MUMBAI: Kerala based Toonz Animation has inked a $ 4.5 million contract with the leading Seoul based Korean production house ANI21 Co Ltd to produce an animated television series Twin Princes.

The series, which includes a six-minute trailer and 52 episodes of twenty three minutes each, will be a blend of 2D and 3D animation.Toonz will have exclusive broadcast rights to the series in India for a period of 10 years. Production on the series will begin in May 2004 and is slated for completion in the year 2006.

The top brass of ANI21, president/general producer In-Hyung Hwang and international division head Iksu Zhun, recently visited the Toonz Studios in Trivandrum to shore up their relationship with Toonz and to explore prospects for further collaboration. The visiting delegation included key personnel from Apple Tree Films, which is involved in the merchandising of this series.

"We are thrilled to have Twin Princes on our production slate," Toonz Animation India CEO P Jayakumar was quoted in a company statement. "This big-budget series has immense potential and will help us make a major headway in the global animation market," he added.

The three year old production company ANI21 specialises in animation production, broadcast program planning and, character development and licensing. Based in Trivandrum's Technopark, Toonz is known for the 26-episode animated television series The Adventures of Tenali Raman.