By Beth Deitchman
Disney Junior is getting ready to take fans on an incredible and mysterious journey to Jalpur, a magical land inspired by the cultures and customs of India. Production is under way on a brand-new animated series, Mira, Royal Detective, slated to debut on Disney Junior Channels and programming blocks around the world in 2020.
It doesn’t take a detective to deduce that Mira, Royal Detective is sure to be amazing. Mira, a young commoner, becomes a royal detective after she solves a mystery (and saves the kingdom’s young prince); she then travels throughout Jalpur helping both royals and commoners alike. Each episode will feature two 11-minute stories that feature authentic music, dance, and customs that are rooted in India’s vibrant heritage.
Mira will be voiced by 15-year-old newcomer Leela Ladnier. The young sleuth will be joined on her new adventures by her friend Prince Neel, a talented inventor voiced by Kamran Lucas (Disney’s Mech-X4); her creative cousin Priya, voiced by newcomer Roshni Edwards; and two comical mongooses, Mikku and Chikku, voiced by Kal Penn (Designated Survivor) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project), respectively. The series’ star-studded voice cast also includes Freida Pinto (The Path) as Queen Shanti; Hannah Simone (New Girl) as a young commoner named Pinky; Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) as Mira’s Auntie Pushpa; Aasif Mandvi (Shut Eye) as Mira’s father, Sahil; Sarita Choudhury (Homeland) as Prince Neel’s Great-Aunt Rupa; Aparna Nancherla (BoJack Horseman) as Mira’s cousin Meena; Karan Brar (Disney Channel’s BUNK’D) as Prince Veer; Karan Soni (Deadpool) as twins Ranjeet and Manjeet; Sarayu Blue (I Feel Bad) as the palace tailor; and Parvesh Cheena (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Sonal Shah (Scrubs) as bandits Manish and Poonam, respectively.
Joe D’Ambrosia, senior vice president, Original Programming, Disney Junior, said in today’s announcement, “We are eager to introduce kids and their families to the rich, diverse cultures and customs of India through Mira, a young girl who looks at things with her own unique lens to gain different perspectives and help others in her community. We hope that she will encourage our audience to engage actively with the inspiring world around them and appreciate the little details that make life extraordinary.”
Mira, Royal Detective is executive produced by Emmy® Award nominee Sascha Paladino (Miles from Tomorrowland); the series was developed by Becca Topol (Elena of Avalor), who also serves as story editor. Sue Perotto and Dorothea Schoentag (both of Phineas and Ferb) are supervising director and art director, respectively. Serving as consultants for Mira, Royal Detective are IW Group’s Shagorika Ghosh, who is the series’ cultural consultant; Bollywood dancer and choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan (So You Think You Can Dance) and music producer Deepak Ramapriyan (Basmati Blues). The series will feature original songs written and produced by Emmy nominees Matthew Tishler (Fancy Nancy) and Jeannie Lurie (The Muppets) and music from composer Amritha Vaz (Miss India America). Wild Canary produces in association with Disney Junior.
We’ll be on the hunt for more clues about the upcoming series until Mira officially begins her sleuthing on Disney Junior. Stay tuned for all of the details.
