Given the right trainings and opportunities, Filipino animators can be on a par with, if not better than, their foreign counterparts.
Many might not be familiar with the names of Ronnie del Carmen and Gini Cruz Santos. They are just two of the prominent Filipinos animation artists in the global arena.
Internet search revealed that del Carmen co-directed and was one of the writers of the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out, for which he bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Meanwhile, Santos works as an animator at Pixar Studios. Her works include Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life, The Incredibles, Ratatouile, Toy Story 3, Up, Lifted and Brave.
In 2004, she was nominated for an Annie award for her detailed, lifelike animation of Finding Nemo, and was nominated by the Visual Effects Society for an award for this project, as well.
To enhance the capabilities of Filipino animators and to usher the growth of the country’s creative industries, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Toon City Academy in Mandaluyong City.
The move was in response to the PCIEERD’s recent inclusion of “Creative Industries” to its sectoral coverage that aims to spur an increase in people capacity and employment opportunities through the proper cultivation of talents and adequate trainings.
“I believe it is high time that we fully used our resources to boost our creative industries, as it is one of the driving forces of our economy and its continuing growth,” Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said in his opening remarks during the MOA signing.
Since animation is now recognized as an emerging market in the business-process outsourcing sector, the DOST and Toon City decided to join forces and launch the pilot project to strengthen the local sector.
The Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) said the country has 6,000 local animators.
However, the Philippines is recognized as a fidgeting player because not every Filipino animator is equipped with skills recognized in the global market.
With this initiative, Toon City Academy, the only Emmy-award winning studio in the Philippines, is a perfect fit for this endeavor.
The project, “Industry-defined 2D Basic Animation Course,” was the result of this public-private collaboration. It involves a 12-week intensive basic-animation workshop, and actual work production through an internship program.
Roderico de Guzman, Toon City Academy Vice President for resource development, lauded the partnership because it provides the necessary tools to 120 animators-in-training to improve their livelihood and to ensure that they acquire industry-standard skills. The animators are from Pangasinan and Iloilo City.
“We are currently addressing capacity building outside Metro Manila. With the help of everyone here, we are creating employment for people who will not necessarily have this chance in their areas,” de Guzman added.
De Guzman said: “You are probably aware of the recent Oscar Awards. The theme song of Coco was written by a Filipino couple; and that animated feature film, while its characters are Mexican, the lead story writer is Filipino—Gigi Santos. I can run by many names,” and also mentioned del Carmen as codirector of Inside and Out.
Paul Abadilla, a set designer in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, was the animator behind the bahay kubo (nipa hut) in the first film, de Guzman also cited.
“Now, our animation studio is working on two titles for Disney, and two blockbuster titles from French studios. All that to say that the talent for world-class animation is here,” he noted.
Juan Miguel del Rosario, Toon City Academy president and CEO, said he is optimistic of the success of the program, believing that Filipino animators have what it takes to flourish in the global spotlight.