Toons make it big

Animation, whether in films or ads, is fast catching up. Many Hollywood biggies are outsourcing work to Indian techies, reports Brinda Dasgupta

A still from My Friend Ganesha

Nyah, what’s up, doc?" This famous one-liner of Bugs Bunny has become synonymous with the much-beloved rabbit leaning on a rock, munching his carrot nonchalantly, and delivering that one line that has made him a favourite with kids and adults alike all over the world. Of course, the animated rabbit is not our only favourite. The list is endless. There’s Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig (with his "Ubdee ubdee ubdee, that’s all folks!") of Warner Bros. Animation, and Tom and Jerry, the lovable Flintstones family, the geeky Dexter — by Hanna Barbara. Ask any toddler what he or she would like to watch on television — and the inevitable answer will be, "Cartoons!" It seems there is a never-ending fascination for them.

Indeed, animation has a different charm altogether. There is something unreal yet so fantastic about seeing drawn pictures made to move on screen. Technology has truly come a long way since the 1928 hand-drawn cartoon Steamboat Willie made big waves — that was the third Mickey Mouse cartoon created yet the first one with sound. Now computer graphics and motion capture technology are being used to create effects never before dreamt of. However, till a few years, the animation industry was still finding its feet in India. Now, it is making its mark — a big one at that. And animation, obviously, is just not limited to making drawn cartoons move — it goes a lot deeper. Subhashis Ghosh, director of Else World, an animation firm, says, "We mainly work in two fields of animation — cell animation and limited animation. Cell animation is made on a high budget, with hand-drawn pictures. Limited animation, on the other hand, is made on a comparatively lower budget, and is done with Flash software." Ghosh says that a lack of awareness about animation has been the main reason behind India falling behind in the industry. However, he does admit things are looking up.

"There’s a high demand for labour from our country, from BPO jobs and other sectors. Much of the work is outsourced from abroad — but that mainly goes to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad."

Animation, being close to the heart of children, can also be used as a means for educating them about folklore and culture. A good example of this would be the animated retelling of the epic Ramayana. Archita Dasgupta, 14, says, "Animated serials are much more fun to watch. Sometimes epics do get boring if they are read out, and we might not understand them all that well. Animated it into a movie or a mini-series format makes it much easier for us to understand it." `A0

Manick Sorcar, son of the legendary magician P.C. Sorcar, worked on Rule of Twenty-One, based on a verse Ekusha Aine, from Sukumar Ray’s famous Aabol Taabol, a book of nonsense verse. His 1990 production Deepa and Rupa: A Fairy Tale From India was based on a tale from Thakumar Jhuli, a collection of fantastic fables and fairytales, handed down from generation to generation in Bengal. Sniff based on Ray’s Gandhabichar, bagged the Golden Eagle by CINE, and The Woodcutter’s Daughter’, (based on a fable from Panchatantra) emerged as the finalist at the International Film Festival, New York.

Shahrukh Khan and his son lent their voice for the Hindi dubbing of The Incredibles

Abroad, the animation industry has created a niche for itself, with movies like Alladin, Ice Age 1 and 2, the Shrek series, the recent Ratatouille, and many more. Of course, now The Walt Disney Company, Pixar Animation Studios, and Dreamworks Animation have become household names. But we are catching up, slowly but steadily. With recent releases like Bal Ganesh and Hanuman, blockbusters both, the country’s animation industry is making an impact in the country and abroad. Audiences are eagerly awaiting Jugal Hansraj’s animated production Roadside Romeo, which will have Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor lend their voices to dogs for the very first time. The film will utilise state-of-the-art computer animation technology done entirely in India and will feature music, dances, songs and romance just like any other Yashraj Film so far. It is looking at a release in the summer of 2008. While on the subject of stars lending their voices, one must also mention that Shah Rukh Khan and his son lent their own vocal chords to the Hindi dubbing of the animated movie The Incredibles.

Of late, a lot of ad campaigns are using animation. One thinks of the Vodafone ads, featuring the stick-like boy and girl. Another such one is the Pepsodent toothbrush ad, where an animated little toothbrush tells a big toothbrush that he wants to grow up to have a tongue and cheek cleaner just like him.

The country is new to the industry, but we are learning fast, and working even better. Says R. Krishnan, Global Head, Arena Animation, "Though a recent entrant in the global animation scene, demand for India’s production services is increasing at a fast pace."

According to the latest NASSCOM report on Animation, the global animation market is expected to increase to 35 billion dollars by 2009 from 25 billion dollars in 2005. The size of the Indian animation market was estimated at 285 million dollars in 2005. It is expected to witness a CAGR of 35 percent from 2005-09 and increase to USD 950 million by 2009.

Animation in India is currently riding on two main factors — a huge base of skilled technical labour and relatively low cost of production. Also, factors like government’s support for the animation industry, production of original content locally, and the stress on training — are sure to lift the industry to greater heights.

India definitely has some advantages and potential to develop the animation industry. Training, investing heavily in the industry, and providing original and compelling content, will be critical to its growth. The encouraging news is that while the primary work coming to India is through animation outsourcing, the industry is moving up to the next level, with some co-production assignments also trickling in — slowly, but surely. Just like the animated Yogi Bear is smarter than your average bear — give or take a few years, the country’s animation industry will perhaps prove to be smarter than the old timers. — TWF

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