Kids
Disney to launch Indian variant of ABC: paper
MUMBAI: While the industry impatiently awaits an announcement as to who will be heading Disney in India, some news on what the three channels it is launching in India will constitute.
It’s not just kiddies channels that the Little Big Mouse is planning to bring to India early next year but a general entertainment channel as well. Going by what a German newspaper reported recently, one of the channels Disney is thinking of launching is a localised version of ABC.
Which is certainly not what indiantelevision.com had thought was coming from the Disney stable in March-April 2005. The three channels that this website had assumed were coming to Indian shores were The Disney Channel, Playhouse (for pre-schoolers) and Toons.
The German business daily Handelsblatt recently quoted David Hulbert, president of the Disney unit of Walt Disney Television International, as saying that the launch of the three channels (the other two being TDC and Playhouse) would definitely happen within a year.
Handelsblatt has additionally reported that Disney is searching for a local partner for content generation.
One thing certain about any plans Disney may have for a general entertainment in India. It will be a long haul for it to better its current standing in the US as far as the network pecking order is concerned. ABC has been struggling to close the gap with Murdoch’s Fox, GE’s NBC and Viacom’s CBS.
It will be the same in India what with three well entrenched players in Star, Sony and Zee having pretty much carved out most of the ad pickings in the Hindi general entertainment space.
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.
