rd of May. The story, direction and music for the film are by veteran director, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who is known for films like ‘Pushpak’, ‘Appu Raja’, ‘Mayuri’ and ‘Son Of Aladdin’. The 90 minute long, 2D animated feature is a collaboration between Shemaroo and Sun Animatics.

Credit must be given to the producers of the film who are going all out to promote Ghatothkach. The film will be released internationally in UK, USA and UAE, dubbed in Hindi, English, Tamil and Malayalam, screened at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, adapted to mobile and online games and advertised all over the country through every possible medium. The mascot will visit malls and multiplexes, there are tie-ups with McDonalds and Chandamama and a plethora of merchandising options being exploited. The music, as always, is being heavily promoted.

Whether the Indian Animation Industry meets international standards in terms of animation quality or not, it sure has come of age as far as marketing , promoting and merchandising the characters and films is concerned (In other words, it is finally learning to make money from animated films!)

I sincerely hope that the animation is as good as the character design seen in the promos, or else for true animation fans aching to see drool-worthy Indian animation, the wait is long and arduous. All I can say to them (and myself ) until then is…

Shree Ganesh! Hare Krishna! Jai Hanuman!

(picture copyright : Shemaroo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.)

The characters bear perfect resemblance to their live action counterparts and are hilarious. Do check out this delightful film on the Apple site. Here is the link.