You were captivated by the surrealism of Spirited away; you felt emotionally moved and inspired by the touching journey of a little rat in Ratatouille. You witnessed a jaw-dropping new atmosphere in the first-ever three-dimensional toy story movie, and most of us surely grew up watching the adventure, romance, and magic of Disney’s fairytales and Hanna Barabara’s fun and adventurous acts in the nineties.
Undoubtedly, the industry is blessed with many such highly creative movies, shows, and memorable characters that we all cherish and love.
Pic Courtesy: Wikipedia
And when it comes to Indian animated films. The one movie that will instantly appear in your mind is the highly appealing epic mythology of Baby Hanuman, which was released in 2005 and directed by one of the pioneers of Indian Animation, none other than V.G Samant.
And that was, in a way, the dawn of commercial full-length animated feature films in India, and its success and popularity paved the way for many bold filmmakers to try their hands on this medium.
As a result, within a short period, we saw the release of movies such as Roadside Romeo, Delhi Safari,and many more that failed to repeat the magic and impression that Baby Hanuman left on people’s minds.
And soon, we noticed the deterioration in the reputation of Indian animated films at the box office.
But what was the reason behind it, why Disney, Pixar, and Ghibli continue to perplex the audiences after so many years, and Indian commercial movies suffered a decline in their revenues at the silver screen?
Well, the instant reply could be that the stories in Indian films weren’t captivating enough, the quality wasn’t up to the level, or it was challenging to resonate with the characters in those films.
But it is crucial to understand that those factors are secondary because before we can witness a great art, what comes into the picture is the artist.
Yes, one vital point that binds all the artistic masterpieces together is the artists working behind them, and more importantly, the artist leading them.
Similarly, let’s take any of the classic motion pictures filled with the illusion of life. You will see legendary names such as Hayao Miyazaki, Brad Bird, John Lasseter, Genndy Tarkovsky, and of course, Walt Disney himself.
They were the creators, minds, and souls behind many iconic and endlessly imaginative movies and shows that helped art reach its honorable place today.
And if you delve more profoundly into it, you will see that one common trait all these creators possess is that they all are “Animators.”
Yes, although Indian producers saw the financial capabilities of animated films, they failed to acknowledge an ancient Indian proverb that says, “The work suits in the hands of the one skilled to do it.”
And suppose you look at the credits of many unsuccessful Indian movies and series. In that case, you will notice that they were often directed, produced, and managed by people who are not into Animation or understand the art the way an Animator would generally do.
I am not stating that a non-animator can’t direct animated films or lead the team of artists, sure they can, and there are exemptions.
But what I am emphasizing is that these films need a specialized technique and strict attention to detail as their core characteristics separate them from the live-action movies, which a non-animator could inadvertently miss.
So being aware of the creative and technical aspects of animation film gives an animation artist a considerable advantage to push the boundaries of conventional craft and effortlessly focus on the soul of the story to strike a delicate balance between fantasy and reality.
So it’s imperative to understand this very fundamental aspect of this illusional art and offer the artists the needed liberty and opportunity to bring their vision on the screen as they are the ones who can get the necessary momentum into this industry.
And that’s just not limited to the process of directing the movies. It should be mandatory for the writing producers operating for the television broadcasters and business heads to have good technical and creative working experience of Animation in their portfolios.
So that they will be able to match the artistic vision of the animation directors, creators, and writers working at the studio level and connect the missing link to help achieve the respect we are striving for in the eyes of our viewers.
But that looks like a long road to travel as animators in our country don’t get the recognition they rightfully deserve and are treated as a labor force than a creative one.
People often forget to discuss their contributions even though they are the ones who put life in a character. An animator in a movie is as important as the actors in live-action films, they are the unsung heroes, and without them, there won’t be the art of animation.
But the problem goes way beyond the recognition. Like so many other factors like long working hours, minimum wages, and mistreatment restrict our artists from expressing themselves freely and contributing to their full potential, unlike artists in the west and Japan who enjoy the perks of creative freedom to improvise their work.
So before we bring the change towards the art, it’s essential to look up to our artists for the longevity and success of this medium.
The time has come that we start to recognize the artistic talent our Animators possess and show faith in their ability to deliver the stories that not only entertain the audiences but leave an everlasting impression that becomes a core part of our memories.
