MANJADI

Manjadi-Twinkle,twinkle...volumes I,II,III and Poopi....

The most popular animation video CD for children in Malayalam has been launched by a group of youngsters under the company name "Hibiscus Design"in 2005. As per their own advertisment, its a "cartoon get together" based on stories from the Panchatantra- the real treasure house for kids and most familiar traditional folk songs. The quality of animation is really admirable. The concept is visualised so beautifully and creatively, that the animated anchor doll "Twinkle"is like a friend to most kids. Reasonably priced at a range of Rs.99 to Rs.199 per disc, they have already completed 3 volumes of Manjadi and another one with "Poopi"the inquisitive dog!@ a CD per year... Even kids at playschool level are so fascinated by these songs, the rhythm and the stories that they are glued to their seats, stuck up for ever...It would be nice if a small printed booklet of the songs in each compilation is also enclosed in this series...

MINNA...MINNI

Kid's animation movie MINNA...MINNI is a VCD for small children. It is produced and marketed by AURIGA ANIMATIONS, Calicut.It is an excellent collection of stories with a moral and traditional songs in Malayalam. As rightly pointed out in their back cover itself, this VCD tries to fill in the lacuna being created by the societal transformation from erstwhile secure joint family setups, where kids had immense opportunities to listen to moral stories and epics from grannies and elders to the present nuclear and small families, especially with employed and busy parents.It is truly a journey in search of lost greenery.... Truly nostalgic...The quality of animation is grand...The cartoon characters AMMU the child and MINNU the parrot are attractive.The selection of rhymes and stories facilitates easy learning among toddlers.Kids love flying and swimming. Visual moments where Ammu and Minnu flew with their balloons and swam on the swan leave kids amazed...Depiction of vegetables running to save themselves from the knife and getting cooked is quite fascinating...The dialogues are quite natural of children...Efforts to club learning through fun and tickles for thought provocation is genuinely appreciated.Hats Off to the AURIGA team..............