Animated Cartoons in the Middle East

Yet another area of the globe where animation is going like gangbusters:

The prosperity of the UAE, particularly Dubai, in the past decade, includes a long list of achievements. Among those, building man-made islands, the tallest building on earth, and the longest automated metro system in the region.

Now the boom has also sparked a burst of creativity among many young Emiratis in the field of producing TV animation series. ...

For nearly four years, more than one TV series has become a must-watch for both nationals and many expatriates in the UAE mainly during Ramadan. ... [T]hey all share certain characteristics: they stem and reflect scenes from the heritage, culture and life in Dubai. Also, they are all narrated in a comic way and received with a laugh, if not a guffaw ...

"I have received offers from three Arab TV channels outside to produce an animated TV show for them," said Haider Mohammad Haider, producer of Sha'biyat Al Cartoon. "But I had to turn them down, because I don't have the technical ability to produce another TV show at present".

... The high cost of production, due to a lack of sufficient technical support inside the UAE — the three shows are produced with companies based in Singapore, Cairo and Amman — is considered a major obstacle. ...

I never thought of Singapore as a low cost subcontractor for Dubai's animation industry or anybody else's. But what do I know? The world economy being what it is, maybe there's a chance that animation producers in the United Arab Emirates will take a close look at Southern California's talent pool and throw some sub-contracting work our way. (TAG has a contract for work with an Israeli cartoon company. Why not Dubai?)

We've outsourced work to all points of the globe for decades. Seems to me it's time for the globe to start reciprocating.