Just a little appreciation and love for our artist can go a long way, and you never know that we might end up finding the next Walt Disney or Gendy Tartakovsky of India.
(From Left: John Lasseter, Hayao Miyazaki, Walt Disney, Genndy Tartakovsky, Brad Bird)
(Imp Note: This is one of the reasons behind the struggles of Indian Animation. In my blog series, “The Faults In Our Art!We will explore ten major factors that are keeping Indian animation behind. So I request you to please support my initiative by subscribing to my website by filling the form below)
“I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you’re young. I learned a lot out of that.”
― WALT DISNEY
When Yash Raj Films collaborated with Walt Disney for Roadside Romeo movie, it was hailed as the first film of its kind and was seen as a project that would pave the way for animation films in India and raise the bar for artistry and innovation.
It’s a movie about Romeo, a rich dog who is abandoned by his owners. He then finds himself embroiled in various situations and even ends up falling in love. It’s a romantic comedy, a genre in which both YRF and WD are undisputed champions.
But despite massive brands, big star-cast, a generous budget, and decent animation, Roadside Romeo failed to woo audiences.
So what went wrong with Roadside Romeo movie despite all the technical amenities?
Well, the important factor behind its downfall is that the creators lacked the insight to look beyond the technical and concentrate on one of the most vital components of movie-making i.e., THE CHARACTER ARC AND RELATABILITY.
So what is a character arc?
“It is a transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of time. In other words, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to changing development in the environment.”
This is where Pixar is great at because every movie they make, they tend to give the protagonist’s emotional journey equal importance as the outer. The character we see at the beginning of a film will be a radically different person by the end of it.
All great artist is aware of this metamorphosis a living being undergoes during an existence, so they always try to incorporate this in their creative work some or the way, whether it’s movies, novels or even in music.
Take, for example, the album “THE WALL” by Pink Floyd.
The songs in the album constitute a rough storyline of incidents in the life of the protagonist, Pink, whose father was killed during the Second World War. Pink is abused and tormented by the people around him. All of these traumas become metaphorical “bricks in the wall.”
The protagonist eventually becomes a rock star, but his relationships shatter due to his controversial lifestyle. As his marriage decays, he finishes building his wall, forming his detachment from human contact.
Hidden behind his wall, Pink sinks into a deep depression. In order to get him to perform, a doctor medicates him. Upon recognizing the horror of what he has done, Pink becomes overwhelmed and wishes for everything around him to cease. Showing human emotion, he is tormented with guilt and places himself on trial, his inner judge ordering him to “tear down the wall,” opening Pink to the outside world.
As the listener, we can clearly see the dramatic shift in Pink’s perception and nature, even through songs and music.
And Roadside Romeo simply failed to understand this basic principle, as from the beginning to end, the protagonist didn’t show any changes in his personality despite changing circumstances.
Even when he is abandoned by his owner and thrown into the world of isolation, or yet when he faces his nemesis to wipe the slate clean.
Also, the makers didn’t give the audience enough reasons to care for the protagonist, even though there was enough time to build it.
For instance, instead of showing his lavish lifestyle as the opening sequence, it would have been great if they would have displayed his struggle to come to terms with his new unfortunate ordeal and give the audience a chance to empathize with him.
But what surprises me about this movie is that it’s created by YRF, a studio responsible for producing one of the greatest romantic Bollywood movies of all time “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.”
Even though the plot is a typical boy meets girl clichéd one, we can plainly see the development in Raj’s character both emotionally and externally. As he transforms from reckless spoilt brat to a mature and responsible person and travels across the oceans all the way from London to India for his love.
And due to this inner and outer transformation, we got involved with him and, in a way, became a part of his journey. His life became our life, his problems became our problems, and his success became our success so as his failures.
Now, that’s good storytelling due to good character arc.
And with Roadside Romeo apart from him being left alone, there was nothing much going with him. As throughout the movie he was shown as an epitome of perfection, who is a great hairstylist, singer, dancer and is good with “bitches” (literally).
In the end, when he does show some emotions to save the bad guy, it comes across forced as his actions clearly lacks the motivation to do so and it was too late for the audience to root for him. But even after that, he goes back to who he was in the beginning of a film, a careless playboy.
The audience doesn’t want to see this, they want to view these characters cope with the human experience through these films, an experience with which audience members can identify.
Observers see a part of their own reality on the big screen through these figures, as we know that nobody is perfect.
