Expectations for the breakthrough of Vietnamese animation

Cartoon “Cricket - Adventure to the Swamp”. Photo: Provided by the film crew representative

Vietnamese animation is coming soon

Remember in 2024, the animated film “Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island” was made by Vietnamese filmmakers, from the beginning to the end, and was positively received by audiences and experts. The Department of Cinema, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, commented that Vietnamese filmmakers have begun to be bolder, gradually stepping out of the safe cradle of making animated films, many animated films have improved in quality in both content and form. After being released in theaters, the film earned more than 5 billion VND.

By May 2025, Vietnam will have two upcoming Vietnamese films: “Trang Quynh Nhi: The Legend of the Taurus” and “De Men: The Adventure to the Swamp”. The two films are scheduled to be released on May 30.

Cartoon “Trang Quynh Nhi: The Legend of Kim Nguu” was developed from the animated series “Trang Quynh in his silly days” released on YouTube. Each episode attracts hundreds of thousands of views, many of which reach 1 million views. To date, the YouTube channel Trang Quynh in his silly days - 3D Cartoon has attracted more than 1.42 million followers and continues to grow.

The people behind this successful series decided to bring the film to theaters. The film version was produced by director - Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung and the Alpha Animation Studio team over the past year and a half.

Meanwhile, “De Men: Adventure to the Swamp” - a film adapted from a novel by writer To Hoai - is equally attractive. Director Mai Phuong of the film said that the recycled city setting in this animated film was meticulously constructed, with images familiar to children such as marbles, magnifying glasses, and toys.

“De Men - Adventure to the Swamp Village” adapted some details to make the film more accessible to modern audiences. The countryside setting in the original story was transformed into the city of Hanoi , with famous locations such as the Flag Tower and Long Bien Bridge. They also created a fictional area called the Swamp Village.

Although many details were changed, the crew retained the humane message that writer To Hoai wanted to convey, which is the wish for all species to live in a world of equality and charity. In addition, they mentioned current issues such as climate change and waste recycling. The film incorporates many folk songs, proverbs, famous poems, and folk melodies.

According to experts, cartoons in many countries are considered a gold mine, even dominating many cinemas because of their special appeal to many audiences. Cartoons are not only entertainment but also a very effective means of education and communication.

Expectations and challenges that come with it

For a long time, the animation industry has not had much "room to live" because of the large investment budget but the number of audiences going to theaters is not much due to the lack of attractive forms of promotion.

Director Trinh Lam Tung said that to make a 3D animated film, it takes about 3-4 million USD (about 75 to 100 billion VND). But in the current context of the Vietnamese market, this number is very large, the ability to recover capital is a challenge.

Vietnamese animated films are under a lot of pressure, due to having to compete with foreign animated blockbusters. Even some foreign animated blockbusters that have been famous for many years have always received huge investments, up to hundreds of millions of USD. Despite many difficulties and limitations, many Vietnamese filmmaker Hopefully, animation will strive to have a breakthrough in the near future.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ky-vong-vao-su-but-pha-cua-phim-hoat-hinh-viet-3358391.html