Produce a 90-minute theatrical animated feature film Wolfoo. |
Positive changes
The event considered as a milestone in the formation of Vietnamese animation was the establishment of the Vietnam Doll Animation Studio (now Vietnam Animation Studio) in November 1959 and the release of the first animated film “Deserves the Fox” in June 1960. Over the course of 65 years, nearly 800 Vietnamese animated films have been produced to date.
In the past 10 years, animation has made significant progress, contributing 10-15% of the total revenue of the film industry. However, the full potential and advantages of this content industry, which is not only for children, have yet to be fully exploited.
At a discussion on the development of Vietnamese animation, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan - President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association, wondered: “According to the world 's assessment, if cinema is the “seventh art”, then animation is recognized as the “eighth art”. Many countries have famous cartoon products and characters such as “Doraemon”, “Mickey Mouse”, “Cloud Bread”... with billions of viewers worldwide. How can Vietnam also reach such heights?”
Doraemon, a Japanese animation "monument" with popularity and lasting humanistic values for many generations. (Photo: Internet) |
According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Alliance (DCCA) Ta Manh Hoang, Vietnam needs to have policies to encourage economic sectors to participate in animation production as well as bring products to the international market. Mr. Ta Manh Hoang gave an example: “In some countries in the region, especially Korea, their film industry is developing rapidly because of the connection between businesses and the Korean government creating conditions to organize events to connect animation products to the world. Vietnamese businesses also need a market, but in Vietnam, there is no output, there are almost no policy incentives, and communication or organizing events to introduce the capacity of businesses is also limited.”
Despite some barriers, the animation content sector in Vietnam has grown strongly in the past few years. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cross-border digital platforms, etc. have contributed to promoting innovative thinking and developing the capacity of the new generation of human resources. Although it cannot be compared with the "giants" such as the US, Japan, Korea, China, etc., the encouraging sign is that Vietnamese animation is gradually forming standards towards "sustainable creativity", creating content with cultural value and positive influence on the community.
Many Vietnamese businesses have entered the market with a series of animations using 2D, 3D, and Stop-motion technology that have been well received by the international market. Sconnect Vietnam has developed 18 sets of animated characters with a total production of more than 50,000 videos , released worldwide with billions of views, most notably the Wolfoo animation series. The production of theatrical animation has long been difficult to implement due to lack of scripts, high production costs, dependence on the theater system when releasing... but it has become a reality with the commercial release of the animated film "Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island" in October 2023, marking the milestone of "made in Vietnam" animation entering the top 3 box office revenue.
"Trang Quynh in his childish days", an animation produced with modern 3D technology, imbued with Vietnamese culture. (Photo: Internet) |
Most recently, the 3D animated series “Trang Quynh in his silly days” co-produced by Alpha Animation Studio and Sconnect Vietnam won over the jury and was selected as a finalist for the 2024 De Men Children's Awards. Although only 45 episodes have been broadcast (out of a total of 450 episodes), the series has received the love of children and the trust of parents. Not only does it have polished images and music, the film also builds a system of pure Vietnamese characters with settings and situations imbued with the identity of the old Vietnamese countryside. By watching the short animated episodes, young audiences can both relax and learn good and right things in a gentle, psychologically appropriate way. It is expected that the theatrical version will also be released to the public by the producers.
Vietnam has the capacity to produce animation to serve the international market.
According to statistics, currently our country has about 200 companies, large and small studios that can participate in animation production activities at different levels. Animation production capacity has achieved certain achievements: from taking on the outsourcing stage for international film studios to building their own brand and production.
The “blooming” period of Vietnamese animation is marked by the emergence of more and more creative businesses and quality products that are gradually conquering the world audience. Standing out in the big picture is the animated series Wolfoo, which has attracted the love and attention of hundreds of millions of children around the world, especially in the US, China and Vietnam. Wolfoo is known as the “billion-view” wolf with more than 4,000 short films broadcast on YouTube, an average of 4 billion views/month, 3 diamond buttons on YouTube, and translated into about 20 languages. Wolfoo has gradually become a friend, playing, learning and accompanying children every day.
Wolfoo and his friends create an animated series that attracts children around the world. |
Behind the success of Wolfoo is the 100% Vietnamese staff of Sconnect Vietnam. To gradually narrow the gap between Vietnamese animation and advanced cinema in the region and the world, Sconnect has been developing 18 sets of animated characters for all ages. The animated content is released on multiple platforms: social networks, television, OTT/IPTV and cinema. This unit has participated in digital content production since 2014, when the digital content industry in Vietnam was still in its infancy.
Realizing the potential of animation as well as the desire to create a strong brand like “Vietnam’s Disney”, the founders of Sconnect worked, studied, researched, and innovated to take advantage of and maximize their advantages. For example, Vietnam has thousands of traditional craft villages, with long-standing handicraft products that are highly appreciated by the international market; Vietnamese workers are hard-working, meticulous, and skillful… Investing in research and participating in the production of animation using stop-motion technology (still-life animation, clay animation) from the early days was considered a risky move for Sconnect. However, the sustainable vitality of stop-motion animation in the world, as well as the imprints of the Luka and Clay Mixer characters… have now shown a great opportunity for Vietnamese animation production units.
According to Yahoo Finance, the global animation market is expected to reach 587.1 billion USD by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 5.2%. 3D animation alone is estimated to reach 47 billion USD by 2030. Not out of the international trend, the Vietnamese animation industry has also entered the digital content playground with the active participation of many units both domestic and foreign, aiming to bring animation products to significantly contribute to promoting the country's film and cultural industries.
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