Freej
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FREEJ; the Middle East’s first 3D animated series [1] is the brainchild of Mohammed Saeed Harib, who also directs the fifteen standalone episodes of fifteen minutes each. FREEJ is the tale of four old national women living in a secluded neighborhood in modern day Dubai. The show’s main characters; Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas try to live a peaceful life in the midst of the ever-expanding city around them, but the city’s boom unveils new social issues every day that they would have to tackle solve in their own simple way. For those four old women, there is no issue too hard to crack with a good cup of coffee at Um Saeed’s house.
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[edit] History
FREEJ started of as a six page study book in 1998 but it never materialised until 2003 when it was adopted by Dubai Media City. A small demo was created to test the concept and shortly after it was given the official go ahead by the Sheikh Mohammed Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME) who took on the initial funding of the project. On September 2005, with around 3 million Dhs of fund provided by the SME [2], Lammtara Pictures was established to overlook the production and a team of almost 500 people were signed up to make this big dream a reality.
The series was premiered on the 23rd of September 2006 – the first day of Ramadan [3], and was broadcasted across the GCC countries on 'Sama Dubai' (Dubai's Sky), one of Dubai's many TV channels and which is majorly aimed for the broadcast of local programs and material. The series became an instant success and a major hit in the region [4] with immense viewership in the Gulf especially among UAE locals.
[edit] Rights
The show is now in official association with Dubai Media City, Awraq Publishing, Arab Radio Network, JBM and the Sheikh Mohammed Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME). The show also benefited from a pool of 100 volunteers from across all national universities who worked hard on the research and development part of it.
[edit] Characters
Starring four main characters.
[edit] Um Saeed
- Eldest member of the group and the wisest
- Loves reciting poetry and old traditional sayings
- Has a short posture
- Very sarcastic in nature
- Addicted to coffee
- The group gathers at her house everyday
[edit] Um Saloom
- The kindest member of the quartet.
- Suffers from temporary memory loss.
- Never leads and always tags along.
[edit] Um Allawi
- The tallest member of the group and the most educated.
- Addicted to all kinds of gizmos and gadgets.
- Has her own mobile and laptop.
- She is a close follower of the stock market.
[edit] Um Khammas
- The rebellious member of the group.
- A three time widow.
- Runs her own catering service and traditional music band.
- Has a very dictating strong personality.
Many people believe that the show succeded because of this lady
[edit] Guest/Others
- Khalid Herya (Arabic : خالد حرية ) - National Figure known for being the best football supporter in the Middle East
- Um Jameel
- The Tribe Advisor
- Zubaidah
- Rahmah the Teacher
- Bu Daryah
- Um Al Duwais
- Bu Khammas
- Rafeeq
- Dalouat Dubai
- Um Um Khammas
- Agha
[edit] Criticism
FREEJ has received some criticism such as:
- Some Episoides were pointless or lame.
- Centered around Um Khammas.
- Claimed to be cultural.
- Wouldn't succeed without Sama Dubai
- All characters have 4 fingers instead of 5.
However, its creator Mohammed Saeed Harib welcomed any constructive criticism to avoid any flaws in the future.
[edit] References
- Byrne, Michelle. "Profile of Mohammed Saeed Harib" - Granny-loving creator of the UAE’s first animated series. TimeOut Dubai. 19 January, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Freej Official Website - The official website for the animated series.
- Gulfnews.com - An article about supporting Freej from Zayed Univercity.
- Oman3d.com - An early Omani article regarding the anticipation of the series.
