An animation celebration

Who doesn’t like cartoons? Who wouldn’t fall in love with those lovable and funny characters we practically grew up with? To a certain extent, animation has become a part of everyone’s life. When I think of my childhood, I invariably think of Snow White and the adorable seven dwarfs, Cinderella (yes, even her wicked stepsisters and stepmother), Ariel, Mickey Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, Tweetie Bird, Bugs Bunny and the list goes on and on. Soon enough, the local scene gave way to animé, which was just as enthusiastically received. Indeed, animation has elicited laughs, sighs, gasps and even tears among people in the country, which fittingly provided the stage for the first Philippine Animation Festival held Feb. 6-13.

The 1st Philippine Animation Festival was presented by The Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI), Embassy of France, Embassy of Japan, and Japan Foundation Manila in cooperation with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and Board of Investments (BOI). It aimed to promote the very promising local animation industry while also showcasing wonderful works from Japan and France. At the formal opening last Feb. 6 at the Podium, guests were warmly welcomed by French Ambassador Renee Veyret and Japan Foundation Manila assistant director Hiraoki Uesugi. The ribbon-cutting rites were graced by Boots Anson Roa, Cinema Committee chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), Renee Veyret and CITEM’s Angelita A. Madulid. It was a night of animation spectacle as Filipino and French shorts were shown later that night along with a very impressive laser show. Catering to our viewing pleasure that night were our very own animation short, Dugtungan, and France’s Carousel, Child of the High Seas and Transatlantique. The general public was also treated to a weeklong animation feast via the free animation screenings at SM Megamall Cinema 12. Shown were our own Compilation of Pinoy Works, Compilation of Philippine Students’ Amateur Works. From France, there were Corto Maltese, The Carousel, Child of the High Seas, Transatlantique, The Invisible Child, The Turning Table, The Triplets of Belleville, and The Rain Children. From Japan came Puss in Boots, Captain Harlock in Arcadia, and The Dagger of Kamui. For assorted animation buffs, one week just wasn’t enough to indulge their love for animation.

Mixing (viewing) pleasure with business, a two-day animation conference was held last Feb. 12-13 at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel on the theme "Animate Your Business." The conference tackled the means by which the Philippine animation industry could be strengthened. No less than Walt Disney’s Mulan’s production designer Hans Bacher and Gundam’s Yasuhiro Imagawa were there.

Hans Bacher expressed a lot of belief in Filipino animation talent. He said, "Alex Nino is a good friend of mine and to me, he’s one of the most incredible drawing artists I’ve ever met in my life. I know there are more of his caliber in this country and if you get them all together and start an industry with them, they can even teach younger talent – I mean, you should be able to come up with some really astonishing results."

Actually, there are already some astonishing results that have left the world in awe of Filipino animators.

Fact is, Pinoy animators were the ones who actually produced some internationally recognized and well-loved cartoons and animation films. They collaborated with big names in entertainment, such as Walt Disney, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Comics and Japanese Anime. The works we’re talking about are Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Addams Family, The Mask, The Jetsons, Dragonball Z, and Captain Planet. With their rich imagination and endless reserve of creativity, the Filipino animators are certainly at the head of the pack. And these artists have consistently and untiringly come up with excellent works. The Animation Council of the Philippines further aims to harness such talent by helping promote the animation industry internationally and carving a niche in the animation industry. With 20 studios as members, the ACPI offers services such as full 2D and 3D animation, along with pre- and post-production services such as layouting, in-betweening, clean-up, digital background production, flash animation, web design, graphic and art design, mobile applications and art and animation training.

Undoubtedly, the future is bright for our very own animators. We’ve got such serious talent here. And it can only get better from here. It won’t be long before our Pinoy animators take center stage in the world of animation. Here’s watching you guys!

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For more information on ACPI, visit www.animationcouncil.org.

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E-mail me at ice_wave_42@yahoo.com.