This is what makes the characters so relatable and inspirational to the viewer, and that’s one reason why superhero movies are so big amongst us because we see the inner struggle they go through despite gifted with powers beyond human abilities.
Because we see their vulnerability to deal with the change surrounding them, and because we see their lack of control over certain circumstances, “JUST LIKE US.”
So, what are your thoughts on Roadside Romeo movie? Please share your comments below.
Also, through “The Faults In Our Art!” blog series, we will explore the various factors responsible for poor quality of Indian Animation as an art. So I request you to please have a look the section (by licking here) to learn more about this wonderful subject.
Welcome to AnimadWorld, today through this article we will explore Top 10 Best Indian Animated Shows made so far.
Alright, before you jump to a conclusion and scream, “The Jungle Book” from the ’90s is the best or perhaps the greatest Indian animated show of all time.
Then, I’ll ask you to please hold your excitement as many of you’ll be shocked to know that it’s not an Indian series but made and produced in Japan.
Now, let’s come back to explore the best Animated shows made and produced in our country. I understand that ranking the best series ever can be an impossible task as it’s hard to go through every show made so far.
Plus, as we know, art is pretty subjective. What you find interesting, the other person might not second that.
So, the closest we can get to have an accurate ranking is by referring to IMDB ratings given to the series by the beloved audiences.
But the problem with solely relying on these ratings is that they cannot be accurate as most shows have very few voters to compare with. So to qualify for that criteria, the show must have at least 70 votes given by the users.
I know it’s not a huge number, so for that reason, I might add my reviews about it as an animator, writer, and, most importantly, an audience.
At the same time, we will consider the quality of animation, storytelling, and popularity quotient, too, as it is a significant factor in kids’ content.
Sure, there are chances that you might disagree with the list and punch your screen or throw away your cell phone.
But, instead of getting annoyed by my reviews, I’ll request you to kindly mention your opinions in the comment section below.
So, let’s pull up our shocks and have a look at the Top 10 Best Indian Animated Shows of all time:
An animated version of a famous Bollywood movie starring Ajay Devgan and directed by Rohit Shetty, Golmaal Jr. was an experiment that paved the way for such content of transforming live-action films into animation.
It was a much-needed change the Indian Animation industry needed as most shows were based on kids with moral values saving the world. In comparison, this show explored the naughty side of children that made it so relatable and fun to watch.
It is also a special show for me as I started my television writing career with this series. And penning down the pilot episode gave me the confidence to pursue this medium.
Telecasted On Nicklodean India in 2012, Motu Patlu has retained its popularity amongst the masses since its debut.
Sure, Pew-die-Pie was shocked to see some of its scenes and criticized its quality and execution. But there is no doubt that Motu-Patlu is a hugely successful show in terms of demand and business in India.
It was released when Indian animation was still trying to make its presence feel amongst the foreign shows.
And there is no doubt that along with Chhota Bheem, Motu-Patlu ki Jodi did play a vital role in pulling the audiences towards home-grown content.
So considering how famous these two characters are and the role this series played in changing the industry, it surely deserves a place in our Top 10 Best Animated Shows of all time or so far.
Alright, I know the IMDb ratings aren’t that impressive, but there is no doubt that Little Singham is perhaps one of the most popular shows made so far.
Another character based on Ajay’ Devgan’s popular movie Singham once again directed by Rohit Shetty, Little Singham, is co-produced by Reliance Animation.
This show was an instant hit amongst the audiences, which can be seen in Discovery Kids TRP ratings after its debut.
And that’s why despite the limited animation and simple storylines, it deserves an honorable spot in our Top 10 Best Indian Animated shows of all time.
Winner of the best 3D animated show award recently, Bhoot Bandhus indeed pushed the boundaries of our imagination and animation content in India.
With a catchy title track written by great Gulzar, this show became an instant hit amongst kids due to its refreshing style, detailed storytelling, and fun animation.
Comparatively, the show’s quality is way better than many 3d animated shows available until now.
Hence, it deserves to be on our list of top 10 best India animated shows so far.
Well, the high IMDb rating of this show is excellent evidence of Bandbudh and Budbak’s success amongst the audiences.
When period shows like Chhota Bhee, Krishna, Arjun, etc., were ruling the Tv screens with their high spirits, brave acts, and moral messages.
These two naughty kids were taking punishments, bunking classes, eating tiffins during lectures. A concept that most of us can relate to.
