The Donkey King

"Donkey King" redirects here. For the Nintendo character, see Donkey Kong.

The Donkey King
Directed by	Aziz Jindani
Written by	Aziz Jindani Kamran Khimani
Starring	Jan Rambo Ismail Tara Hina Dilpazeer Ghulam Mohiuddin Jawed Sheikh
Music by	Various artists Shani Arshad (score)
Edited by	Faisal Shaikh
Production company	Talisman Animation Studios
Distributed by	Geo Films Pantera Film
Release date	13 October 2018 (2018-10-13)
Running time	105 min
Country	Pakistan
Language	Urdu
Box office	40.22 crore Rs.

The Donkey King is a 2018 animated comedy film from Pakistan, directed by Aziz Jindani. Featuring the voices of notable actors such as Jan Rambo, Ismail Tara, Hina Dilpazeer, Ghulam Mohiuddin, and Jawed Sheikh, the film was released in Pakistan on 13 October 2018, by Geo Films and Talisman Animation Studios. Following its national success, it made history as the first Pakistani film to be dubbed into ten languages for various international theatrical releases, distributed globally by Annalisa Zanierato of Pantera Film.

Currently, it holds the title of Pakistan's highest-grossing animated film and ranks among the top-grossing films in the country overall.

Production Details

In August 2018, the first look of this animated feature was unveiled, with Aziz Jindani at the helm. He had conceived the film's idea back in 2003 and began serious development in 2013 while working on his Commander Safeguard animated series. The voice cast includes Jan Rambo, Ismail Tara, Hina Dilpazeer, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Shabbir Jan, Jawed Sheikh, among others.

Aziz established Talisman Animation Studios, based in Karachi, in 2016 and began work on The Donkey King. The animation was created using Autodesk Maya and rendered on Fox Renderfarm.

The film's teaser was released on 20 August 20 followed by the trailer on 23 September.

Release Information

Although the official release date was set for 13 October 2018, the film premiered a day earlier at Nueplex Cinemas in DHA, Karachi.

By 2020, The Donkey King had been released in ten countries worldwide with localized dubbing. It became the first Pakistani film to debut in South Korea on 28 August 2019, and in Spain on 04 October 2019, where it was dubbed into Spanish, Catalan, and Basque under the titles El Rey Burro, El Rei Ruc, and Asto Erregea, respectively, appearing in 50 theaters across the country. The film was also released in Russia on 05 December 5 with a Russian dub and later hit 100 screens in Turkey on 20 December 20 with a Turkish dub. Additionally, it was scheduled for release in Colombia on 09 January 2020, and in Peru on 13 February 2020. The film eventually made its way to China on 19 November 2021.