''Mansour'' (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: منصور) is an Emirati cartoon. It was created to engage young Arab audiences in their native customs, culture, and heritage.
Plot
The show revolves around Mansour, an excitable, curious 12 year old who tends to live life to its fullest. Throughout the show, Mansour finds himself thrown into numerous escapades alongside his friends and family, teaching both Mansour and the audience important morals and lessons along the way.
Characters
''Mansour'' (منصور)
''
Voiced by: Marwa Rateb / Mashael Al Shehi''
Mansour is the titular main character of the show. He is a young Emirati boy with a penchant for sports and science, although his natural inquisitiveness often lead him to various misadventures.
''Khalid'' (خالد)
''
Voiced by: Saoud Karamastaji''
Khalid is Mansour's father. As a pilot, Khalid frequently travels and witnesses all sorts of sights from all over the world, many of which he shares with his family through his countless stories.
''Mariam'' (مريم)
''
Voiced by: Raja Al Noaman''
Mariam is Mansour's mother who is shown to dote lovingly on her family. She is a creative, artistic person who firmly believes in the importance of women in today's world.
''Sara'' (سارة)
''
Voiced by: Raja Al Noaman''
Sara is Mansour's younger sister. She is talkative and terribly curious about the things Mansour and his friends do. Her pet parrot, Bibi, is equally as loud as her, if not more.
''Saqer'' (صقر)
''
Voiced by: Mansoor Al Feeli''
Saqer is Mansour's grandfather who often serves as a bridge between Mansour and his heritage. He used to be a pearl diver in the past, but now he regales those days by teaching his grandchildren about the traditions and life back then.
''Naser'' (ناصر)
''
Voiced by: Omar Al Mulla''
Naser is Mansour's older brother. He is a university student working towards his business degree. Naser and Mansour are prone to the occasional quarrel, but Naser is more than willing to give his little brother advice when he needs it.
''Turki (تركي)
Turki is Salem's cousin, he is from Saudi Arabia, his first appearance was in the ''the whirlpool of doom'' when he saves Mansour, Nasser, Salem, and Obaid in a heroic way during the sandstorm, he doesn't talk much as his peers, but behind his mind, a computer is there.
Production
Development
''Mansour'' was created by Rashed Al Harmoodi and was initially produced by Fanar Productions during its first season. The concept for the show was pitched at the
Abu Dhabi Festival Abu Dhabi Festival is an annual cultural festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإ ...
and its positive reception led Al Harmoodi to continue with the project. Negotiations for its release soon followed throughout the latter half of 2012, eventually ending with its primary investor
Mubadala Development Company
Mubadala Investment Company PJSC ( ar, شركة مبادلة للاستثمار), or simply Mubadala, is an Emirati state-owned holding company that acts as a sovereign wealth fund. The company was established in 2017 when then-named Mubadala Dev ...
signing agreements with
Abu Dhabi Media and
Dubai Media Incorporated
Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) is the official media organization of the government of Dubai. It was established in 2003 as a state-owned company comprising a number of print, radio and TV channels under its umbrella including: Dubai TV, '' Al B ...
in December.
Al Harmoodi developed ''Mansour'' as a way of "strengthening Emirati youths' bonds to their national identity and values" and "encouraging them to learn about all the modern developments taking place in
he UAE. A few writers from ''
Shaabiyat Al Cartoon'' (شعبية الكرتون), another home-grown production, have also joined the crew in an attempt to keep the humor "snappy and very local". Other than its stories and morals, its production team has also worked on making ''Mansour''
's animation as "first-class" as possible to stand out amongst international standards. The Co-Founder and General Manager of Fanar Productions, Haider Mohamed, boasted to use "cutting-edge technology with powerful storylines" in hopes of attracting young audiences to the show, making it another creative first for the UAE.
Broadcast
In January 2013, ''Mansour'' debuted its 13-episode run on some of the UAE's major channels, including the Abu Dhabi Emirates channel and Sama Dubai TV. ''Mansour'' was then extended for a second season, but it would no longer be produced by Fanar Productions. The second season was instead produced by
Cartoon Network Arabic
Cartoon Network Arabic ( ar, كرتون نتورك بالعربية) is a pan-Arab free-to-air children's television channel that is broadcast to Arab audiences in the Middle East and North Africa. It is one of two Arabic-language versions of th ...
and
Twofour54, with Mubadala keeping its stay on the project as its main source of funds.
On March 30, 2014, ''Mansour'' aired on Cartoon Network Arabic, introducing the show to a wider audience across the MENA region. A third season has been commissioned by Cartoon Network Arabic and is set to finish up by 2017.
Episodes
Revival
In October 2022, it was announced that the show is getting a revival with 52 episodes that is focusing on AI, space exploration and climate emergency. It is being animated in
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
instead of
CGI.
In December 5, the series is set to release in Summer 2023, titled "The Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I.".
Departments
Directors
Simon Ward-Hornerbr /
Stu Gamble
Script writers
Dan Balaambr />
Writer and Producer
Khulood Al Alibr />
Arabic dialogue writer
(26 episodes, 2017)
Hamed Al Harthibr />
Arabic dialogue writer
(26 episodes, 2015)
Saoud Karmastajibr />
Arabic dialogue writer
(26 episodes, 2015)
Nassma Al Bahranibr />
Arabic dialogue writer
(26 episodes, 2015)
Discussing the writing process, the creator, Al Harmoodi, said it was the hardest part, and that the script is first written in English and then Arabic, as the writer is an English-speaker.
Editorial department
Adam Khwajabr />
Script Editor
Rashed Al Harmoodibr />
Script editor
(26 episodes, 2015)
Mouthanna Al-Sayeghbr />
Online editor
(52 episodes, 2015–2017)
Sound department
Tom Baileybr />
Mansour theme and original music composition / composer: theme music
(52 episodes, 2015–2017)
Stefan Mcdadbr />
Sound design and mixing (52 episodes, 2015–2017)
Musaed Al-Hendibr />
Sound editor
(26 episodes, 2017)
Yousef Bu Khamasbr />
Sound design and mixing
(26 episodes, 2017)
Companies
Distribution
Mubadala(2013) (United Arab Emirates) (TV)
Other
ICE Animations(animation and effects)
Yowza Digital(storyboards)
Trivia
''Mansour''
's merchandising ranges from clothing to smartphone applications. Al Harmoodi has expressed joy at this, saying that "seeing Mansour side-by-side with other global characters on retailer shelves is a dream come true".
Awards
Cartoon Network Studios Arabia won ‘Best Use of Animation’ Award for ''Mansour'' (Season 2) at the Digital Studios Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 9, 2016.
[[//www.turner.com/pressroom/cartoon-network-studios-arabia-wins-%E2%80%98best-use-animation%E2%80%99-digital-studio-awards-recognition Cartoon Network Studios Arabia wins ‘Best Use of Animation’ at the Digital Studio Awards in Recognition of the Commendable Work Done on the Emarati Cartoon Mansour (Season 2)]". Press Release. March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.]
External links
*http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5471188/fullcredits#writers - A list of all the cast and crew involved in its production
*http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5471188/epcast?ref_=ttfc_ql_tv_2 - A list of all the episode summaries and casts
References
{{reflist
Emirati animated television series
Cartoon Network original programming
2013 Emirati television series debuts
2010s Emirati television series
2010s animated television series