THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Toonz Animations has announced that it will launch its second home production, an animated series called Adventures of Hanuman on Cartoon Network next year.
 

The series on Ramayana's monkey-warrior Hanuman will hit the television screens by December 2004 and will be shown in 13 half-hour episodes, according to a company release.
Toonz Animation CEO Bill Dennis was quoted in the release as saying that full production of the series will begin by December 2003, and that it will take place completely in-house at Toonz Studios in Thiruvananthapuram.

Dennis mentions that the estimated cost for the entire series would be under $1 million.

The Adventures of Hanuman takes a unique journey into modern mythology while paying homage to traditional legend, the release specifies. Toonz creative director Atul Rao is the story editor and creative producer for the series. The four writers who penned the script were selected after a special training on creative writing.

"In this series, the immortal Hanuman lives today, retaining all his legendary powers. As Hanuman's new adventures continue in the 21st Century, each and every story bridges the gap between ancient mythology and the modern world," the release quotes Rao as saying.

Talking on the technology of blending 2D and 3D animation in this series, Rao says, "3D effects are being used as a tool to enhance the cartoon."

Dennis explains that while developing Hanuman's character the primary importance was to keep the integrity of the character intact. "We are confident that Hanuman will be a bigger hit that Tenali Raman. West gave us men powers like Spiderman, Superman and He-Man, India gives them Hanuman in return."

Toonz is also holding talks with producers to market Hanuman in the US and European markets, Dennis informs.