 The long wait is over. Malaysia's first 3d animated feature film, Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula (or Geng: The Adventure Begins for the English version) has finally been completed and is set to be released on the 12th of February 2009 in cinemas across Malaysia. The 90-minute feature film is produced by Les' Copaque Production, an animation company based in Malaysia, with a budget less than USD2 million and a staff of 40 creative workers that took 2.5 years to complete.
Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula is an action-adventure film targeted for children but made in a way that the whole family can enjoy together. The movie is unique in that it not only manages to capture the beauty of Malaysia's lush greenery and abundant flora & fauna, but also of contemporary Malaysian scenery, culture and lifestyle. The cast consists of multiracial characters, reflecting Malaysia's cultural melting pot. Though the film is set in Malaysia, the storyline has an adventure theme with fantasy elements, allowing global audiences to enjoy it as well.
Synopsis
Something disturbs the peace in the village of Kampong Durian Runtuh. Villagers tell of a fearsome beast lurking at night but no one dares to find out what it is until Badrol, Lim and their newfound friends stumble upon the very heart of the mystery itself. A small peculiar animal, not native of the forest befriends Rajoo and brings the whole gang into an adventure deep into the exotic Malaysian rainforest filled with dangerous animals including an age old mystical giant snake. Join the gang as they embark on a journey of action and adventure set amidst the warm atmosphere of a Malaysian village enclosed by landscapes of greenery.
The company behind its creation is Les' Copaque Production, the industry leader in Malaysia's nascent animation industry. Les' Copaque was founded in 2005 by Burhanuddin Md. Radzi and his wife Ainon Mohd Ariff, together with three young graduates from Multimedia University - Nizam Abd Razak, Mohd. Safwan Ab Karim and Muhammad Usamah Zaid Yasin. From this small beginning, the company has now grown to more than 50 people and has won accolades such as the President's Award the Malaysia Canada Business Council, Best Start-Up Company from the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2007 and Best Animation from the Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival 2007.
There were many challenges faced by the company whilst making the film including limited resources and a limited budget. What's more, the team is comprised of mostly of fresh graduates with inherent lack of experience and knowledge to make a full-length animated film. To tackle this problem, research was done for almost a whole year to determine the proper pipeline and methodology for the whole animation production. They've established their own 3D pipeline for maximum efficiency with high output, while a strong training system for fresh animators to achieve the desired quality within the deadline was implemented. With this they have managed to produce a 90 minutes feature film with a cost of less than USD2 million yet with high output. This competitive cost has surprised many industry players because the lowest budget animation film production in Hollywood takes at least USD 40 million to produce.
The movie has been brought to international entertainment markets and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. There is keen interest from potential buyers and distributors who praise the movie's unique storyline and decidedly Malaysian look, which provides an alternative image from mainstream Hollywood animated movies. The movie will be initially launched in Malaysia, followed by Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore in the near future. A Korean company is also interested to produce a Korean-dubbed version. This has prompted Les' Copaque to plan for a modified international version made primarily for the English-speaking market which can then be dubbed into other major languages.
Links:
Watch Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula trailer |