Maybe being ahead of time didn’t work in their favor, and it was taken off air just after two seasons. But it indeed left a mark within our memories with its unique design, look and feel, and relatability.
I’m sure everyone remembers this semi-human rendition of Krishna with a new twist in the old tale of popular mythology.
Debuted on Cartoon Network during the channel’s good old times, this show had everything to succeed during that period. High-quality animation, engaging storytelling, catchy title, and relatability factor as the show was based on a school premise.
Plus, as it targeted an audience already aware of Krishna and Kans’ back story, the show made the most out of the classic rivalry.
It showed the audiences that we can take the existing characters from mythology and make something different.
This creative idea was very novel for kids at that time and opened the doors of our imagination.
04/10- Disney’s Bhaagam Bhaag (2019)
IMDB Ratings: Not available.
Animation Quality: 7/10
Story Telling: 6.5/10
Popularity: 4/10
Average score: 5.8
Pic Courtesy: Cosmos Maya and Toonz Media Group
Please don’t get confused and think of it as another show based on a Bollywood franchise. Disney’s Bhaagam Bhaag is an entirely independent series produced by Cosmos Maya Animation Studio and is telecasted on the Disney channel.
I know, what you are thinking, but there are no ratings available to it, so how can I judge the show?
Well, that’s because I worked on it as a Writer for a few episodes. And based on my experiences, I can surely tell you that Bhaagam Bhaag was quality content with top-notch animation, funny gags, and multi-layered storytelling.
Sadly, it didn’t manage to garner the popularity it deserved, but it is undoubtedly a top-five material in a true sense in our list of top 10 best indian animated shows.
Shocked! Right? Well, if there has to be a list of the most popular shows, then Chhota Bheem will undoubtedly win the race by a significant margin. It is indeed one of the if not the most famous animated series ever produced in India.
And more than that, it played a massive role in transforming the Indian animated industry and opened the door for many shows.
But despite its outstanding achievements, the reason it’s in the number three spot is due to its low IMDb ratings, unimproved animation style, and repetitive storytelling format.
But hey! It’s still a podium finish in our top 10 best Indian animated shows ! And this show deserves every bit of success.
And personally, I really enjoyed working on Chhota Bheem’s many episodes as a writer, and we did experiment few new things.
The Green Gold production team working on it is excellent, and hopefully, they will be able to bring the change we all want to see.
02/10 Titoo (2020)
IMDb ratings: N/A
Animation Quality: 6/10
Story Telling: 7/10
Popularity: 6/10
Average score: 6.3
Pic Courtesy: Comos Maya
There is something about Titoo that makes it such an incredible show to watch. I remember seeing it for the first time and instantly thought it would be a hit show.
It kinda reminded me of Shinchan at first, considering the main character’s mischievous nature, back-answering, and knack of getting into trouble. But it is a more trimmed-down version that can suit the Indian audiences and censorship.
Overall, the animation quality is more than decent, the writing is fun, and overall execution makes it worthy of the number two spot in our list of top 10 best Indian animated shows so far.
01/10 The Adventures of Tenali Raman (2003) & Mighty Little Bheem (2019)
Yes, there is a tie for number one spot in our top 10 best Indian animates shows list, and it’s so hard to choose one between these two shows. The best part about them is considering the period between these series; it somehow shows the journey of commercial Indian animation.
Tenali Raman is when it all started in early 2000, and Mighty Little Bheem rose to fame just a couple of years ago. Let’s talk about them one by one.
This show is exceptional in all sense. It showcased the potential of Indian animation to us and paved the way for an industry trying to find its place.
In the hundred years long history of animation in India, we finally had something we could call our own.
I remember watching it for the first time on cartoon networks in my teens and was instantly captivated by the animation, storytelling, and execution. I was so impressed by it that a little voice in my teenage heart wanted to meet the people working behind it.
And I was just in school, not knowing that I’d be pursuing animation as a career in the coming years.
And luckily, after a few years, I got my first writing project with the same company responsible for making such a masterpiece. That company is Toonz Media group, and they are one of the pioneers of commercial animation in India.
Unfortunately, due to high production costs and limited demand for Indian content during that time, this series didn’t run for long and was taken off air after just one season.
But if you ask me personally, this is indeed one of the best shows our country has produced so far, and it has a level of content we can be genuinely proud of.
