Viacom18 will release its maiden 3D stereoscopic animation theatrical ‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’ on 14 October in Hindi and Tamil in over 700 screens across India.
Produced by Maya, the movie is a result of collaboration between Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Nickelodeon.
Following the theatrical release, the film will be aired on Nick as well as on Viacom18’s digital platform Voot.
‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’ is a story about a runaway circus lion, a lion king trying to protect his kingdom, a greedy poacher, and Motu Patlu caught up in one final battle to save the life of the jungle.
‘Motu Patlu’ is a popular kids franchise on Indian TV today and is Nick’s flagship show. The network has released 10 ‘Motu Patlu’ films in the ‘made for TV’ format so far.
Some leading names from the Indian film industry have been roped in for the movie. It is directed by Suhas Kadav, and veteran lyricist Gulzar has penned lyrics of the title track. Vishal Bharadwaj has composed the music and Sukhwinder has lent his voice for the soundtrack.
“An interesting confluence of two major developments has led to Motu Patlu’s silver screen debut. Firstly, the animation industry in India is rapidly evolving with a growth rate of 13.8%, with over 15,000 professionals working to create content for industries across the globe. Secondly, with an estimated 400 mn kids in the country today, the kids category is the third largest in the Indian broadcast sector, after the GECs and movies, with a sizeable headroom for growth in terms of both viewership and revenues,” said Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.
“The 10 Motu Patlu ‘made-for-television’ movies have contributed 10% to Nick’s ratings, being among the top 5 every time we released one such movie. The science behind the art of moviemaking, a core philosophy of Viacom18 Motion Pictures, demanded that the characters debuted on the silver screen. In that sense Motu Patlu has had an interesting journey—starting with television, then moving into digital, capitalising on their growing brand value through Viacom18 Consumer Products and now starring in their own movie.”
Being a leading TV show across the kids category, a large scale movie on the ‘Motu Patlu’ franchise was inevitable. Said Viacom18 business head kids entertainment Nina Elavia Jaipuria, “We have created a vibrant ecosystem around the Motu Patlu franchise that keeps growing in scale and reach by the day. From being the leading show across the kids category on television and digital, creating brand licensing opportunities across product categories, curating a great merchandising line, to now taking the franchise to the silver screen – our endearing Motu Patlu have further deepened and strengthened our bond with kids across the country.”
The movie marks Viacom18’s foray into the 3D stereoscopic animation segment. Said Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare, “Viacom18 Motion Pictures has stood for a distinctive kind of cinema and consistently delivered on that promise. Animation movies is an under-explored category in the Indian movie business and the success of the Motu Patlu ‘made for television’ movies clearly indicated that there was a demand for both the format and the characters to be introduced on a much larger scale. With our foray into the 3D stereoscopic animation segment, I hope the children across the country have special memories of ‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’.”
A 360-degree marketing and activation plan has been crafted for the movie. Apart from being promoted on Viacom18’s network, the movie will also be promoted across other network groups. A promotion drive across 30 cities of the Hindi- and Tamil-speaking belts has also been planned for the movie.
Marketing alliances with more than 20 brands across categories such as confectionery, toys, FMCG, milk supplement products, etc., is being tapped.
Talking about the film, Maya Digital Studios CMD Ketan Mehta said, “The launch of ‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’ is a big step for the animation industry at large. Given that Motu Patlu is the most popular kids’ brand in the country today, we were inspired to create this magnum opus suitable for the big screen. This is a film that will be driven by children, but one that will be equally enjoyed by adults.”
Viacom18 forays into 3D stereoscopic animation with ‘Motu Patlu’
Produced by Maya, the movie is a result of collaboration between Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Nickelodeon.
Following the theatrical release, the film will be aired on Nick as well as on Viacom18’s digital platform Voot.
‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’ is a story about a runaway circus lion, a lion king trying to protect his kingdom, a greedy poacher, and Motu Patlu caught up in one final battle to save the life of the jungle.
‘Motu Patlu’ is a popular kids franchise on Indian TV today and is Nick’s flagship show. The network has released 10 ‘Motu Patlu’ films in the ‘made for TV’ format so far.
Some leading names from the Indian film industry have been roped in for the movie. It is directed by Suhas Kadav, and veteran lyricist Gulzar has penned lyrics of the title track. Vishal Bharadwaj has composed the music and Sukhwinder has lent his voice for the soundtrack.
“An interesting confluence of two major developments has led to Motu Patlu’s silver screen debut. Firstly, the animation industry in India is rapidly evolving with a growth rate of 13.8%, with over 15,000 professionals working to create content for industries across the globe. Secondly, with an estimated 400 mn kids in the country today, the kids category is the third largest in the Indian broadcast sector, after the GECs and movies, with a sizeable headroom for growth in terms of both viewership and revenues,” said Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.
“The 10 Motu Patlu ‘made-for-television’ movies have contributed 10% to Nick’s ratings, being among the top 5 every time we released one such movie. The science behind the art of moviemaking, a core philosophy of Viacom18 Motion Pictures, demanded that the characters debuted on the silver screen. In that sense Motu Patlu has had an interesting journey—starting with television, then moving into digital, capitalising on their growing brand value through Viacom18 Consumer Products and now starring in their own movie.”
Being a leading TV show across the kids category, a large scale movie on the ‘Motu Patlu’ franchise was inevitable. Said Viacom18 business head kids entertainment Nina Elavia Jaipuria, “We have created a vibrant ecosystem around the Motu Patlu franchise that keeps growing in scale and reach by the day. From being the leading show across the kids category on television and digital, creating brand licensing opportunities across product categories, curating a great merchandising line, to now taking the franchise to the silver screen – our endearing Motu Patlu have further deepened and strengthened our bond with kids across the country.”
The movie marks Viacom18’s foray into the 3D stereoscopic animation segment. Said Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare, “Viacom18 Motion Pictures has stood for a distinctive kind of cinema and consistently delivered on that promise. Animation movies is an under-explored category in the Indian movie business and the success of the Motu Patlu ‘made for television’ movies clearly indicated that there was a demand for both the format and the characters to be introduced on a much larger scale. With our foray into the 3D stereoscopic animation segment, I hope the children across the country have special memories of ‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’.”
A 360-degree marketing and activation plan has been crafted for the movie. Apart from being promoted on Viacom18’s network, the movie will also be promoted across other network groups. A promotion drive across 30 cities of the Hindi- and Tamil-speaking belts has also been planned for the movie.
Marketing alliances with more than 20 brands across categories such as confectionery, toys, FMCG, milk supplement products, etc., is being tapped.
Talking about the film, Maya Digital Studios CMD Ketan Mehta said, “The launch of ‘Motu Patlu: King of Kings’ is a big step for the animation industry at large. Given that Motu Patlu is the most popular kids’ brand in the country today, we were inspired to create this magnum opus suitable for the big screen. This is a film that will be driven by children, but one that will be equally enjoyed by adults.”
Viacom18 forays into 3D stereoscopic animation with ‘Motu Patlu’