Kids
Disney Channel to use movies as programming tent pole
MUMBAI: Disney Channel will bank on movies to drive family-viewing audiences. “We will be telecasting 60 movies a month. We have already dubbed 130 movies. The movie slot will be at 12 pm and 7 pm,” says Walt Disney Television International (India) managing director Rajat Jain.
Disney Channel will feature popular movies like The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Flubber and Aladdin.
Aiming at kids as the entry point for the family channel, Disney will also be introducing a four-hour pre-schooler block Playhouse Disney. A special feature of this block will be locally produced pre-school content, besides having international fare like JoJo’s Circus, Stanley and New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh. The pre-schooler band will be from 8-12 pm.
Regarding Playhouse Disney, what this also means is that for the near term at least there Disney will be concentrating on consolidating the two channels and not looking at any other channels. The general industry assumption thus far has been that Playhouse Disney would be launching some months down the line once Disney Channel and Toon Disney had stabilised.
Walt Disney Television International (India), which today announced the launch of its two channels on 17 December at a well attended media briefing, has dubbed 3000 hours of multi-genre content into multiple languages in India, as part of its localisation drive.
And it is introducing a series of short animated series carrying popular tales from the Asia-Pacific region in the Disney Channel. This block, called Legends Of The Ring Of Fire, will debut with How The Nightingale Became King of The Birds, based on a story from India.
Disney Channel’s programming schedule will include almost 400 episodes of local production, making it the single largest localisation drive by any international broadcaster.
The 2-7 pm band will have animated shows aimed at younger kids while the channel will feature at 5 pm a show aimed at kids empowerment.
The post-9 pm band is for the entire family. On weekends, the channel will air live action shows.
Toon Disney, aimed at younger kids in the age group of 4-14, will will showcase animations from Disney and the recently acquired Saban Library. The Toon channel will feature popular series such as Kim Possible, Dave the Barbarian, Lilo & Stitch, amongst others.
As already reported on indiantelevision.com, Toon Disney will be available in Tamil and Telegu languages while Disney Channel will be a 24-hour Hindi service. Both the channels will also provide an optional English language feed.
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.