I hope all our animation programs would have followed their footsteps and kept the quality as high as The adventures of Tenali Raman.
But sadly, Indian animation was not able to match the standards due to many restrictions and limitations we will discuss in our “The Faults in our Art!” blog series.
Well, what was started with Tenali Raman was finally matched by Mighty Little Bheem. This show is perfect in all senses, and it’s something that demonstrates the potential of artists and creators in this country.
Impeccable animation, funny gags, engaging storytelling, cute characters are a few reasons this series became an instant international hit.
But the real secret of its success lies in the same principles applied in the movie Hanuman released in 2005.
If there is any show that fully utilizes these principles to the best of its abilities, then it’s “Mighty Little Bheem.” And hence, along with Tenali Raman, it rightfully deserves the number one spot in our list of top ten best Indian animated shows so far.
But the vital question is, what are these principles I’m giving so much credit to?
So here we go, these are the best-animated shows our country has produced so far. I tried my best to rate them, but please share your thoughts in the comment section below if you don’t agree with anything.
“Live-action performers have charisma, an animated character has appeal.”
― FRANK AND OLLIE, THE ILLUSION OF LIFE
If I’ll ask you to go down memory lane and choose one Indian animated movie that you absolutely loved watching and adored as a viewer.
Then most probably, the one film that will instantly appear in your mind is none other than “Hanuman” released in the year 2005, directed by V. G. Samant and produced by Percept Picture Company and Silvertoons.
Hanuman, by far, is said to be the best full-length animated feature film in India, and no other movie managed to attain the popularity and success as it did.
As soon as the movie hit the silver screen, we were immediately swept away by the flawless direction, exquisite animation, and iconic characters.
And on top of that, the end credit song MahabaliMaharudra sung by Sonu Nigam and Kailash Kheradds a sense of inspirational touch to the film that helped it to establish its sound identity, making it a complete family entertainment.
We have all the reasons to love this movie as it possesses all the elements of a blockbuster. But what makes it so unique, and why no other film is still able to re-create the same supernatural experience and power we felt with Hanuman despite the age-old storyline we grew up hearing or watching.
And the answer to that question is “THE PRINCIPLE OF APPEAL.”
Animation works on some essential tools and mechanisms known as “The Twelve principles of animation” that were first led down and published in the animation Bible “The illusion of Life.” Written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the key animators out of nine old men at Disney during the Golden Age of animation.
The animation principles they presented in the book have a universal framework that can fit in the mold of any design and process and has been used since then in the art of animation.
Before we try to comprehend how the principle of appeal contributed so immensely to the success of Hanuman, let us first have a brief look at all other animation principles to have a better understanding of the working process of this craft for everyone interested in exploring the groundwork needed in this discipline.
1-Lets us start with the most versatile and fundamental techniques called Squash and stretch.
The purpose of squash and stretch is to provide a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn objects like something as simple as a bouncing ball or more complex constructions, like the musculature of a human face.
In simple words, this effect gives animation an elastic life-like quality to imitate the real-life quality of a distorted object when it is acted upon by an outside force, but with a hint of an exaggeration to give it a comical effect.
2-Next comes to the animation principle of “Anticipation” which helps audiences to prepare for what’s about to happen.
For example, imagine you’re about to swing a cricket bat. What’s the first thing you do? Do you pull your hands back to wind up? Twist your shoulders in the opposite direction? That’s anticipation!.
As the action in animation can be very fast that can be missed and can get unnoticed. Anticipation draws the viewer’s attention and enables them to clearly see the character’s action and understand what the character is planning to do so that each movement does not come as a sudden surprise.
3-And every action the character undertakes should be carefully matched within the scene with the support of the next principle, that is, “Staging.”
Now, staging isn’t just limited to animation; it’s a core part of any artwork and filmmaking. Its purpose is to direct the audience’s attention and make it clear what is the most important thing in a scene that effectively advances the story.
In simple terms, it’s the combination of the position of the camera angles, colors, contrast, characters, and the props we need to show within the scene and blurring out what’s not important.
4-Once the stage is set, we move forward to the next animation principle, called “Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose.”
Now, this principle is related to actual work that goes into animation and deals with the technical aspect of it, but it’s relatively simple to explain. There are two ways to animate anything; the first is the Straight ahead method.
