'Chhota Bheem' travels to Singapore!

Mumbai: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has joined hands with Voot Kids and Green Gold Animation to take Indian audiences on a virtual adventure in Singapore with the iconic Indian comic character, Chhota Bheem.

Titled ‘Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore’, the series brings the destination closer to audiences in an innovative format and engages families and children across India, who are on summer school vacation or studying from home, in a bid to keep them safe indoors.

In an endeavour to deliver engaging and entertaining content for its young users, Voot Kids has been fortifying its rich content slate with international premium animated legends and home-grown desi superheroes. The partnership with the STB and Green Gold Animation further strengthens its content library as India’s one-stop destination for favorite characters. Starting July 17, the mini-series entertains children across India in three languages – English, Hindi and Tamil.

The web-series also marks the 11th anniversary of the much-loved personality Bheem. To commemorate this occasion, Chhota Bheem and friends celebrate his birthday in Singapore and embark on fun and exciting activities. Each episode takes the viewer through different experiences in Singapore, from action and adventure to shopping and food, all from the comfort of their homes.

The seven special stories feature the thrills and spills of a memorable trip, set in various locations across Singapore. Chhota Bheem and friends travel to prominent attractions such as Jewel Changi Airport and its famous HSBC Rain Vortex, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, among others.

The series also features the city’s impressive skyline, framed by Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, as well as landmarks such as Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay. Bheem and friends also traverse the streets of the island city, taking in its diverse sights and sounds, as well as tantalising restaurants and cuisines. In addition to the webisodes, young fans will also be treated with exciting and entertaining E-books and interactive games featuring their adventures, which will be available for download from the Voot Kids app.

Speaking about this unique partnership, GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia (IMESA), Singapore Tourism Board, said, ''For us, this project is all about putting happy smiles on the faces of children and families across India, under these stressful times. Chhota Bheem and friends are well-loved characters who bring much cheer, hope, and optimism to Indian audiences. STB is pleased to present the 7 episodes as our “Gift of Smiles” to the Indian audiences. We hope the episodes will entertain families and allow them to experience a slice of Singapore virtually, as they keep safe at home."

He added, ''As part of a vision to engage our Indian audiences creatively in the new COVID-19 environment, the STB has been harnessing technology to reimagine its content, products and offerings. We have explored new partnerships and social engagements with many well-known brands. Many of these collaborations involved Indian talents and influencers working with Singaporean artistes, presenting their common passions to the Indian audiences virtually through engaging storytelling and showcasing of the destination. This creative partnership with Voot Kids and Green Gold is our first animation project and we are happy to offer this to the family audiences in India.”

Speaking on the collaboration, Ashutosh Parekh, Head of Content – Voot Kids said, ''At Voot Kids, our mainstay is to provide meaningful screen time pivoting around fun – learn and entertainment which is age appropriate and 100 pc safe. This is fueled by one of the largest content libraries in the genre that is truly multi format spanning across top kids’ franchises from all over the world, making it truly a house full of toons. Made locally and loved globally, Chhota Bheem is one of the most watched character since the day we launched Voot Kids. This mini-series is packed with specially created “app-i-sodes” to add diversity to our content slate. As market leaders we thrive on content curation and creation with the consumer at the centre of everything we do. This was the right time to bring delight our young subscribers and their families who have enjoyed our app indoors, and now will magically be transported to Singapore with never seen before stories of Bheem, without leaving the safety of their home, exclusively on Voot Kids.''

He further added, ''As a powerhouse platform for kids, we will continue to invest in bringing in more characters and tales that spark the imagination with compelling story of young minds that are truly digital natives. We aim to engage our kids and family audience with an immersive and interactive experiences and celebrating Bheem and team’s adventures in Singapore is a one of kind initiative in the kids’ digital space.''

Elaborating on the alliance, Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation said, “My biggest endeavour is to push the envelope with Chhota Bheem as an animated character that has millions of fans world over. New stories and new setting always add to Bheem adventurous streak and we are thrilled to partner with Singapore Tourism board to take it to the next level with Voot Kids as the exclusive home of the mini-series Chhota Bheem and friends – Adventures in Singapore.” (UNI)