Kids
Nick lines up French animation with a quirky twist
MUMBAI: US kids channel Nicktoons from the Nickelodeon stable will partner with Paris-based studio, Xilam Animation, for a series Shuriken School.
This is a quirky playground comedy with a martial arts twist. It tells the story of a boy’s adventures at Ninja school. Produced by Xilam and based on an original idea by Zinkia Entertainment, the series is made up of 26 half-hour shows and will air on Nicktoons next year.
Nicktoons VP and GM Keith Dawkins said, “We are thrilled about our first-ever partnership with Xilam Animation and having such a fun and humorous show like Shuriken School on our air. We have already got a roster of hits and now we’re serving our fans even more fresh, new and cutting-edge animation.”
Shuriken School blends Japanese and European design. This has created a unique, stand-out animation style with intensive use of digital 2-D animation, combining all the detail of high-quality illustration with action sequences.
Targetted to 6-11 year-olds, the series tells the story of a 10 year-old Eizan Kaburagi’s rite of passage in his first year at Ninja school,Shuriken. The action takes place in the fictional town of Tokirohama, a melting pot of eastern and western cultures. In many ways Eizan is a normal kid with big dreams, hopes and ambitions.
He hangs out with his best friends Jimmy B and Okuni; they pick conflicts with kids from the rival school, Katana, and have fun and drum up mischief. However, Shuriken School is not a normal type of school. It is a crazy place where the implausible and improbable happen: Children learn how to melt into the walls, fly over rooftops, disappear in a cloud of smoke and move as stealthily as an invisible cat. Teaching methods at the school are unorthodox and absurd things can and do happen.
Xilam Animation is an independent audiovisual and multimedia production company. It creates, produces and distributes worldwide, top-quality animated content both 2D and 3D CGI for TV, film and video game formats. Xilam has produced internationally successful animated series for TV including Oggy and the Cockroaches, Ratz, The New Adventures of Lucky Luke and Space Goofs (aka Home to Rent). It recently completed Kaena — The Prophecy. This is the first European feature-length computer-animated 3D film.
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.
