Based on the mythological character of Bheem from The Mahabharata, Chhota Bheem, created by Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka, has ruled the hearts of kids since its inception in 2008. Turning 11 this 1 May, the animated series and the character, still holds a special place in the hearts of the audience with its simplicity, charm, storytelling and local flavour.
Such is its popularity that, Netflix had announced last year to have taken up the IP to create an original animated series around it. This made Bheem the first Indian animated IP to be taken up by the streaming giant. And the outcome is Mighty Little Bheem that launched in mid April, and is presently streaming.
Created by Chilaka, Mighty Little Bheem is a prequel to Chhota Bheem that finds the character in his infant days. The synopsis goes : An innocent toddler’s boundless curiosity -and extraordinary might -lead to mischief and adventure in his small Indian town.
Commenting on this acquisition, Chilaka told AnimationXpress, “We are very happy and pleased to see Mighty Little Bheem being the first Indian original animated content to feature on Netflix. We are very proud of this creation and at the same time, we are humbled by the positive response it is been generating across the world. Our friends and associates across the globe have been appreciating the show and it’s a joyous feeling. This also gives us the boost to make more of such shows with high-end animation and entertaining story-lines.”
Targeted at pre-schoolers from two to six years of age, the series is created in 3D unlike its original version. Mighty Bheem has 21 episodes ranging between five to six minutes and is a silent slapstick adventure comedy in which its strong, brave and intelligent hero-Mighty Little Bheem, who travels through his hometown and finds himself on crazy adventures. He’s a toddler, about 15 months old who cannot talk but keeps everyone on their toes.
The decision to make it dialogue-less has added a global twist to the story, and gave it a dimension which resonates with the universal audience and has taken Indian animation a step ahead on the global canvas.
Netflix original animation director Aram Yacoubian mentioned to Animation Xpress,“Telling unique and high quality stories with culture-specific elements for our preschool-aged audience is a big priority at Netflix, so when we first met Chilaka in 2016 and began talking about ways to adapt the beloved Chhota Bheem franchise for younger kids around the world, we knew we had a great fit on our hands. We’re thrilled that preschoolers across the globe are discovering and falling in love with Mighty Little Bheem on Netflix.”
Mighty Little Bheem has surely made a mark of the standard of animation Indian animation industry is currently producing now. Setting trends everyday, the medium of animation seems to be the future of content creation all across the world and Mighty Little Bheem is just the beginning of that.
