What a shame for Vietnamese animation!

The limited box office revenue of Vietnamese animated films released in theaters during the summer doesn't entirely reflect their quality. Experts believe that "Little Trang Quynh: The Legend of the Golden Bull," "Cricket: The Adventure to the Muddy Village," and "Wolfoo: The Race of the Three Realms" are just as captivating as foreign animated films, but their marketing and distribution are weak.

Revenue does not reflect quality.

In just two months, three Vietnamese animated films – *Trạng Quỳnh nhí: Truyền thuyết Kim Ngưu* , *Dế Mèn: Cuộc phiêu lưu đến xóm Lầy Lội*, and * Wolfoo: Cuộc đua tam giới* – were released in theaters. This was an unprecedented phenomenon, raising hopes for a resurgence of Vietnamese animation. However, all three films failed to achieve a breakthrough at the box office.

The animated film "Dế Mèn" (The Cricket) premiered earliest (May 30th), grossing over 21 billion VND. This is an achievement no other Vietnamese animated film has reached. The film is inspired by the classic children's work " Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký" (The Adventures of the Cricket) by writer Tô Hoài. Director Mai Phương stated that she did not adapt the story but only borrowed a part of the idea because the original story was written by the author in chapters, with a long narrative.

Compared to the original novel *The Adventures of Cricket* by writer Tô Hoài, the film script for *The Adventures of Cricket* has been expanded and modernized.

The film "Dế Mèn" ( Cricket) received positive reviews for its modern special effects, vivid character designs, and environmental protection message. A major plus is the addition of many new supporting characters – relatable to the psychology of modern children. The subtle integration of images of the Long Bien Bridge, the Hanoi flagpole, and Lenin Park captivated viewers.

The young Trang Quynh , with its more modest screenings, only grossed 3.2 billion VND before its release. Wolfoo is the only Vietnamese animated film still in theaters, nearing the 3 billion VND mark after more than two weeks of release. Given the current box office situation, Wolfoo is unlikely to break through in the final stretch as foreign films are dominating the box office.

Film observer and investor Nguyen Anh Tuan (Vietnam Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism) expressed regret over the three domestic animated films. He argued that box office revenue doesn't reflect quality. In reality, the works demonstrate the team's efforts to establish the position of Vietnamese animation.

Mr. Dang Tran Cuong, Director of the Department of Cinema, praised the three films. The head of the Department of Cinema assessed Wolfoo: The Race of the Three Realms has a touching script about father-son love, bringing laughter to children and moments of reflection for adults.

Wolfoo: The Race of the Three Realms is the only Vietnamese animated film still showing in theaters.

“This is a prime example of purely Vietnamese animation, combining meticulous production quality with Vietnamese creativity, targeting both domestic and international audiences. The product is of high quality and contributes to elevating Vietnamese animation,” commented Mr. Dang Tran Cuong. Mai Phuong's "The Cricket " and Trinh Lam Tung's "Little Trang Quynh " also received similar praise.

Making good films isn't enough.

Film observer and investor Nguyen Anh Tuan believes that Vietnamese animation has entered a period of favorable conditions, with the right timing, location, and human resources. The animation industry is receiving attention from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST), with many encouraging policies. Vietnam also has potential animation studios and skilled personnel that are on par with those abroad.

While China has Panda, Japan has Conan and Doraemon, Vietnam also possesses some potential IPs (Intellectual Property). Experts consider Wolfoo to be an IP that has already captivated international audiences through YouTube. The Wolfoo Family YouTube channel currently has 12.6 million subscribers, 212 videos with over 350 million views (according to Social Blade data).

However, during the film's release, the producers made some inappropriate moves.

The film "Little Trang Quynh: The Legend of the Golden Bull" allocated approximately 35% of its total budget to VFX, focusing on the movement and expressions of the characters.

In terms of process, a theatrical film production involves four stages: script creation, production, distribution, and archiving. Of these, distribution is a crucial stage but is currently underinvested. A film struggles to achieve box office success if its marketing campaign lacks fundamental steps: raising audience awareness of the product, fostering audience interest, and ultimately leading to ticket purchases.

“Compared to 'The Cricket,' the marketing campaigns for 'Little Trang Quynh' and 'Wolfoo' were significantly limited. The marketing budgets for both films were not high. In the film industry, there's a standardized formula: a minimum distribution budget of 3.7-4 billion VND is required to ensure a film sells 3.5-4 million tickets. Many producers still believe that good films attract attention on their own. This is a misconception. With a high-quality product, we must know how to promote it to reach the audience as effectively as possible,” said Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan.

A prime example is the short film "Wooden Fish School "—the young director's graduation project—which grossed over 4 billion VND in just one week despite controversy surrounding its content. Experts explain that although the quality wasn't high, thanks to effective marketing, "Wooden Fish School" was profitable and achieved unexpected success.

Besides promotional and distribution factors, Vietnamese animated films still need more time to build trust with audiences. As long as the public isn't accustomed to going to theaters to watch animation, these works will certainly struggle to stay in theaters regardless of their quality.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/tiec-cho-phim-hoat-hinh-viet-post292738.html