Local animated movies may replace bedtime tales

By Kafil Yamin

BANDUNG (JP): Indonesian children are missing something before they head off to dreamland: Bedtime stories, told by their parents or relatives.

Indonesia has abundant tales to tell, such as Si Kancil (The Deer), Gajah dan Semut (The Elephant and the Ant) or Malin Kundang. Unfortunately, today's parents have less time to tell the stories, and their children prefer to watch television or movies.

In the evenings, Indonesian children watch foreign super heroes such as The Samurai-X, Power Rangers and Ghoku. And morning conversations with friends are filled with these protagonists.

Then come the exciting Play Station games that enable children to play with their idols. They can "smack down", slash, whip, and kill ugly monsters by maneuvering joy sticks.

Dr. Murti Bunanta, an expert on children's literature, attributes the lackluster existence of local tales to poor initiatives among local artists and a lack of financial support.

"We can adjust the tales to the contemporary feats of audiovisual technology," she said, She is sure that the richness of local stories can compete the foreign ones.

She said she was not pretending to be a nationalist when she put local tales higher above the imported ones as shown on TV. "Local tales always carry virtues and supreme values for children. In short, they tell children how to behave harmoniously in their social and natural environments," she explained.

Poppy Palele, producer at Bandung-based Red Rocket Animation, sees a sort of vicious circle. Local TV stations do not buy local animated films because they are more costly than imported ones. And local animation houses are reluctant to produce their own because it's hard to find buyers.

"Our TV stations prefer to buy foreign animated films on commercial considerations. They (TV stations) need only Rp 3 million or so to buy a foreign animated film package and a spend a bit more on dubbing," she explained.

Palele hopes that while sticking to commercial considerations, TV stations can provide space for idealism for the sake of the future of the children.

The recent launch of a locally produced animated film in Bandung might just strike the awareness of the audience here that locals have the skills for it. The film derives from Kalimantan folk tale Kilip dan Putri Bulan (Kilip and the Moon Beauty).

"This film is no less attractive than Dora Emon and The Samurai X. Why don't we produce a lot more?" commented a viewer.

Palele has the answer: "There are only a few people who are concerned about preserving local stories."

But a collaboration between dairy giant Nestle-Dancow and Red Rocket Animation which is determined to bring local tales to life may be an initial step toward more local creativity.

The collaboration has picked folk tales from various regions throughout the country and will bring them to screen. Among those in the works are Si Kurus dan Harimau Loreng (The Skinny and the Striped Tiger), Si Kancil dan Pohon Ajaib (The Deer and the Magic Tree) and Kilip and Putri Bulan.

The Si Kilip dan Putri Bulan series, comprising 13 episodes, is scheduled to be aired on July 30 by a private TV station.

"We hope that through these animated films we can start showing Indonesian children about the wealth of our local stories," said Indah Soelistyawati, an executive of PT Nestle Indonesia.

Research has found that bedtime stories have a positive impact on the psychological development of children. They are effective in instilling virtues and moral values, as well as in establishing emotional ties between parents and children.

Today, fewer parents than ever have the time needed to tell the tales. Not only do children miss the richness of local stories, they also face emotional distance from their parents.

Animated films, even those that are locally produced, may replace bedtime story telling. It remains to be seen, however, whether they can effectively instill virtues and moral values as story telling once did, let alone establishing emotional ties.

Murti Bunanta says "they can", on one condition: parents should accompany their children in front of the TV and build discussions about the films they are watching and guide them to clear understanding about what is good and bad.