In this approach, animators draw each frame of an action one after another from start to finish. Whereas in the pose to pose way, animators draw the extreme poses, that is, the beginning and end drawings of action, then they go on to the middle frame and start to fill in the frames in-between.
5-And once the key actions are choreographed, follow-up movements are added with the help of the fifth principle, called “Follow through and overlapping action.”
This is the part where the laws of physics are obeyed, which help to render movement more realistically. The basic idea behind this is that when an object or a character stops after being in motion.
The loosely attached part of the body, like long hair, clothes, and hanging accessories, will continue to move beyond the stopping point of the main object or character and take a longer time to settle down and come into a state of rest.
6-The follow-through and overlapping action really help to make the motion look organic, which is assisted by the sixth animation principle called “Ease in and ease out.”
Ease in is a slow acceleration into motion, and ease out is a slow deceleration of that motion. The simple way to understand this principle is by imagining how a car works. It will start moving slowly, before gaining momentum and speeding up.
The opposite will happen when the vehicle comes to a stop. In animation, this moment is achieved through the proper spacing of the frames that is the distance between each frame.
For example, if you look at the picture below, you will see that more lines that represent the keyframes are drawn near the beginning and end of action, and very few in between them.
This effect helps to achieve more real-life-like motion, which, if blended with our next principle, works very well that we will have a look at in our next chapter.
Yes, the animation principles laid down here are just halfway road leading to the destination we need to arrive at. But there are a lot more subtleties and world-building we need to explore to achieve the experience the creators of Hanuman undertook to make it so memorable.
So I will encourage you to read this chapter once again until you grasp it to the fullest before turning the page to the next chapter that will reveal the following six animation principles without which animated movies wouldn’t be what we see today.
“Anyone can tell a story because Ramayana is a plot-oriented tale, but the key to Sako is that he finds humanity in his characters.” ― Krishna Shah, Co-Director, Ramayana
Anybody who grew up in the ’90s will recognize the animated film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, which was made as a part of the 40th anniversary of the India-Japan diplomatic relationship. This mythological tale was recreated and Directed by Yugo Sako along with legendary Indian Animator Ram Mohan.
The Hindi version featured dubbing voices of many big stars, including Arun Govil as the voice of Rama, Legendary Amris Puri as the voice Ravana and powerfully narrated by Shatrughan Sinha, added the interest in the audiences.
And after its release, it left a tremendous impact on a generation who already had a set perception about this sacred text through one of the most popular television shows in the history of the Indian entertainment industry that aired on Doordarshan.
And miraculously, the anime managed to create its own identity with its fusion of U.S., Indian, and Japanese style animation, brilliant screenplay, impeccable characterization, design, camera angles, and, more importantly, by staying respectful towards its cultural significance in the Indian civilization that managed to capture the attention of both kids and the adults.
But just like the actual tale of Ramayana, the movie also fought an epic battle for its existence and survival to reach its viewers. Yes, the creator of the film has to overcome various forces, to turn this religious work of stunning antiquity into an animated movie. So let’s have a brief look at Yugo Sako’s journey into the sacred world of Indian mythicism and his sincere efforts to make this animated retelling of an iconic story.
It all began when Yugo Sako was working on “The Ramayana Relics,” a documentary in 1983; he was so highly enticed into its spiritual theme that he researched more in-depth into the subject and went on to study 10 versions of Ramayana in Japanese. After extensively researching the epic mythology, he aspired to adapt it into animation. Because he didn’t think a live-action movie could depict the true essence of Ramayana, “Because Ram is God, I felt it was best to depict him in animation, rather than by an actor.” Said Yugo in an interview.
And that’s when the struggle began.
A leading newspaper misunderstood Yugo Sako’s documentary and wrote that he was altering the Ramayana. Soon after that, a protest letter based on the misinterpretation from the Vishva Hindu Parishad was received by the Japanese Embassy in India’s capital. Which said that no foreigners could arbitrarily cinematize Ramayana because it was the great national heritage of India.
After the misconceptions were clarified, Yugo Sako suggested the idea of an animated Ramayana to the VHP and the Government. He told them that animation was an earnest art form in Japan, and it would help bring the Ramayana to a broader global audience.
The Government agreed initially but later declined his proposal for a bi-nation collaboration, saying the Ramayana is a very sensitive subject and cannot be portrayed as a cartoon. Also, the fact that the movie was being made at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement added to the controversy and axed the prospects of producing it in India.
