Mansour gets modern reboot focusing on AI, space exploration and climate emergency

Mansour has been updated to tackle issues such as artificial intelligence

MIPJUNIOR: Middle Eastern cartoon Mansour is being rebooted to tackle issues such as artificial intelligence, technology, space exploration and the climate emergency.

UAE state-owned Mubadala Investment Company is funding The Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I. (52×11′) with the support of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA).

It comes after five seasons of Mansour were produced for broadcasters including Cartoon Network Arabic and Majid Kids TV, with episodes going on to rack up over two billion views on YouTube, according to the producers.

Set in the near future in the technologically advanced Salam City, the reboot will be a sci-fi action-adventure series that revolves around a 12-year-old tech whiz, who unintentionally creates a mischievous sentient artificial intelligence known as Blink.

With the support of his closest friends, he must deal with all manner of pranks, challenges and dangers posed by Blink, who for his own amusement is determined to cause as much chaos as possible for Mansour and the people of Salam City.

Targeting children aged six- to 12-years-old and created by Abu Dhabi-based Bidaya Media, it is being funded by Mubadala Investment Company and the ECA as part of their efforts to support inclusion, culture and the Arabic language.

The show will be produced in both Arabic and English, with voiceovers in the latter performed at Baboon Animation in New York and animation production by Top Draw Studio in the Philippines.

Brian Lott, chairman of Bidaya Media and chief communications officer of Mubadala, said: “Mansour has captured the imaginations of young audiences and established a wide fan base across the Middle East. Our upcoming seasons of the cartoon take Mansour to a new level, with the aim of encouraging children to understand issues across borders through fun and storytelling.

“As the first Arab cartoon to be originally produced in both English and Arabic, we have created new episodes of Mansour that build on its heritage and increase audience awareness internationally.”

HE Sana Suhail, director general of ECA, said: “We are proud of our deepening partnership with Mubadala in expanding the available development opportunities for children worldwide through the relaunch of such a popular show.

“Importantly, the relaunch exhibits a healthy balance that is needed in today’s world between the role of technology in our lives and the need for children to disconnect from their devices and connect with the real world. This healthy balance between the online and real worlds is at the core of this show and is key to better prepare our children for the future.”