EJEN Ali, the brave, 12-year-old schoolboy who becomes an unwitting secret agent for futuristic spy agency MATA, is set for the big screen in Ejen Ali The Movie, Primeworks Studios' and Wau Animation's most ambitious project.
The two production companies recently unveiled the project to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Ejen Ali, their biggest animation intellectual property.
It will have its cinematic debut next December.
They showcased the fully Malaysian, 3D-animated boy agent's brand achievements in a special ceremony held recently at Empire Hotel in Subang Jaya.
Both companies also announced their initiatives for Ejen Ali in the years to come.
Since premiering in 2016, Ejen Ali has been broadcast in more than 50 countries including the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, captivating millions of young fans and topping the charts in its home region, Southeast Asia.
Primeworks Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar and Wau CEO Usamah Zaid Yasin added that if all goes well, there could be a live action movie for the boy agent in the future.
They share more details with Groove below.
HOW WAS EJEN ALI CONCEPTUALISED?
Usamah: Ejen Ali is my brainchild, I came up with him when I founded Wau in 2013. I have always been interested in animated science fiction characters, especially pre-teens or teens. Japan’s Astro Boy, Marine Boy and Gatchaman and the United States’ Hanna-Barbera Productions’ Jonny Quest and Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 immediately come to mind.
Work on Ejen Ali started in 2015 and I chose Ali as the name of my pre-teen hero because it is a common name, frequently used in school textbooks.
WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM THE MOVIE?
Usamah: We are bringing viewers deeper into Ejen Ali's universe with new agents, high technology gadgets such as the IRIS 2.0, and state-of-the-art vehicles. Better still, there will be a mysterious rogue figure from Ali's past who will challenge him to be braver and stronger. All these exciting elements are complemented by a story with a strong emotional hook, our signature Wau touch.
Emotions humanise our hero, and this gives Ejen Ali an audience-winning formula. The movie will give viewers a closer look at Ejen Ali’s hometown Cyberaya and its space age technology. They will get to see how the people do business, commute to work and socialise in malls and public spaces.
Like the series, the movie will be largely inspired by Disney and Pixar animation. Of course we are light years away from Disney and Pixar, but they have always been our role models.
BEN 10 EVENTUALLY GREW A LITTLE TO BECOME A TEENAGER IN THE LATER SEASONS. WILL THIS HAPPEN TO EJEN ALI?
Usamah: No, Ejen Ali will remain a 12-year-old schoolboy, because that’s how I’ve always envisioned him to be.
However, his adventures will gradually touch on “darker” topics ...family tragedies and conflicts. His past will be slowly revealed, and it will be pretty interesting, combining Malaysian history and folklore with modern family drama. In the process, fans will get to know more about the human side and back story of their hero - his likes, dislikes, fears, dreams and hopes.
The movie will be a catalyst for a new season of the TV series, and in the process, more multi-racial characters will be added to our hero’s universe to make Cyberaya truly Bangsa Malaysia.
WHAT ABOUT THE VOICEOVER CAST FOR THE MOVIE?
Usamah: We will not be using the regulars from the series but well-known actors and singers. Since it is the first cinematic project for both Wau and Primeworks, it takes a star-studded cast to promote a good movie, as Disney and Pixar have proven time and again.
HOW MANY SEQUELS WILL EJEN ALI THE MOVIE HAVE?
Usamah: We plan to have one or two more Ejen Ali cinematic adventures. And in each one of them, we plan to introduce new characters, both heroic and menacing.
WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO PRODUCE A LIVE ACTION EJEN ALI MOVIE?
Usamah: That will be about five to 10 years from now. It largely depends on how well audiences accept the animated film. It is not easy to make a live action version because logistics will be a major challenge. Furthermore, we will need to use a lot of skilled stuntmen — our hero makes a lot of death-defying movements.
As for actors, we will have to rope in a healthy mix of veterans and new talents.
The established actors help pull in the audiences, while the new actors will make our boy hero and his friends believable.
IS THERE BE A POSSIBILITY OF EJEN ALI TEAMING UP WITH OTHER MALAYSIAN ANIMATED HEROES?
