Four odd looking but loveable grannies have captured the nation's heart his Ramadan in the UAE's first ever cartoon series. Arabic-speaking families have been glued to their TVs to watch the antics of the characters in Freej, a 3D animated series in Arabic that takes a light hearted look at the changing face of Dubai.
Billed to be the Arab world's latest mascots, the four characters of Freej are causing quite a stir. And by the looks of it, they are on their way to become the UAE's first original superheroes.
So exactly are they? "They are four old women living in a secluded neighbourhood in Dubai,” says Mohammed Saeed Harib, their creator and founder of Lammtara Pictures. "They do not have any particular mission. They are only trying to adapt to the rapid changes that are happening around them.”
For 15 minutes every evening after Iftar, Umm Saeed, Umm Allawi, Um Saloom and Umm Khammas – the four heroines of the series take the viewers on their adventures as they try to make sense of the world transforming before them.
The opening shots of Freej show the four women outside their traditional wind tower homes as Dubai's newest architecture icons tower above them in the background. "It is the new Dubai looming over old Dubai,” says Harib of Freej, which means neighbourhood. "The whole concept is a clash between the old and the new.”
It was a desire to preserve his culture that inspired the 28-year old Emirati to create his four unlikely heroines – complete with traditional burqa or face cover and henna or decorative body art. The idea was born six years ago while Harib was still studying in Boston, USA,. " We were asked to create our versions of super heroes,” recalls the general arts and animation major. "I realised there were no Arab superheroes. There was Batman, Spiderman and Superman, but none that we could call our own.”
After hours scribbling and mulling over the idea of crating something that would inspire his generation – the four women of Freej were born. Although often out of sync with modernity, Umm Saloom and her friends, Harib believes, can prove to be catalysts for preserving the UAE's unique traditions. "The characters often use terms that are unique to the UAE.” "This is one of the reasons why Freej is a celebration of our culture.
With the help of a Dh3 million fund from the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders, and another Dh1.2 million from telecom firm du, the animation project has been a labour of love for both Harib and business partner Khalid bin Hmidan. More than 500 people have worked on different phases of the project and a lot of college students volunteered with research and data collection. Harib also has to shuttle between Dubai and Mumbai where the animation was created at the UTV studios. The scripts, music and voiceovers were however written and recorded in Dubai.
Freej premiered on September 23 – the first day of Ramadan and is broadcast across the GCC countries. (Emirates Today)
Source Uaeinteract
