MUMBAI: Indian animation company Maya Entertainment Ltd (MEL) has bagged the contract to make a BBC show titled Jack Frost, a 30 minute animated feature based on a UK bestseller childrens book. The $7, 50,000 project is a 3D animation programme is scheduled for a Christmas launch on BBC Worldwide this year.

 
According to MEL CEO Rajesh Turakhia, "The assignment came to MEL through UKs Jack Frost Productions who are associated with BBC Worldwide. While pre-production functions like the storyboard and modeling have been done in UK, we are involved in production activities related to animating the entire show, the background elements and compositing.

MEL is also creating 10 to 12 animated fillers for popular kids channels such as Nickelodeon to be shown between programmes, each budgeted at $25,000, says Turakhia. The company is also negotiating a 26-episode television series with a European outfit. "Budgeted at $ two million, work on this project is expected to take off around October-November this year. Deliveries would start getting rolled out from 2005, says Turakhia.

MEL is currently changing its infrastructure to accommodate an additional 150 animators from its current 65 while a division of its stake holder Intel will aid in the design, restructuring and update of the hardware and software to meet the expanding client base, he says.

Maya Entertainment has also secured orders from a US firm to create a special programme based on products of a leading toy manufacturer. This show sports a budget of $250,000. MEL has also clinched a $150,000 gaming animation project from the same studio.