TRENDS: Inspiring young animators

2009/12/05

CHANDRA DEVI RENGANAYAR

ANIMATION is big business and it's fast growing. Just look at the number of feature-length films, spin-off series and merchandising that result from animation.

Who can forget recent animated movies such as WALL-E, Kung Fu Panda, Bolt and Madagascar which made such a big impact worldwide? Then there are television movies, cartoons, advertisements, computer games and websites that use animated content.

Malaysia too has ventured into this lucrative business. Efforts like Upin & Ipin by Les' Copaque Production and Saladin by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDec) have gathered quite a lot of attention locally and abroad. Upin & Ipin was dubbed and screened in Turkey as well as in Indonesia. Now the animated series dubbed in English is being shown on Disney Channel Asia.

There has been great awareness of the opportunities for Malaysia to be an animation hub for top Hollywood production companies such as Walt Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal. MDeC, as the custodian of the Multimedia Super Corridor, has taken the lead to spur and develop the local animation industry to this end. Much has been done by the organisation to facilitate local companies and talents venturing into the animation business.

Recently MDeC entered into a partnership with Disney Channels Southeast Asia to provide nationwide animation workshops for children. The workshops are intended to give youngsters the opportunity to learn about 2D animation and the basic techniques needed to create their own animated clip. The sessions, which are from January to June next year, are targeted at those aged 10 to 14 years old. They will be held in Selangor, Pahang, Sabah, Perak, Johor and Kuala Lumpur. Each workshop will have participants from 10 schools and each institution will be represented by a team of one teacher and two to three students. The inspiration for these workshops is Disney's animated character Stitch. Short-listed teams will be given a 120-page Stitch Animation Starter Pack which will include coursework materials and background information on the story of Stitch arriving in a new land and meeting new friends. This will be the springboard for their animated stories. The teams will then create their own animated Alien Encounter.

In July, the winners of each workshop will attend an animation master class where they will work with renowned local animators and a Disney animator to refine their winning entries. The team which creates the most creative animated clip will win a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland for their own Stitch encounter. In support of this workshop, Astro as the official broadcast partner will air the entries of six finalists.