Animated Bollywood flick in the works

GLENDALE, Calif., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- DreamWorks Animation SKG says it is developing "Monkeys of Bollywood," a Bollywood-style animated musical adventure set in modern-day Mumbai.

Executive producer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, executive producer and composer A.R. Rahman, and writers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges are together this week at DreamWorks Animation's headquarters in Glendale, Calif., to continue their collaboration on the feature project, the U.S. studio said Tuesday.

"To reunite with Stephen Schwartz and work with such a celebrated team of artists on DreamWorks Animation's first-ever CG-animated feature musical project is incredibly exciting," DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke said in a statement. "Together we will create a movie that is full of magic, fantasy, adventure, comedy and emotion in which inspiring songs and dances will delight audiences everywhere." Schwartz previously worked with DreamWorks on its musical movie "Prince of Egypt."

Inspired by the Indian epic tale of The Ramayana, "The Monkeys of Bollywood" revolves around two common monkeys who become unlikely heroes in a last-ditch effort to stop an ancient, thought-to-be-mythical demon from conquering the world, the studio said.