With no choice and support left, The movie was ultimately produced in Japan, with nearly 450 artists from both the nation contributing to its creation. Indian animators guided their Japanese teammates with Indian customs and traditions depicted in the film, like how dhotis are worn and how the children receive blessings from their elders.
Now when the production process was sorted, the quest was to take it to a global audience. After eight months of negotiation, Yugo finally convinced a big Hollywood studio to release it to U.S. audiences.
But next came the tricky part: The studio wanted to alter the storyline, sending Ram and Sita into the forest for their honeymoon and substituting the entire myth of fourteen-year exile or Sita’s abduction. They wanted to turn it into a straight adventure concept despite it being a perfect plot in all sense. The producers and Yugo disagreed with it and parted away with the studio as it was clearly against their sensitivity, which eventually prevented it from gaining a wider release.
This whole saga is such a great example of choosing art over commerce. Sako precisely understood the sentiments attached to it and devoted a decade of his life to bringing this eternal mythology on the big screen. Sako believes his exposure to India has taught him to see the larger picture rather than worry about short-term goals. In an interview, he said, “If I pass away, then this work can be done by others, and if I die, I can be reborn and continue the work.”
So the current generation of artists needs to learn from Yugo Sako’s work ethics and should not easily bow down to the demands of commercialism. The passion portrayed by him is something that needs to be embraced by each one of us that will eventually reflect into our movies and shows and will assist us in doing better artistic work.
The biggest lesson for Indian animators here is to learn the importance of patience to do justice with our art, especially when dealing with such divine subjects. In India, we often see that we really underestimate the importance of detailed research and are more focused on delivering the half-hearted output that eventually gets the half-hearted response from the audiences. This approach of quantity over quality has been a big hurdle on the path of our animation that needs to address as soon as possible.
Sako taught us that in our pursuit of purpose and goals, just like Prince Rama and Mighty Hanuman, we will face the demons, but it’s essential not to compromise with our morals and ethics and continue to walk towards the bigger vision we have. Indeed, it is such a kind of dedication from an artist that influences a generation to come. It is such a kind of commitment that helps to overcome obstacles and hurdles in the creation process, and it is such kind of devotion that makes the art and the artist immortal, just like the real “Ramayana.”
Do make sure to read other articles in this series by clicking on the link: The Faults in our Arts!
Welcome to The Animad World, your one-stop destination for Indian Animation. Myself Nitin Navale and I work as Creative -Head for your beloved educational series “Dr. Binocs Show.” Yes, it’s my job to ensure that the workflow is smooth and our lovely audiences get the weekly dose of their favorite show.
Every day we receive so many emails from you all, thanking us for bringing this show and how it has helped you all in your studies. But another commonality we have witnessed in your emails is that you want to know “HOW WE CREATE IT?”
So I thought, let me take you into this fantastic world of Dr.Binocs and reveal to you the mechanism behind it. Hopefully, it will inspire many of you to become an animator or content creators.
But, before we move forward, let me inform you that this is just a basic summary. In the upcoming articles, I’ll give you the detailed groundwork behind it. If possible, I will also introduce the artists working behind it.
Yes, so do make sure to subscribe by filling the form below, if you don’t want to miss the creative process of your beloved show and learn about the Art of Animation.
Now, let’s ZOOM IN! and look at the first step, and that is:
1) IDEA:
Yes, the first important step in making a Dr.Binocs episode is to develop an idea for the topic. And the inspiration could come from anywhere, by observing things around us, knowing what’s trending, and taking your suggestions through emails.
For example, during such a brainstorming session, one of our co-workers farted. Sure, we laughed our guts out, but it did inspire us to make a video on “Why do we Fart?” You can check the same by clicking on the link.
So basically, the trick is to observe keenly, learn from others, read a lot, and who knows, you might end up creating the next viral video. And once we decide on the topic, we move to the next crucial step.
2) THE RESEARCH:
In this process, we go ahead and do tons of research on the selected topic to write the episode’s script. Research is a critical aspect of the whole process because we have to ensure that the information is correct and according to academic standards.
And once it’s done, we move to our next stage of laying this accumulated information on paper or Ms. Word to write the script.
3) THE SCRIPT AND VISUALIZATION:
As they say, ideas are worthless unless you execute them. And here starts the execution process of the production. A typical Dr.binocs script looks way different than the standard industry format.
