Kids
twofour54 ibtikar partners with 3Line Media to produce children series
MUMBAI:: twofour54 ibtikar and UK‘s 3Line Media will co-produce Driver Dan‘s Story Train, an educational Arabic/English children‘s series.
The series will be broadcast in the UK on BBC‘s CBeebies from spring 2010. The format will be made available globally and can be customised for the Indian market.”With the deal to co-produce Driver Dan‘s Story Train, twofour54 is taking its first steps towards establishing a sustainable media and content industry in the MENA region,” says twofour54 CEO Tony Orsten.
Under the deal, twofour54 ibtikar will be responsible for developing and producing property for the Arabic speaking region. Instead of dubbing, live action footage of actual children responding and play acting to the story will be produced and will constitute a key part of the show format.
“One of our objectives is to stimulate and produce high quality, original content for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and ‘Driver Dan‘s Story Train‘ offers us the opportunity not only to co-produce a new children‘s property but also to directly develop its content in an appropriate direction for the region and its culture,” says Orsten.
Says 3Line Media director and executive producer Estelle Hughes, “We are looking forward to collaborating with twofour54 ibtikar to shape the project directly for the Arab world. The MENA region has one of the world‘s fastest growing child populations with an increasing demand for relevant and high-quality children‘s content.”
Driver Dan‘s Story Train is an animation and live action television series
developed to introduce young, pre-school age children to the delights of storytelling and reading books.
twofour54 ibtikar has also plans of launching the ibtikar creative lab later this year. It will be involved in providing primarily grant funding to UAE Nationals, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, for ideas across all media platforms.
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
