Fun neighbours

Freej, the UAE's first animation project, launches second television season after a very successful first.

A Dubai man who didn't even start drawing until he was 20 has launched the second season of the UAE's first cartoon.

Lammtara Pictures, in association with Dubai Media City and others, announced the launch of the part two of Freej, the UAE's first animation project, at a press conference held at Dubai's Knowledge Village auditorium.

Funded by the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME), Freej has been created by Mohammad Saeed Harib, managing director of Lammtara Pictures.

Arabic for neighbourhood, Freej is the tale of four elderly UAE national women who reside in an old neighbourhood situated on the outskirts of the hustle and bustle of modern-day Dubai.

Characters
The show's main characters, Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas try to live a peaceful life in the midst of the ever-expanding city around them, but the city's boom unveils new social issues every day that they would have to tackle solve in their own simple way. For those four old women, there is no issue too hard to crack over a good cup of coffee at Um Saeed's house.

Mohammad said: "The characters were all created from inspiration provided by my friends and family. The personality, but not looks, of Um Saeed is based on my grandmother, who has always made me laugh. She is very sarcastic but also very wise, and I have learnt a lot from her over the years.

"The Arabic family is what makes us so unique in many ways. We have such huge families and many other cultures don't understand it. For instance, husbands with more than one wife and children with anything up to 100 cousins."

Superhero
Mohammad, 27, says the idea had been brewing in his mind since his college days. Students in his class were asked about superheroes from their cultures.

He realised there were no superheroes in the UAE culture and decided it was about time things changed.

He added: "When I sat and considered a local superhero I thought about my family and immediately had an idea. Within an Arabic family the grandmother plays an integral role — she is the superhero of the family, without a doubt. This is a cartoon we in the UAE can be proud of. It is an animated series suitable for children and adults, and I hope my kids and grand kids grow up watching it."

How it all began
Freej started off as a six-page study book in 1998 but did not materialise until 2003 when it was adopted by Dubai Media City.

Big dream
On September 2005, Lammtara Pictures was established to overlook the production and a team of almost 500 people were signed up to make this big dream a reality.