The way Indian animation is advancing, it seems that the day is not far away when major television Awards shows like the Indian Telly Awards would have dedicated categories for animation. Meanwhile the good news is that thanks to music channels like Channel V and MTV and Kids B’casters like Disney and CN, animation constituted nearly 24% of all the promos and channel IDs that won at Promax BDA Awards 2006.
Amongst the total 66 promos and IDs awarded, more than 15 involved animation.
This year the big league of animated channel mascots which comprises the likes of Simpoo, Santa Banta and Poga, had a new entrant, Disney’s Birthday Bhoot. The mascot made a splash at Promax BDA 06, bagging four trophies including two Gold for Best Animation and Best Interactive Promo and two Silver for Best Children program promo and best promotional campaign.
Out of Channel V’s total tally of 16 Awards which included live action as well as animation, the big animated one’s included Simpoo (Press Conference) which got the Gold for best out of house station image promo and Santa Banta Metrosexual which pocketed 2 silvers for Best Animation and Best on Air Channel Identity respectively.
Other animated winners included Channel V’s Mona Lisa (Stop Letching) which got in 3 Awards including Gold for in house station promo and silver for funniest spot; Channel V’s Wear a Helmet which got in two silvers. Also winning at Promax were the campaigns based around Disney’s localization drive Toon Disney ab Hindi Mein and Discovery India’s Gandhi promo which won for best documentary promo.
Jubilant at Birthday Bhoot’s gold rush, Walt Disney Television (International) India’s Assistant Manager for Toon Disney, Anand Roy and Senior Producer Piyush Raghani exclaimed to Animation Xpress.com,”This is a vindication of a whole year of work and of our conviction in Indian characters. Birthday Bhoot is the first local character to come out of Walt Disney India and the fact that we have created a character that can pay tribute to the Disney characters feels great. We have also won four Awards for Birthday Bhoot at Promax US”
“Bhoot was conceived initially for wishing kids in a different way. When he first appeared on air in end 05, we realized that he was touching kids and we decided to take him beyond. Now Birthday Bhoot talks to kids about the various Disney shows and kids enjoy watching the show with him” they added.
“I must add though, that without Vaibhav Kumaresh and Vaibhav Studios this would not have been possible” shared Senior Producer Raghani. Interestingly Raghani is also the voice of Birthday Bhoot.
Channel V head Honcho Amar Deb said, “The quality of work has been brilliant, it’s a culmination of the blood, sweat and tears put in, over the year and today’s 16 along with the 12 awards being taken home at Promax BDA in New York, it’s been a great year for us!”
Channel [V] head of promotions Sheetal Sudhir added, “We laid a lot of emphasis on animation this year because it is a medium that you can create wonders with”
And a wondrous future it shall be, that beckons Indian animation.