The ocean waves rumble against a pristine shore. On one side, there is the horizon, on the other, purple mountain peaks etch themselves into the sky, haloed with mist. Deep inside the island, elephants trumpet through the murmur of the forest. A drop on the map, but an endless treasure trove of stories. Welcome to Sri Lanka. Welcome to our story. Get ready to meet Maha Dena Muttha and his five earnest disciples. Though once an ancient wise man, an uncharitable writing of history remembers Maha Den Muttha as a laughing stock. Watch as his and his disciples’ descendants, a band of young plucky Sri Lankans, come together to save the day, and reclaim the wisdom that was lost all along. Brought to you by Sri Lanka’s first fully-fledged animation studio, Mogo Studios, The Secret of the Moonstone is a quirky adventure, mostly set in a near-future Sri Lanka, while also dipping into the past. The story weaves in and out of two enchanting landscapes; the first is a whizzing futuristic Colombo, replete with advanced technology and flying cars, and the second, a mystical forest where a magical creature named Nila guards an ancient secret. At the core of our plot is the tender friendship between our two protagonists, Lucky and Taniya, who come together to unlock the Secret of the Moonstone, and overthrow their life-long bully Chandi. Beneath the light-hearted surface of the story, emerges a compelling commentary about the tensions between environment and development, and how believing in one’s history can triumph above all.
The Story
The story begins in the 1930s, in the dense forests of Sri Lanka. An island untouched by modernity. A wise man. A secret. And thus the story begins. Maha Dena Muttha finds himself locked in a chase with his lifelong rival, Aarachchi. Maha Dena Muttha and his disciples are racing to secure something important; an ancient book of wisdom. Running out of time, they entrust the book with Nila, a charming, magical creature who roams the forest. The book remains undiscovered. Until a hundred years later.Cut to a futuristic Colombo. Our protagonist Lucky finds joy in unlikely things; dispensing advice that often backfires, becoming the umpire for the local cricket big matches, and praying to his ancestor Maha Dena Muttha. Maha Dena Muttha was once hailed a wise man, his legacy long tarnished by an ancient arch-nemesis, who painted him as naive, gullible, and foolish. While the rest of the family dismisses Maha Dena Muttha, Lucky is determined to uncover the wisdom that he is certain his ancestor possessed.
Armed with fate, and his best friend Taniya by his side, Lucky soldiers into the deep forests of his ancestral village to follow the secret of the moonstone. He sets out to discover the long-lost book of wisdom that he believes can change the world. But Lucky soon realises that he is not the only one in search of his ancestor’s secrets; his childhood bully Chandi is also present at the scene, seeking out the book of secrets. In a trying race against time, Lucky must act quickly to find the book before Chandi does. Faced with challenges and destruction, Lucky’s convictions and relationships are put to the test in this quest of a lifetime; one that culminates in an explosive battle with Chandi. In the mystical forest, far from the metallic bustle of Colombo, Lucky and Taniya encounter a team of unlikely allies, a magical world in the cave of Nila, and a village that is wrapped up in secrets and history. Set against a re-imagination of Sri Lankan folklore, ‘The Secret of the Moonstone’ follows the lineage of Maha Dena Muttha and his disciples into the near future. Amidst the magic, imagination and whimsy of the story, emerges a timeless tale about friendship, loyalty, wisdom, and staying true to your roots and values.
