| Percept
Picture Company is all set to release 3D animated flick Jumbo on Christmas
day, December 25, 2008. Adding a novel business model to the Indian animation
industry, Percept bought the film, originally titled Khan Kluay, from Bangkok-based
Kantana Animation and tweaked it for the Indian audience by adding star voice-overs
and songs. The film has been co-produced
by Eagle Home Entertainment which also holds the home video rights of the flick. Percept
will release around 300 prints of the 90-minute movie and is aggressively marketing
it as a family entertainer, leveraging the star power of Akshay Kumar to get audiences
to the theatres. The film tells the
tale of the protagonist, a baby elephant (Jumbo) who embarks on a journey to search
for his father, who he comes to know is a war elephant for a king. The story of
the movie revolves around the experiences that the baby elephant faces in his
journey and how he grows up to become a warrior. Directed
by Thai animator Kompin Kemgumnird, the Indianised version of the movie features
the voices of Akshay Kumar as Jumbo, Lara Dutta as Sonia, Dimple Kapadia as Devi,
among others. Kumar also features in a music video, which is a part of the film,
and appeared on the finale of TV show Big Boss2 to promote the film. On
being asked about the marketing of the film, Percept Picture Company CEO Navin
Shah told AnimationXpress.com, "It took us two years to put the project
together for the Indian audience. Akshay Kumar's grand music video and the international
high quality animation make the film a perfect Christmas celebration for family."
The total budget, including marketing expenses, is Rs20 crore, he added. Khan
Kluay, released in 2006, was Thailand's first fully 3D animated film and a
local hit that bagged several domestic and international awards. In September
2008, the film was also dubbed and released on DVD in the US market as The
Blue Elephant. Percept Head of
Marketing Abhishek Nayyar said, "We got the film reworked for India by Kantana
Animation itself and then added songs and voice-overs. On being asked about Eagle
Home Entertainment's involvement in the project, Nayyar added, "Eagle is
co-partner and we will share revenue with them at different stages, in due course
of time." Eagle Home Entertainment
Director Surendra Suneja said, "The film's new climax has been produced keeping
the Indian audience's interest in mind. Being the co-producer of the movie, we
hold the home video rights among others."  | Percept's
Joint MD Shailendra Singh with
'Jumbo of the series', Yuvraj Singh |
In
a bid to attract eyeballs, Percept tied up with Neo Sports during the recent India-England
series where Yuvraj Singh was awarded 'Jumbo of the series'. On the licensing
and merchandising front, Shah informed that special merchandise would be launched
closer to the release. Future Group's retail chain Big Bazaar will serve as the
merchandise outlet. It remains to be
seen if Percept's unique business model will crack the box office, amid faltering
returns of recent animation films. Though, there is optimism given the company's
experience in distributing and marketing animation films like the 2005 hit Hanuman,
and others including Return of Hanuman and Dashavatar, and the fact
that the Thai version did well, becoming the top grosser of 2006. money.sharma@animationxpress.com
mrigank.dhaniwala@animationxpress.com | 
