Mohammed Saeed Harib’s animated series FREEJ is not only the GCC’s first but also the biggest cartoon hit so far. The 3D fifteen-minute standalone production, made in the UAE, was produced and directed by Harib. FREEJ portrays four old national women living in a secluded neighbourhood in modern day Dubai and their way of dealing with day to day problems in the city.
The young producer, who received his degree in art from the North Eastern University in Boston, USA, realized that his Emarati generation has grown up watching American and Japanese cartoons. This inspired him to take on the mission of creating local characters that his country kids, and adults, can relate to and so FREEJ was born, first as a six page study book in 1998. The series, however, only properly materialized in 2003, when it was taken on by Dubai Media City. After a successful demo, the project was approved and funded by the Sheikh Mohammed Establishment for Young Business Leaders. With US$816,000, the founding of Lammantra Pictures to overlook the project, and 500 people, the cartoon was finally created and premiered in September 2006 and broadcasted across the GCC.
This was followed with a second season, which was watched by over 680,000 viewers in Dubai alone, making it one of the most viewed shows in the emirate.
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