Pakistan’s ‘caped crusader’ returns to the small screen
ISLAMABAD: Burka Avenger, the internationally-acclaimed animated children’s show that scooped up an Emmy nomination and won its creator – musician Aaron Haroon Rashid – a Peabody award, is back for another two seasons.
The team from Unicorn Black, the production house behind the award-winning animated series has managed to produce 26 half-hour episodes in just nine months.
Launched in 2013, the show is set in the fictional town of Halwapur and follows the life of about Jiya; a teacher by day, and a superhero whenever the situation calls for it. The show’s success is evident from the fact that it was included in Time magazine’s list of ‘Influential Fictional Characters of 2013’.
At the launch ceremony for the new seasons, creator Haroon promised the audience that the new episodes would feature a “whole other level” of animation and production.
The new animation is sharper and looks more advanced than the previous seasons.
The script is witty and amusing, both children and adults, while simultaneously tackling issues such as sectarian violence, gender equality and corruption, among others.
“[The] animation is a collaborative effort,” Haroon said, as he thanked his team of editors, directors, actors, writers and musicians. In an effort to highlight their efforts, a short behind-the-scenes video was shown before the screening.
At the event, Haroon announced that the show had been dubbed into 7 languages for India, and in 12 languages altogether. It is also currently being aired in Afghanistan, where it has been dubbed in both Pashto and Dari. Episodes dubbed in Pashto and Punjabi will also be broadcast within Pakistan soon, he said.
The episodes screened included stories about violence and corruption. The shows were educational, featuring references to Newton’s laws of motion and the importance of traffic laws.
Importantly, the show continues to subvert traditional gender roles and embraces the idea of gender equality.
However, the show sometimes relies on borrowed tropes from existing cartoons, and the allegorical storytelling style is quite obviously didactic.
Burka Avenger Season 3 has been airing on Nickelodeon Pakistan since June this year.
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