Animation Super Pitch opens door for new animators

When one thinks about Asian animation, Japanese creations quickly come to mind. It is inarguable that until now Japanese animators have done a spectacular job that is still difficult to match.

However, other Asian countries, although still in their early stages, seem to have caught up with the field, with the emergence of young and promising animators.

Clarence Tan from Nickelodeon Asia said there had been an exciting growth of Asian animation in countries outside Japan.

"There's a lot more Asian production going on right now, and it's really looking good," said the channel's on-air producer.

The forum also became an event for film and TV industry professionals to find talent that could provide them with good animation.

"The Disney library is limited; we're looking for something wackier," said Sylvia Schmoeller, senior programming manager of Walt Disney TV.

One of the highlights of the search was Asia's first animation pitching competition, Animation Super Pitch, where five contestants got the opportunity to present their best ideas to a high-profile panel of 10 regional commissioning editors, including Tan and Schmoeller.

The contestants had been shortlisted from over 120 entries from animation studios and production houses across 26 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and North Korea.

The five finalists came from Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Myanmar, India and Singapore.

Industry veteran W. Paterson Ferns from Canada's Banff Television Foundation said that the Super Pitch was like the Asian Games of animation.

"It provides help for coproduction with the world. It is also an opportunity for animators to provide platforms to let projects be heard and questioned," he said.

The basic requirement for the project is that the animation should work for audiences, not for the animators themselves. Other aspects taken into consideration include creativity, imagination, picture quality and reliability of the project.

It was interesting to see the varying character of the finalists' works, which were generally of high quality.

Malaysia's contestant brought a plan of a 13-episode TV series about a paranormal private investigator -- stuff about an anti- superhero.

Indonesia, meanwhile, had a feature-length animation movie, Robie the Quest of Bracelet.

"Making an animated series for TV is apparently much more expensive than making a feature-length movie. So, we decided to find another audience, that is those who can afford to go to the cinema," Deswara Aulia from Dementia Animation told the Post after the event.

The trailer was quite impressive, with the basic story about a boy and a robot that is wrapped in 3D animation, with dialog in English.

Hong Kong animator Larry Feign came up with a solid concept for an animated comical TV series aimed at teaching children new English vocabulary and spelling, but in a playful way.

Myanmar's Hann Win, meanwhile, presented a philosophical story about a child's adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

Indian animators came up with an edgy and modern storyline that was witty and funny. Titled Evil Pig Mad Cow, it was something of an Animal Farm, which played out symbols of consumerism and capitalism, like McDonald's.

"This is so not-Disney. But I think kids today are not Bambi kids anymore. They prefer something more realistic and darker like Harry Potter," said animator C.B. Arun Kumar from Moving Picture Company Ltd.

The last contestant, Singapore, brought back the memory of pixelated animation with The Pixel Dog, aimed at teaching children to be more creative in different situations.

"The interest in animation is growing in Singapore. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to find writers," said Addison K from SG Web.

While all of the participants were equally interesting, it was not surprising when the jury awarded the first prize, US$3,000, to Larry Feign of Hong Kong. His work was the most solid of all, which owed much to Feign's extensive experience of working for major studios and publishers in Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong.

Singapore came in next with the second prize while Indonesia came in later at third.

Jacky Foo of AXN Asia said that Asian animation was slowly moving closer to the international level.

"Unfortunately, no one makes animation for adults. Fewer and fewer imaginative adults need animation. As a channel which presents adventure stories, we look forward to more adult animation," Foo said, praising the Indian animation for its open- minded ideas and attitudes.

For the finalists themselves, the event was a good opportunity for networking and learning a thing or two about the animation world, given that most countries are still in the early stages of developing animation.

"We have a very limited network in the international animation scene. This event has also boosted our confidence as we've realized that we've not fallen behind animators from other Asian countries," Deswara said.

-- Hera Diani