Emirati animation series Freej is back!

The grannies are back. The fetching foursome from the Emirati animation series Freej, now some of Dubai's most prominent icons, will return for their fourth season this Ramadan, its creator has announced.

And this time, thanks to new-improved production technologies, they will look sleeker and better. Mohammad Saeed Hareb, who shot to fame after the three dimensional animated series premiered in 2006, told tabloid! he was already into the eighth episode of the fourth season.

"There will be 15 episodes of 15 minutes, as usual. We were already working on some of them for last year's Ramadan, but since we didn't make it, we are taking off from where we left," he said.

Although originally created for Arabic-speaking children, Freej became a regional sensation after its premiere, appealing to all ages and topping television ratings during the lucrative Ramadan season. Its four main Emirati characters, Umm Saeed, Umm Saloom, Umm Allawi and Umm Khammas, have also become cultural icons. The show did not make it last year due to financial difficulties, said Hareb. "The financial crisis hit us badly. All of the sponsors dropped out and the TV stations could not finance the show."

Freej also caused quite a furore in 2009 when an episode showed its characters tackling religious issues. Some viewers even phoned in to radio talk shows to complain, while some called for a ban. "It's funny, I always play safe, but somehow it always turns into a controversy," said Hareb. "I don't think we crossed the line at all but stood on the line."

Cultural themes

The grannies will continue to focus on cultural themes as they have always, he added. The original premise of Freej was based on four traditional Emirati women in Dubai who were trying to make sense of the fast-changing world around them.

Using the Emirati dialect, the subjects touched a chord not only with viewers in the Emirates but the entire Gulf region, leading to its success. Major merchandising deals soon followed and DVDs with subtitles were released in an attempt to attract non-Arabic-speaking audiences. A spin-off theatrical show, Freej Folklore, premiered in 2009 and a Freej Book of Riddles was also launched last year.

The fourth season, to air on Sama Dubai, will be ready with subtitles.

With productions moved to Singapore from its traditional home in India and a different software used to generate the characters, Hareb said the look and feel will be different this time round.

"Technology has advanced a lot since we launched," he added. "They will move nicer and look better. Also, it's for everyone, Arabs and non-Arabs."