Giving animation a Pinoy flavor

ABS-CBN’s groundbreaking superserye Super Inggo won the public’s heart when the show successfully mirrored young kids’ ultimate aspiration — to become a superhero — and provided an avenue for parents and children to bond in front of the television. The series, in fact, paved the way for shows of this genre on Primetime Bida. Now, the Kapamilya network is all set to blaze the trail, once more, as it soon airs its most ambitious project to date — the first Pinoy animé series Super Inggo at ang Super Tropa.

Teaming up for this important project are ABS-CBN VP for TV Production and Business Unit Head Enrico Santos, who played crucial roles in the development and production of numerous groundbreaking, hit TV concepts like Dyosa, A.S.A.P., Kung Fu Kids, Nginiiig, Little Big Star, Nagmamahal, Kapamilya, Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako, Esperanza, and Business Unit Head for Animation Guia Jose, who was part of successful animation projects in the international front like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and The Snorks.

Asked why the network chose Super Inggo to be ABS-CBN Animation Department’s maiden project for local TV, Enrico, replies, “With Super Inggo, it is easier to establish the ‘hero-public’ relationship — an important requisite in the success of any animation project — because the public already knows the kid superhero. ”

Enrico further adds it was imperative for Guia and him to learn each other’s “song and dance” to ensure that Super Inggo at ang Super Tropa will effectively fuse the elements that made the Super Inggo brand and animation genre click with the televiewers.

“Doing Super Inggo at ang Super Tropa is a huge learning experience for all of us,” says Enrico. “Guia and I learned tons of things from each other. I had to share to her the lessons I’ve learned as a producer and a writer for ABS-CBN, while she had to educate me on the nuances of the animation process that she has from masters of animation abroad.”

Enrico and Guia had to discuss how the characters will look like — eyes, brows, jaw, among others. They had to deliberate how to fuse the drama in the way the material is being edited.

“Super Inggo at ang Super Tropa is a primetime animated series, so the drama of the show should be in tact,” explains Enrico. “This will set the show apart from other animated series included in morning cartoon block.”

Before fully embarking on the project, Enrico knew that doing his brainchild in animation format is a complicated task. However, things were harder than what he originally envisioned, but one important thing became apparent for him — the immense talent of the Filipino animators and creative people.

“We are lucky to have Guia on board. She shares the important lessons she has learned in her career in animation,” says Enrico. “We have a dynamic, talented and hardworking team working on the project.”

To finish a single 30-minute episode, a group of 130 people painstakingly work for an average of 16 weeks to finalize the plots, scripts, drawings, audio, animation, scenes, shots, effects and dubbing.

“It took a lot of hard work, but when we saw the final product, we said, ‘It was all worth it,’” concludes Enrico. “We have an oversized dream — to produce the first Pinoy animé series that will pave the way for Filipino artists and animators to gain recognition locally and internationally. We know we will achieve it. We have a product that will make Filipinos proud.”