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When you talk of animation films,

you think of the kids. Adults are often seen as chaperones.

The popularity of the animated characters in the Kunal Kohli’s “Hum Tum” proved to be an indication of what was to come.

With the release of “Hanuman” in 2006, the water was tested and met with grand success. That triggered a demand for more such films and now with nearly two dozen animation movies currently on the computers, it is a virtual reality to reckon with!

The list is comprehensive. While “Bal Ganesh” from the Shemaroo stable releases next week, Sahara Motion Pictures is coming up with “Hanuman Returns” and a couple of more films.

After “My Friend Ganesha,” Rajiv S. Ruia is directing four movies, including a sequel to “My Friend Ganesha.”

Then UTV is ready to unleash “Arjun,” “Alibaba” and “Dream Blanket” and Pritish Nandy Communication is taking the genre to a new level by turning three feature films into animation.

Similarly, Karan Johar is busy with Shah Rukh Khan again. This time he is making an animated version of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” titled “Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai.”

And meanwhile, Yash Raj Films has tied up with Walt Disney to create “Meet Roadside Romeo.”

What’s interesting about this trend is that what was earlier a prerogative of a niche section of English-speaking audience is now being targeted at the Hindi-speaking mass. Not to forget the Tamil and Telugu versions of some of the films.

The industry is saying only one thing — the market for Hindi animation movies is just getting bigger. This is despite the fact that a couple of movies such as “Krishna” and “My Friend Ganesha” didn’t do well at the box office.

Explains the distributor of “Krishna,” Brijesh Tandon, “There’s no doubt that the market for animation films is increasing. “Krishna” was a medium grosser because the story of Lord Krishna is commonly known to everyone, unlike Hanuman’s. It had nothing new to add. Also, the animation wasn’t top notch. Kids these days watch animation of the highest order on cartoon channels and expect something as good if not better.”

The fate of “Bal Ganesh” will be decided next week and the distributors of the film, Mukta Arts, are quite hopeful. “A good movie will definitely do well. We have released the film in over 10 theatres and, this being the festive season, we hope to get a good response,” says Sanjay Ghai, the vice-president of Mukta Arts.

In terms of technique, the films are getting better. India has been used for outsourcing animation for years and now the result is showing as local producers evince interest in the genre. “My Friend Ganesha” was the first Hindi composite movie, where a live character acts along with an animated one. In spite of a lukewarm response to the film, director Rajiv Ruia is set to do a sequel and three more films — “Ronny & Rocky” with an animated dog, ‘Shankar’ based on Lord Shiva and one on Krishna. “The market is there. The problem was we released it when the schools were on. But if you still look at the collection of the films, it did well on weekends. All my movies are being produced by big corporates, who wouldn’t get into it if there was no money,” he points out.

The release timing and marketing strategies play a crucial role. “My Friend Ganesha” underlines how bad timing can affect a film, while “Hanuman” is a perfect example of a well-marketed one. The cute little monkey stole hearts and soon Hanuman merchandise was all over the market. Prakkhar Joshi, Head of Programming, PVR, the distributor of “Hanuman”, agrees it is very important to sell even a good film. “I feel ‘Hanuman’ was very well promoted and if the promos of ‘Meet Roadside Romeo’ are anything to go by, it is also being promoted well.” The film, directed by Jugal Hansraj, is slated for a 2008 summer release, but the Romeo in Saif Ali Khan’s voice is already out to woo the audience during the interval.

When you talk of animated films, you think of the kids. Adults are often seen as chaperones. This limits the scope of the film’s success.

The producers and directors have understood this vacuum and are working accordingly. May be that’s why Pritish Nandy Communication is coming out with four animated version of films such as “Howrah Bridge,” “Amar Prem,” “Barsaat Ki Ek Raat” and “Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina.” “This is our way of reviving some of the grand old classics of Indian cinema and introducing them to the new generation of movie-goers,” says Pritish Nandy, Chairman, PNC.

Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions are doing the same with “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” As a result, even those who targeted their films at kids earlier are making the shift. “Frankly, we were targeting only the kids with ‘Hanuman’ but we realised that adults enjoyed the films as much. And now with ‘Hanuman Returns’, we have elements for the adult audience too,” says Gayatri Singh, Creative Head, Sahara Motion pictures.

Ditto with Rajiv. “‘In Ronny & Rocky’, we have comedy tracks by actor Chunky Pandey targeted at the adults. I believe that if the storyline and animation is good, even the grownups will enjoy it. After all, there’s a kid in every adult .”

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