Usamah: That’s a fantastic idea which I’ve always been thinking of, in fact it’s my dream animated film. It would be superb to collaborate with the producers of Upin & Ipin and Boboiboy to have a single, animated movie where Ejen Ali, Upin & Ipin and Boboiboy team up in a common adventure to save the world from an alien invasion.
Our animation industry is still young, and most of us in the various companies know each other quite well. Back in 1989, several established American studios worked together to combine their cartoon characters in a common adventure in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and it was a big success. If they can do it, I’m sure we can, too.
HOW HAS PRIMEWORKS PROMOTED EJEN ALI AMONGST SMALL SCREEN AUDIENCES THUS FAR?
Ahmad Izham: Inspired by Ejen Ali's espionage adventures, we set out on our own missions to grow our brand's presence. Our first mission was to launch the brand in a new and different way which we achieved by introducing Ali to audiences via a mobile game, before following up with a smashing TV debut on TV3. Since then the two mobile games featuring Ali have garnered numerous awards.
Next, we set our sights on being the top animation property for the region. We achieved this by reaching out to two million viewers weekly through TV3 and emerging as one of the top three programmes in MNCTV Indonesia's slate of children's programmes.
Two more successful Ejen Ali missions we achieved involved innovative partnerships and consumer engagement. Through innovative partnerships, Ejen Ali formed strong and longstanding relationships with major consumer brands as Mamee and AirAsia. Through award-winning marketing campaigns customised for each brand, these partnerships have resulted in notable revenue growth for the brands.
Ejen Ali's consumer engagement focused on strengthening his fan base via three key platforms: social media, ground activations and consumer products.
The highly engaged fan base drove numerous brand interactions including the creation of fan art, fan-made special events and fan-based spin-off stories.
DOES FAN FEEDBACK HELP IMPROVE EJEN ALI’S WEEKLY ADVENTURES, OR HIS GAMES, CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND THE SCRIPT FOR THE COMING MOVIE?
Ahmad Izham: One of the most heart-warming fan engagements to date was created by Chong Yik Wei, a passionate fan whose feedback and ideas for the mobile game Ejen Ali: Emergency contributed to the constant improvement of the game and took it to greater heights.
As a result of fan feedback, we and various strategic partners have come up with various Ejen Ali products. These include school shoes from Bata, new limited edition apparel, soft toys and an entire Ejen Ali bedroom set, all set for retail sales during the back-to-school season this month.
HOW WILL EJEN ALI THE MOVIE BE PROMOTED?
Ahmad Izham: In line with the movie's release, a comprehensive marketing extension will follow suit. Key marketing initiatives include multiple mobile gaming launches, private screenings, TV takeovers, mall roadshows, and cinema tours. These initiatives will provide great opportunities for businesses and brands to leverage on in 2019.
Catching up with Ejen Ali’s storyline
EJEN Ali's adventures are set in the futuristic city of Cyberaya.
Ali, 12, became an agent of MATA (Meta Advanced Tactical Agency) after accidentally activating the Infinity Retinal Intelligent System (IRIS), a device created by MATA which is controlled by neuro-signals enabling the wearer to perform actions programmed by a computer.
IRIS has been synchronised for Ali, therefore only Ali is capable of using it.
Ali's weapon is a yo-yo that can shoot shockwaves. He wears aeroboots which are connected to the IRIS to help Ali leap great distances. The other heroes of MATA include Ali's uncle Bakar, who is big, strong and good at fighting; Alicia, who is a highly focused, no-nonsense 12-year-old armed with a deadly slingshot; her father General Rama who is the head of MATA; master of disguise Rizwan whose gloves can disable enemies; and Ali's pet cat Comot that is genetically modified and has camouflage abilities.
The main antagonists are the Numeros who seek vengeance against MATA. There are nine of them and their leader is Uno who can move at super speed and is armed with a plasma sword.
The other Numeros are named Dos, Trez, Cinco, Seis, Siete, Ocho and Nueve. The minor antagonists are Wak Musang, Analog Man, Abang Bear, Komeng and Neonimus.
Besides Ali and the key MATA agents, there are also junior MATA agents such as Jet, Moon, Iman, Khai, Rudy, Mika, Roza, Bulat, Zass and Chris, and senior agents and mentors Leon, Geetha, Karya, Zain, Ganz and Dayang.
