Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508280111
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL SWITOW ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: MANILA, PHILIPPINES LENGTH: Medium
American and other foreign cartoon producers are increasingly setting up shop in the Philippines because of lower production costs and the country's reputation for talented artists who understand American culture.
``I discovered that the animators were the best I had seen in Asia. They animate from their guts,'' said Colin Baker, the founder of Toon City, which has produced Walt Disney television shows such as ``Timon and Pumbaa,'' a Lion King spin-off; ``Duck Daze,'' featuring Donald Duck; and ``Alladin,'' a spinoff of the movie by that name.
Television cartoons have not been produced in the United States since the late 1970s because of high labor costs. About 90 percent of all American television cartoons are produced in Asia, according to industry estimates.
But most television cartoons are made for the American market. English is an official language in this former American colony. Familiarity with U.S. culture gives Filipinos an advantage over other Asian competitors in the animation field, according to industry executives.
``[Filipinos] think Western so that when you have to do a cartoon that is going to be played primarily to Western audiences, you need to have a group of artists that can understand the humor that goes with it.'' said Bill Dennis, general manager of Fil-Cartoons Inc., a Hanna-Barbera subsidiary.
Over the past 10 years, four major animation companies employing more than 1,700 people and several smaller studios have opened in Manila.
Such major studios as Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera send storyboards - a sequence of rough sketches outlining the action of the cartoon - and voice tracks to the Philippines.
Filipino artists and technicians draw, paint and film about 20,000 sketches, mainly by hand, for every 30-minute episode. The material is then sent back to the United States or Europe where sound effects and music are added.
``[Our product] is always in English, so the benefit of not having to translate what you get into a local language like Korean or Chinese is quite substantial,'' said Wayne Dearing of Philippine Animation Studios, Inc., which produces ``Biker Mice From Mars'' and ``The Fantastic Four.''
A 30-minute cartoon costs about $130,000 to produce in the Philippines, compared to at least $500,000 in the United States. Philippine studios are also cheaper than most of their Asian competitors.
by CNB