MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE

 

MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE
(Disney Junior, Disney Channel, DisneyNOW, March 20, 2020-June 20, 2022)
 
Wild Canary Animation, Technicolor Animation Productions

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Leela Ladnier – Mira
Kal Penn- Mikku
Utkarsh Ambudkar - Chikku
 

 

            Developed by Elena of Avalor story editor Becca Topol, Mira, Royal Detective was a CGI-animated mystery series that took place in the fictional kingdom of Jalpur; which resembled 19^th century India. Mira (Leela Ladnier) was appointed the royal detective by Queen Shanti (Freida Pinto) after solving a mystery involving Prince Neel (Kamran Lucas). Mira traveled around the kingdom helping out royals and commoners with the aid of her two mongoose sidekicks, Mikku (Kal Penn) and Chikku (Utkarsh Ambudkar). Sometimes aiding her was Neel, a talented inventor in his own right, and her cousin, Priya (Roshni Edwards), who was clever and creative. The series was designed to highlight critical thinking and encourage deductive reasoning.

Mira with Mikku and Chikku.

            Mira, Royal Detective debuted on Disney Junior on March 20, 2020; the first to feature a South Asian protagonist. The series was highly influenced by South Asian design and culture, with IW Group’s Shagorika Ghosh Perkins serving as a cultural consultant. Producer Sascha Paladino had stated that they watched a lot of Bollywood films to prepare for the show, and decided to emulate the musical numbers often featured in them. Bollywood choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan coordinated and recorded the dances for those musical numbers with assistants, and the animators would then work off of these to render the routine on screen. Deepak Ramapriyan and Amritha Vaz composed the music for the show. Art director Dorothea Gerassimova took great inspiration from Indian art and architecture in designing the look of the series. Further adding authenticity to the series was that the cast was of South Asian descent. The characters were designed by Michelle Lin and David A. Cardenas B. Animation was handled by Wild Canary Animation and Technicolor Studios.

Everybody dance now!

            The series ran for two seasons, with the majority of episodes containing two segments each. For the final four episodes, the series switched over to full single-story episodes that were even more influenced by Bollywood films. In press-releases, these were touted as being the show’s third season, but ended up being just included as part of the second’s count. The series was nominated for a National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications Vision Award, two Annie Awards, an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award, and a Television Critics Association Award. The series was made available to stream on Disney+.