The supporting characters include Victor who is Ali’s best friend in school, Munah who is Ali’s class teacher, scientists Dr Tong, Dr Mala and Dr Akram, and Ali’s parents Dr Ghazali and Aliya.
The movie picks up after the defeat of super villain Uno and his band of Numeros in Season Two. Ejen Ali and the academy's young agents emerge as their city's new line of defense. Secret agency MATA has improved on Ali's invention of the Atlas gadget and creates IRIS 2.0 which enables the technology to be used by the other agents.
Ali begins to doubt his position in MATA. He is then approached by a rogue figure claiming knowledge of a surprising connection to Ali. At the risk of betraying his loyalty to MATA, Ali embarks on an exhilarating pursuit to unravel these mysterious links.
Ejen Ali’s milestone moments
2013: The concept of Ejen Ali was incepted by Wau Animation and the development of the first teaser began with the support of the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
July 2015: Partnership between Primeworks Studios and Wau Animation as the first intellectual property co-developed and co-owned. Production of Season One began.
March 4, 2016: Primeworks and Wau collaborated with Media Prima Digital to release the first mobile game Ejen Ali: MATA Training Academy for Android and iOS users. The game was released prior to the animation, a move that has never been done before.
April 8, 2016: Season One made its debut when it was aired on TV3 in the Bananana slot at 5.30pm on Fridays. It became one of the top animated series here with a weekly reach of two million.
September 2016: Due to the overwhelming response to the first mobile game, a second game Ejen Ali: Emergency was released for iOS and Android users. To date both games have a total of five million downloads.
October 2016: Ejen Ali has an innovative licensing partnership with Mamee Monster Biskidz. Season One premieres in 25 countries in the Middle East and North Africa via Majid TV.
February 2017: The official YouTube channel is launched to coincide with the Season One finale on TV3. 100,000 subscribers by January 2018 and 600,000 by the end of this year.
Sept 22, 2017: Season Two premiered in an exclusive two-episode advance screening in Golden Screen Cinemas, and marked the first time Ejen Ali appeared on the big screen.
Sept 29, 2017: Ejen Ali has a partnership with AirAsia, the first time a local animated series teamed up with the airline.
November 2017: Season One premiered in Singapore on Suria TV, Mediacorp.
Dec 25, 2017: Season One premiered on MNCTV Indonesia and was dubbed in English for 12 other countries in East Asia via Disney Channel Asia. In Indonesia it became one of the top three children's programmes.
July 16, 2018: Season One premiered in eight countries via Nickelodeon Sonic India. Ejen Ali is now screened in 50 countries, and is available inflight on Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia via Rokki.
August 2018: Ejen Ali The Movie is announced and production begins. Expected release in December 2019. Its merchandise sales value is at RM3 million.
Awards and accolades
2016: Malaysian Film Festival Best Short Animated Film.
2017: Mob-Ex Awards - Ejen Ali: MATA Training Academy - Best App - Creativity - Gold; Best App - Media Owner - Gold; Best App - Tablets - Gold; Best App - Games & Entertainment - Bronze.
- Ejen Ali: Emergency - Best App - Games & Entertainment - Gold; Best App - Tablets - Bronze.
APICTA Awards - Best Of Media And Entertainment Technology.
Appies Malaysia - Activating Biskidz With Ejen Ali - Gold Award - Food & Beverage.
Spark Awards For Media Excellence - Activating Biskidz With Ejen Ali - Best Media Solution - Content Amplification; Best Use Of Branded Content By A Media Owner.
Level Up KL - Audience Choice Award for Ejen Ali: Emergency.
International Mobile Gaming Awards - Audience Choice Award for Ejen Ali: Emergency.
Asian Television Awards - Best 3D Animation Programme.
2018: Spark Awards For Media Excellence - Misi Aspirasi AirAsia - Gold Best Campaign By A Media Owner; Silver Best Media Solution.
Asian Academy Creative Awards - Best 3D Animation Programme/Series.
Watch Ejen Ali on TV3 every Friday at 5.30pm. Catch-up is available on www.tonton.com.my. For more updates on Ejen Ali, follow www.facebook.com/ejenali.