The Hindu Business Line : <I>Garfield and Scooby Doo </I>have an Indian link

WHO can resist those shows on Cartoon Network — they're so ridiculous, so alluring, and so American! But are they? The characters and the voices perhaps, but the animation industry has been a major outsourcer for decades now, and India's role in the industry has been on the rise for the last few years. Movies such as Shrek 2, Garfield and Scooby Doo 2 have an Indian touch in the animation process.

"India is joining the ranks of countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Canada and China in the outsourcing animation sector," said Mr Srini R. Raghavan, Co-founder and President, Paprikaas Animation Studios. "It's a promising trend, with our IT, outsourcing and BPO culture," he adds.

"The cost factor is definitely one reason," said Mr A. K. Madhavan, CEO, Crest Communications Ltd, "The cost of production is cheaper in India, which makes it an attractive outsourcing destination, but that doesn't mean we don't have expertise. In fact, in some formats, we are outperforming Canadian and American companies — in DTH, videos and television for example," he added.

The overall global animation market is pegged at $40 billion (according to IDC, Pixel News and Nasscom). And how does India compare? " Everyone keeps hurling various numbers. Our realistic estimate is that the export animation market is less than $120 million," said Mr Raghavan. Mr P. Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Animation, said that the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) stands at 30 per cent. "India is poised to become the animation hub of the world," he said.

Crest Animation has delivered 40 episodes of a show called Jakers!, The Adventures of Piddley Winks, and Pet Alien, a zany 3rd Rock From the Sun-type of show on Cartoon Network. Toonz ventured into indigenous animation in its original production, The Adventures of Tenali Raman. Rhythm & Hues (India), a subsidiary of the Los Angeles studio of the same name, has contributed to projects such as Scooby Doo 2, Garfield, and the yet-to-be-released The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. "We specialise in camera tracking and match moving effects. This means that in any given cartoon, we have to duplicate the effect of the camera movement that we see in a regular film," said Mr A. R. Seshaprasad, Digital Production Manager, Rhythm & Hues India.

On the flip side, most of the animation experts seem to feel that the infrastructure in India for training animators is insufficient. Mr Raghavan said, "The education has to be embedded into the mainstream curriculum. Students have to realise there is a lucrative career in this space, and the government as well as educational institutions have to support such initiatives."

The infrastructure may not be up to scratch, but there is no lack of talent. Mr Seshaprasad said: "There are many people with artistic skills, and the trick is to train them on how to use our computer tools. We at R&H bring in people with different skill-sets from all over India and train them to suit our purpose. India should look to produce good quality rather than advertise itself as a cheaper destination."

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Garfield and Scooby Doo have an Indian link

Citigroup Global buys SSI shares

Govt urged to review broadband policy

CSI meet to focus on `ICT for development'

IBM chief meets PM

World Usability Day to make IT easy

ATI Tech develops faster graphics processors