Disney Channel in Malaysia

So I'm vacationing in Malaysia and surfing the TV channels when I stumbled upon the Disney channel here. It has mostly, from what I have seen, the same shows that we see in the States. But one animated show that we don't get is something called "Bola Kampung", which translates to "village ball" (?).

I know. I don't get it either. It seems to depict the lives of a group of Malaysian school children. They are drawn with local features, in school uniforms, and local surroundings. But the weird part in the whlole thing is that the characters have western names (Marcus, Ivan, etc.) And they speak with American accents! How odd, especially since the show is obviously for local consumption. In fact, there is a distinct American flavor in the conversation/script.

Still, they do try to inject local flavors into the show. They refer to specific Malaysian locations and the talk about "football" to mean soccer. I just found it amusing that they speak like typical american kids but about Malaysian topics.

I took a few screen captures of the TV show.
Oh wait. There a kid now who talks with an indian accent, which is not uncommon in Malaysia. Oh, this is just plain hysterical.

I just saw the credits. Most, if not all, of the animation production are done locally. The voices had people (kids?) with western names but there were also locals. I must have missed them.

Oh well. At least it kept me amused for a few minutes. :)

Zz.