Kids
Disney launches global campaign for Winnie the Pooh’s 80th anniversary
MUMBAI: Disney is marking Winnie the Pooh’s 80th anniversary in 2005/2006 with an 18-month celebration to be commemorated with an exciting range of entertainment activities and special edition products across the Asia Pacific region.
Winnie the Pooh’s 80th anniversary kicked off in late last year with the New York premiere of Disney Live! and continues globally through 2007 with entertainment from Disney Live!, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Records.
Disney Consumer Products will also offer exciting special edition products including clothing, stationery, toys and much more. A new, original Winnie the Pooh song – My Friend Pooh — from Walt Disney Records’ artist, Ralph Covert, is also scheduled for release with celebrations culminating with the 2007 premiere of Disney Channel’s learning-focused CG-animated series for preschoolers, My Friends Tigger and Pooh.
Disney Consumer Products in India has several reasons to celebrate this anniversary. Winnie the Pooh has been in India for over seven years and is today the highest selling plush toy in the market. Winnie the Pooh products range covers infant and kids apparel, back to school products, stationary, toys, footwear, the newly launched Disney-Nerolac paints, and bedding. Winnie the Pooh contributes about 30 per cent of the Disney’s licensing and merchandising business in India.
“Winnie the Pooh is one of Disney’s premiere character franchises that remain as relevant to parents and kids today as it did 80 years ago. Pooh’s 80th anniversary celebrates the tremendous heritage of this franchise, and a key initiative for Disney is to continue to develop Pooh with new creative programs across the company that will keep it fresh for the next 80 years. The new Winnie the Pooh television show planned for 2007 is part of that effort,” said Disney Corporate Brand Management senior vice president Matt Ryan.
“Winnie the Pooh has a rich heritage and has made a big impact on generations of kids — his messages of friendship, imagination and adventure – are timeless and felt here in India and the Asia Pacific region as much as it does around the world. Pooh is very popular in the region and enjoys very high awareness and we believe children across India will be excited to celebrate the 80th anniversary for Pooh,” said The Walt Disney Company (India) managing director Rajat Jain.
Disney Worldwide Outreach community initiatives will also host “Reading Together” programs during vacation periods to support this worldwide campaign.
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.
