Animal poaching is an under-explored yet significant subject. Even rarer is its introduction into children’s content. In India, this critical topic is yet to be addressed within the realm of kids’ animated entertainment. But Appu Series’ Sanjay Raheja is about to change that with his upcoming animated feature film Appu.
Appu is a lively, naughty elephant calf who loves his family and his life in the forest. His world is devastated when poachers kill his mother and take away his father. Fueled by determination and love to rescue his father, Appu embarks on a journey that helps him discover his inner strength and latent powers, which he uses to stand up against injustice.
This 3D animated film from Indian edutainment content creator Appu Series hits the big screen across major cities in the country on 19 April in English and Hindi. The adorable elephant calf Appu, has captured the hearts of children worldwide as the lead character of Appu Series’ stories and the mascot of its rhyme videos on YouTube. Appu is more than just a film; it’s a milestone for Appu Series, marking their inaugural venture into feature film production. With this bold step, the company aims to shed light on the urgent need to address elephant poaching and its detrimental impact on the environment.
“Elephant poaching is a grave concern that could severely impact our environment if measures aren’t taken to curb it. And we felt that a story on Appu, as popular as he is, would be the perfect way to spread awareness and drive this cause,” said Appu Series director Sanjay Raheja.
Appu is directed by Prosenjit Ganguly, Ajay Velu and Archisman Kar, and produced by Sanjay Raheja, Suraj Raheja, Suresh Raheja.
The making-of Appu
Crafting a film on such a sensitive topic is no easy-feat. However, director Raheja rose to the occasion by onboarding Ganguly – a top-tier story writer who painstakingly researched and gathered factual data from relevant sources for the 90-minute feature. With a workforce of approximately 1,000 people, the collaborative effort behind this project was immense. Shared Raheja, “It was a challenging task to make an animation movie on a sensitive topic like elephant poaching. But the credit goes to our writers who wove the story keeping in mind Appu’s vibrant character and his deep attachment to his forest family, all the while having the grave issue of poaching at the core.”
Mature concept with relatable character
While Appu has special powers, he also has his own set of weaknesses. The elephant calf feels fear yet summons the courage to face it. Despite feeling under-confident, he taps into his fullest potential and remains determined to succeed. “All these attributes make him real, relatable, and an inspiration for children,” mentioned Raheja.
Regarding the exposure of children to mature concepts like animal conservation, he explained, “They are the future of the world. It is necessary to make them aware of realities that could impact the environment. This awareness would only lead to responsible actions as they grow into adults.”
What makes the IP “Appu” stand out
The film, however, is also targeted at adults. Appu’s positive attributes have a message for parents too, said Raheja. “Parents must prod their children to embrace their limitations and fears, but also push them to overcome them. Every parent should encourage their children to treat all beings with kindness.”
Starting with multimedia training, CD-ROMs, books and moving to web, TV and now a full-length animated feature, Appu Series has come a long way. The IP’s YouTube channel currently has more than two billion views and close to two million subscribers.
Raheja had created the IP Appu to change the way children learn, by making learning as entertaining as possible. At Appu Series, his team creates engaging learning aids in the form of videos (stories, songs, rhymes and learning modules) as well as physical products.
“The concept of a yogic elephant calf evoking his powers to combat environmental threats, values of kindness and loyalty, and the ardent spirit of the characters to stand up against injustice are the attributes that make Appu stand apart from other IPs in the league,” said Raheja.
Raheja wants to use the appeal of animated content to improve the quality of education in India. “To begin with, we have decided to focus on creating animated content for kindergarten to grade seven in Mathematics. We hope to take this to the underprivileged communities across India, where quality education is the need of the hour. We aim to bust the notion that access to quality education is a privilege.”
With Appu, Raheja believes he has filled the gap of animated Indian IPs that have a global appeal. As a result, if all goes well, the animated film will see an international theatrical release. The film will later air on Indian television or stream on OTT platforms as well.
“The film Appu is a curtain raiser on the cruelties inflicted on animals by people riding on greed. Apart from being a kids and family entertainer, it is an initiative to draw attention towards the unrestrained and widespread poaching that is severely affecting the elephant population. We hope and believe that Appu will sensitise the world to the plight of elephants and have them join hands to conserve this priceless species,” concluded Raheja.
Don’t miss the release of Appu on 19 April, as it hits the big screens across major cities in India, spreading its message of hope and conservation to audiences of all ages.