PRIMEWORKS Studios Sdn Bhd and Wau Animation Sdn Bhd, co-producers of the animated film of pre-teen hero Ejen Ali, promised fans it is not a one-off mission for the super schoolboy.
Wau chief executive officer Usamah Zaid Yasin said they planned to make more than two Ejen Ali films, each revealing new details about the backstory of the hero and his employers, the secret espionage organisation MATA.
“We have lots of plans for Ali’s future. In the years to come, we will also create more pre-teen heroes, to whom our target young audiences can relate.
“They will be different from Ali, with their own special powers, skills, personalities and timelines, but all of them share a common passion of saving the world from evil by working with multi-ethnic Malaysian sidekicks.”
He said this at the launch of Ejen Ali’s new partnership with AirAsia Bhd at the airline’s headquarters, RedQ, in Sepang, Selangor, yesterday.
Present were Primeworks Studios chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar and AirAsia chief executive officer Aireen Omar.
Izham said the partnership was a “natural fit” with Primeworks’ mission to bring Asian stories to the world.
Ejen Ali The Movie will begin production next year, and the producers are targeting a December 2019 release.
Usamah said Wau and Primeworks chose pre-teens as their animated heroes because young audiences could relate to them and see them as role models.
“Youngsters also make better homegrown superheroes than adults as they do not have to face ‘major life decisions’ like mainly-adult superheroes in Western films and series.”
The partnership between Ejen Ali and AirAsia means fans of the superhero can catch his series’ first season via ROKKI Wi-Fi, which offers free in-flight entertainment on AirAsia flights.
AirAsia is also offering a special kid’s meal, the Lil’s Star Combo with Ejen Ali.
Parents travelling with children can pre-book the meal for RM10 for AirAsia flights, and RM15 for AirAsia X flights.
Ejen Ali fans can also enjoy 30 per cent off on tickets at KidZania Kuala Lumpur when they present the combo packaging at the sales counters.
There is also an Ejen Ali competition, where parents are invited to submit videos of their children in action representing Ejen Ali’s qualities on Twitter or Instagram.
The competition is open until Dec 31.
Ten winners will join AirAsia on a “secret mission” to bring aid and joy to the world, and receive a year’s worth of free flights for their family.
AirAsia will introduce a MATA Spy Jet, an airplane decked out with Ejen Ali livery, into its Airbus A320 fleet. It will fly in January.
For more information on the competition, visit www.ejenali.my/airasia.