MEGA NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS BEGIN ON DISNEY CHANNELS

Disney Television Network the #1 entertainment destination for kids and their families is set to turn up the dial with its wonderfully varied programming to celebrate the New Year. Kids and families are invited to end 2011 with the award winning Disney classic movie --- Disney Pixar’s “UP” on Disney Channel on December 31 at 11 am. UP is a heart-warming comedy adventure about the 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America, along with an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

In his very first voice acting role, renowned Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has voiced the lead character Carl in Hindi. Commenting on his role, Anupam Kher said, “What makes this movie exciting is that it’s a fantasy film with believable characters. Carl can be from any part of the world or country. He is an ordinary man who fulfills an extraordinary promise and that truly makes him special. I believe that it is very important to dream, and that’s exactly what Carl and Eli do in this movie.”  The movie won the Academy Awards for the Best Animated Feature and the Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2010.

Next, families can “kick-off” 2012 with the uber cool soccer star David Beckham in conversation with famous Disney duo, brothers Phineas and Ferb on the innovative short-form talk show “Take Two with Phineas and Ferb" on January 1 on Disney Channel. The show is a series of fun interviews featuring the brothers talking to your favorite celebs like David Beckham and the Christmas special episode featured kid’s favorite funny-man Cyrus Broacha and many more exciting ones already in the pipeline for the New Year.

Adding some interactive fun and learning for the young ones in the family will be brand new episodes along with an exciting contest inspired by Disney Junior’s popular music-filled interactive show “Jake and The Neverland Pirates”. The show features impressionist, comic and host Cyrus Broacha as the voice of “Sharky” along with musician Sid Coutto as the voice of “Bones”. The talented duo is also seen on the show with an entertaining live –action routine which has been locally produced in India. Beginning January 1, young viewers can brush up their counting skills by tuning into “Disney Junior Jake Contest” from 11 am to 12.30 pm (Monday to Friday) and win more than 1000 cool prizes including Jake’s special Doubloon memorabilia, tee shirts, bandanas and DVDs!

Disney’s action, adventure and comedy destination for boys, Disney XD will be revving up the content pipeline in the New Year starting with Disney classic blockbuster ‘The Lion King’ on January 1, 2011 at 12 noon. Both critically acclaimed and a commercial success, the film is the most popular hand drawn animation film till date. “The Lion King” has won two Academy Awards for its outstanding music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Also, a brand new fun-filled show about a creative and quirky hero --- “Scaredy Squirrel”, inspired by the popular book series by Mélanie Watt will launch on Disney XD on January 9, 2011 (Mon to Fri 1 PM). In the new year, the channel will create a strong destination for Marvel branded characters and stories which have been a part of every boy’s growing up years with the launch of Spider-man on weekdays (Mon to Fri 2 PM), while the excitement on popular show “Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil” is already on the upswing with a spectacular contest where fans can win over 100 cool prizes every day, including Skateboards, Playstations, Camping sets, Snorkeling sets and ipods.

Hungama TV will ring in the New Year with new episodes of popular fun-filled show “Guzura”, which follows the chubby little dinosaur and his misadventures as he interacts with humans and other animals. The channel will also feature exiting contests with over 1000 goodies waiting to be bagged by Hungama fans!