2024 Has Been a Rewarding Year For Powerkids Entertainment

By Pickle October 18, 2024

In an interview with Pickle, Manoj Mishra, CEO, Powerkids Entertainment highlights the studio’s ambitious projects, strategic goals for MIPCOM, and the growing influence of Powerkids Entertainment in the global animation industry. Meet them at MIPCOM Booth P-1.M.20

What are Powerkids Entertainment’s major goals or MIPCOM this year?

For finished and in-production projects, we would look for acquisitions and pre-buys from broadcasters, OTT platforms, and distributors. For the programs under development at Powerkids, we will seek out anchor broadcasters and like-minded production organisations to explore co-production options.

Could you share details about the major projects Powerkids will be focusing on at MIPCOM?

At MIPCOM, Powerkids Entertainment will be focusing on a diverse slate of exciting projects that span both completed works and those still in production or development. Among the key titles is Adventures of Akira and Mowgli – The Jungle Book Adventures, which is currently in production, as well as Young Achievers Academy, also in production.

Additionally, Itah, The Snow Keeper and Little Mowgli: Untold Adventures of the Jungle Book are under development, showcasing the studio’s commitment to bringing fresh stories to life. Powerkids will also highlight completed projects such as Dragonero: The Tales of Paladins and the much-anticipated The Jungle Book Season 4, ready for distribution.

Could you give us an insight into the scale and collaboration behind Powerkids producing animation content in India for the global audience?

Powerkids Entertainment is India’s leading producer of animation content for the global market. Along with our strong and experienced core in-house team of over 30 colleagues, we work with over 400 outstanding artists via our partner studios to contribute to our current projects, guaranteeing a diversified and dynamic production environment.

How has 2024 turned out for Powerkids as a content producer?

So far 2024 has been really rewarding for us as we greenlit two new shows i.e. Adventures of Akira and Mowgli – The Jungle Book Adventures and Young Achievers Academy along with the second season of Dragonero-The Tales of Paladins. All these shows are currently in fast paced production at Powerkids, and we are slated for commencing deliveries around early 2025. During the year we also established some great partnerships in FAST sphere by collaborating with esteemed platforms of JioTV/ Jio TV + and Samsung TV Plus.

In terms of Awards and recognitions, early this year, Powerkids Entertainment has been honoured by Asia Business Outlook magazine as one of the top 10 most promising animation design companies in Asia. Also, at the recently concluded ANN Awards 2024, Powerkids bagged 10 awards in different categories including the prestigious Studio of the Year award.

How have your newly launched FAST channels been performing on platforms like JioTV, JioTV+, and OTTPlay? What are your expectations from this relatively new space?

Since we have recently launched our FAST channels, we need couple of more quarters to review their performance and analytics. However, we are quite optimistic to reap benefits of early movers in this space.

What are your thoughts on the impact of AI in the animation industry?

We firmly believe that while modern AI has advanced significantly and can assist with the technical aspects of animation, it still falls short in capturing the distinctive creative touch and emotional richness that only humans bring can produce.

What are some of Powerkids’ shows in global networks?

Our portfolio consists some of the most iconic shows including our flagship franchise The Jungle Book, which has been sold in more than 160 + countries across the globe. Other Popular shows include The New Adventures of Peter Pan, Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood, The Psammy Show, Dragonero-Tales of Paladins.

Are there any projects in development at Powerkids?

We are working on couple of concepts but currently those are in very nascent stage.

At MIPCOM 2024, what are the three main goals you hope to achieve in terms of expanding Powerkids’ footprint and securing new opportunities?

At MIPCOM 2024, we plan to look for buyers for our completed/in-production shows, anchor broadcasters/co-producers for our in-development series, and new partners that match our vision and improve our talents, all while keeping solid relationships with our present partners.