Kids
Nickelodeon takes preschoolers to magical world with ‘Wonder Pets’
MUMBAI: The preschool kids’ channel Nick Jr is set to present a contemporary twist on the holiday classic in the new The Wonder Pets prime-time special, Save the Nutcracker!.
The new series will premiere on 8 December at 8 pm (ET/PT).
Since debuting in 2006, Nick Jr‘s Emmy award-winning The Wonder Pets, produced by Little Airplane Productions, remains the number one-ranked preschool programme in its 10 am slot.
“The Wonder Pets are back in a gorgeous holiday adventure that is sure to become a new, warm and fuzzy family tradition,” said Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group animation president Brown Johnson. “Inspired by Tchaikovsky‘s classic ballet, the Wonder Pets dance and sing their way to saving the day – again.”
In Save the Nutcracker!, directed by Jennifer Oxley, it‘s Christmas Eve and a Mouse King emerges from a picture book and steals the Wonder Pets‘ Nutcracker from the classroom. Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling pursue the Mouse King into the book, dancing through a wintery wonderland filled with sugar plum fairies and sweet treats to the music of Tchaikovsky‘s The Nutcracker ballet.
Also available in retail stores nationwide is The Wonder Pets!: Save the Nutcracker DVD. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, the DVD includes the title episode plus three additional new-to-DVD episodes from the series.
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.
