Continuing its push to localise content for India, kid's channel Cartoon Network has acquired the television rights of two animation films: Pandavas - The Five Warriors and Sinbad - Beyond The Veil of Mists. The films have been produced by Chennai-based Pentamedia Graphics Limited and will have their Indian television premiere on Cartoon Network in September.

"The acquisition of Pandavas and Sinbad are integral to our localisation commitment in India. The two shows represent world-class 3D animation quality based on timeless classic stories. We expect that the shows will be received well," said Ian Diamond, senior vice-president and general manager, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia, Inc.

"The acquisitions of home-grown productions are a big leap forward in Cartoon Network's localisation strategy, as we move to increasingly contextualise our content for Indian audiences and make the channel more relevant for them," said Anshuman Misra, managing director, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd.

"Pentamedia is one of the few companies in the world to produce feature-length 3D animation movies and we are delighted to premiere these movies on Cartoon Network, which has contributed so much towards making animation a popular genre of entertainment in India. Cartoon Network provides us a great platform for showcasing our animation products and we look forward to a long-term association, bringing India's rich heritage to today's kids in a format they will find entertaining and fun," said K Srinivasan, chief operating officer and director, Pentamedia Graphics Limited.

Pandavas and Sinbad have been produced using the latest real-time (motion capture) 3D animation technology and have been acclaimed internationally as world-class animated productions, according to a company release. On Cartoon Network, the two films will be presented in an episodic format and will be available in English and Hindi, the release adds.

Pandavas - The Five Warriors is an adaptation of the Mahabharata epic and is the winner of the National Award for Best English Feature Film 2000 and the Second Best Animation Feature Film at the Vancouver Effects and Animation festival, 2001.

Sinbad - Beyond The Veil of Mists (sourced from the popular Arabian Nights fable) has had Hollywood actors Brendon Fraser, Leonard Nimoy and Mark Hamill contributing their voices to the original English version of the movie.