Kids
Toonz and 1st Place draw up anime alliance to counter Japan’s talent drought
MUMBAI: India’s Toonz Media group and Japan’s 1st Place have sketched out a strategic partnership on the fringes of Hong Kong Filmart, aiming to quench the world’s thirst for anime content while addressing Japan’s creative talent crunch.
The tie-up comes as streaming giants, gaming moguls and entertainment behemoths scramble for fresh anime fodder, leaving Japan’s traditional animation houses gasping for artistic air.
“There is already a significant talent shortage in Japan for anime production,” admitted 1st Place founder and president Kumiko, without a hint of artistic licence. “This strategic partnership with Toonz will help us bridge that gap by expanding our production capacity.”
The artistic marriage melds Toonz’s 25-year animation pedigree and production muscle with 1st Place’s flair for anime storytelling, music production and 3D computer-generated wizardry.
“At Toonz, we continuously seek new creative frontiers,” expounded Toonz Media group CEO P. Jayakumar, whose past dalliances include teaming up with Marvel on Wolverine and the X-Men and with Lionsgate on Speed Racer: The Next Generation.
The Indian animation outfit views the partnership as a chance to colour itself into the booming anime picture, while Tokyo-based 1st Place brings 20 years of developing original intellectual property to the drawing board. The Japanese firm has previously orchestrated theme songs and soundtracks for anime tearjerker Clannad After Story and supernatural romp Angel Beats!
Both firms hope their cross-continental coupling will create a sustainable anime ecosystem capable of delivering eye-popping content to worldwide audiences without succumbing to the industry’s capacity constraints—a picture-perfect solution to a most animated problem.
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.
