MUMBAI: Graphic India and Disney Channel have joined hands with Amitabh Bachchan to produce a 52-episode animated series titled Astra Force.
The series created by Bachchan and Graphic India CEO Sharad Devarajan is slated to air on Disney Channel India in 2017.
“I am truly excited to be collaborating with my friends Devarajan at Graphic India and Siddharth Roy Kapur at Disney to launch this exciting new superhero series, Astra Force,” said Bachchan. “In the same way animation from other markets has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, it’s now India’s time to create new heroes and animated shows to spark the imaginations of children all across the world.”
A funny and fast-paced, action-adventure series, filled with laughs and thrills, it tells the story of a mythical hero from a distant world, who was stranded on Earth millions of years ago after an epic space battle.
When eight-year old brother and sister twins accidentally awaken the mythical superhero from his long hibernation, they must teach him about our modern world and join Astra to save the universe from a new wave of giant monsters and intergalactic threats. If monsters weren’t enough, Astra’s new young friends also have to hide the superhero from their parents and deal with Astra’s insatiable hunger for modern desserts after an eternity spent in hibernation.
“At Disney, we believe in showcasing great stories with compelling characters that are loved by our audiences. It is imperative to get the local texture right for any story to resonate and emotionally connect with the viewers. With Bachchan associating with Graphics India and Disney Channel India on Astra Force, we will be bringing an interesting facet to storytelling in the local animation space,” said Disney India managing director Siddharth Roy Kapur.
“Bachchan is a real life superhero to millions, including myself, so it’s no surprise that he is the perfect person to become immortalized in this new animated avatar,” added Devarajan. “The opportunity to collaborate with Bachchan on Astra Force is made that much stronger by partnering with Disney, a company whose creativity and storytelling I have admired all my life.”
Devarajan is the producer of the series along with Graphic India SVP creative Jeevan J. Kang who is overseeing visual development, character design and art for the project. Graphic’s previous animated superhero, Chakra The Invincible, was created with Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Avengers) and received over 30 million views globally on Rovio’s ToonsTV platform available through the Angry Birds app.
In addition to the partnership with Disney Channel India, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books available through a special Facebook comic app through Bachchan’s large social media following.
