# This Animated Film Lets Muslim Kids See Themselves as Heroes Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG65HcCknvM Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/lG65HcCknvM Generated: 2026-02-07T14:33:20.218+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The animated film "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road" is making history as the first Muslim animated feature to secure a nationwide theatrical release in the United States, aiming to counter negative narratives and showcase positive Muslim cultural and scientific contributions from the Golden Age of Islam to young audiences. **Key Points:** - "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road" is the first Muslim animated feature to receive a nationwide theatrical release in the US, scheduled for February 7th and 8th. - The film follows four students from the fictional Ugly Academy who time travel to protect popular historical scientists from an evil time-bending alchemist. - Key historical figures highlighted include mathematician Al-Khwarizmi (father of modern optics) and astronomer Mariam Al-Astrulabi. - The creators, Michael Milo and Flordeliza Dayrit, aimed to provide positive representation, countering Islamophobic narratives prevalent in media. - The production involved a dedicated team, including support from Canadian production incentives, and the creators also launched a companion mobile game and a TV series on Muslim Kids TV. - The film's core mission is to show Muslim children they can see themselves as heroes and to educate all children about the significant, often overlooked, contributions of Arab and Muslim scholars during the Islamic Golden Age. ![Screenshot at 00:08: The film's title card appears, reading "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road," with the release dates "IN THEATRES FEBRUARY 7 & 8," establishing the subject of the interview is this new animated feature.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-00-08.jpg) **Context:** This segment features an interview on Zeteo's "Mehdi Unfiltered" program with Michael Milo (Producer) and Flordeliza Dayrit (Co-writer and Director) of the animated film "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road." The discussion centers on the significance of the film achieving a nationwide theatrical release in the US, which is a major milestone for Muslim representation in mainstream animation, and how the movie aims to educate children about historical Muslim scientists. ## Detailed Analysis The video is an interview segment discussing the animated film "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road," which achieved the milestone of being the first Muslim animated feature with a nationwide US theatrical release on February 7th and 8th. Host Mehdi Hasan speaks with producer Michael Milo and co-writer/director Flordeliza Dayrit. The film centers on four students from the fictional Ugly Academy who travel back in time to protect influential historical scientists, such as Al-Khwarizmi and Mariam Al-Astrulabi, from an evil alchemist. Milo noted that the film's creation was a decade-long journey, supported by Canadian production incentives and the team’s own production capabilities. Dayrit emphasized the goal was to provide positive role models for Muslim children, countering negative stereotypes and Islamophobia in media, and ensuring children see themselves as heroes. They also mentioned an accompanying mobile game and a TV series on Muslim Kids TV. The creators stressed the importance of showing the positive historical and cultural legacy of Muslim civilizations, which they feel is often overlooked in Western education and media. ### Film Milestone and Subject - "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road" achieves first nationwide US theatrical release for a Muslim animated feature on Feb 7 & 8 - The plot involves four students time-traveling to protect historical Muslim scientists like Al-Khwarizmi and Mariam Al-Astrulabi from an evil alchemist. ### Creative Goals and Impact - Creators sought to counter Islamophobia and media misrepresentation by showing Muslim culture/history being celebrated on the big screen - The goal is for Muslim children to see heroes and for all children to learn about the significant historical contributions that are often overlooked. ### Production and Future Plans - The project took a decade, supported by Canadian production incentives and internal production efforts - An accompanying mobile game and TV series are also in development. ![Screenshot at 00:08: Promotional poster for "Time Hoppers: The Silk Road" detailing its limited theatrical release dates of February 7th & 8th.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-00-08.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:34: An exciting animated scene showing the four main child characters inside a swirling blue/purple time vortex.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-00-34.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:50: Close-up on an antagonist character reacting with shock after noticing a device is missing, indicating a point of conflict in the animated story.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-00-50.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:15: The four young protagonists standing together in what appears to be a futuristic control room, suggesting a resolution or team moment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-01-15.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:32: Producer Michael Milo and Co-writer/Director Flordeliza Dayrit appear remotely to discuss the film's creation and impact.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lG65HcCknvM/00-01-32.jpg)