The image below is an example of how our scripts look.
We divide it into two sections: In the first section, we write the narration and explain the subject. And in the other section, we write the visuals and action needed for that particular line or sequence.
This is where your imagination skills come in handy. You need to take an ordinary line and convert it into an appealing scene that is easy to understand and entertaining to watch. This is where all the fun elements are planned and added to the script, right from your starting intro to your “Nevermind” gags.
And most importantly, it also serves as guidelines for our next step.
4) THE STORYBOARDING:
And what is it? It is a sequence of sketches that map out the scenes planned for the video. In simple words, it is a blueprint for animators to understand how the Animation will come across and the path they need to follow. Whatever plan was laid on the script, the Story boarding artist goes ahead and makes a step-by-step layout of the visuals.
For example, if the script says that Dr. Binocs and Kitty are flying in the shuttle towards the moon. The SB artist will make few frames of this scene that look like this.
Just like that, we create the key drawings of the entire episode while, on the other hand, the artists start to work on the other elements needed for the episode.
5) CHARACTER AND BACKGROUND DESIGN:
In this process, our gifted designers illustrate the puppets, props, and environments needed for the particular episode. Even for this, the artist needs to have excellent visual skills to execute the designs.
We have to make sure that the characters are appealing and aligned with the theme of the show. By theme, what we mean is the style and look and feel of the show. If you go and see some of the random episodes of Dr. Binocs show. You will notice that in every season, the secondary characters look different.
And while they are busy creating those assets, we, on the other hand, are busy recording the vital step, that is…
6)THE VOICE OVER:
Yes, the soul of Dr.Binocs is in his voice. Here, the Voice Over artist comes to our studio and reads the script. Which is recorded by our sound engineer, who later trims it down and polishes it in editing software.
And once the V.O and asset designs are ready, we send them to the most crucial step, i.e.,
7) THE ANIMATION:
Yes, here, our skilled team of animators put life on those inanimate puppets in software called Adobe Flash, now knows as Animate.
And how do they do it? Well, I’ll try to cover it in detail in the upcoming articles. The animation is a time-consuming process that takes lots of effort, and patience is one crucial factor all artists need to have. So make sure to subscribe by filling the form below.
Once we are done with the Animation, we send those files to our editors for the following process.
8) THE COMPILATION
In this step, our Editor put all those scenes together and add text to them to send it forward in the pipeline for adding music.
9) THE MUSIC:
Here, our sound engineers and composers add those background music and effect and remove any unwanted noises in the video before sending us back for…
10) THE FINAL EDITING:
In this final step, our VFX artists and Editors give the final touch to the video. So that it is ready to be uploaded on YouTube to be seen by millions of Dr.Binocs cutsie wootise family members like you, who adore the show so much, which motivates us to keep making the videos.
So here we go, my friends, that’s how we make the Dr.binocs show, wait, are we missing something, oh yes.
TRIVIA TIME!
“Did you know, the voice behind Dr.Binocs also gives voice to Mr.Bean’s Indian version?”
So, hope you enjoyed reading the blog, guys, and remember a lot of great new information on your favorite shows and Indian Animation is coming soon.
And this blog is for animation fans just like you, so make sure to subscribe by filling the form below, write your opinion in the comment section below, and share it with as many people as you can.
Until next time, it’s me, Nitin Navale, Zooming Out,
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
― WALT DISNEY.
Before we witnessed the spectacular visual effects of Bahubali before children got hooked on tv sets to watch Chhota Bheem, and even centuries before the dawn of animated films and motion cinema came into existence. Indians have figured out to enjoy the art of storytelling through an ingenious technology of projecting animated pictures on the silver screen called Tholu bommalata.
It is the traditional art of shadow puppetry that originated in the state of Andra Pradesh that enabled people to bring a hundred or more colorful mythological characters to life in the most remote village, all accompanied by virtuoso singing, engaging rhythms, and enchanting sound effects.
Then around the 19th century, during the British era, a Mumbai-based engineer Maadanrao Madhavrao Chitale, painted some events from the life of Srikrishna on slides and showed them to audiences for fun with the help of an invention called Magic Lantern that gave the impression of moving pictures. Fascinated by this new form of illusion, the father and son duo of Mahadev Patwardhan and Vinayak Mahadev Patwardhan saw a business opportunity in it. And took their show to the live audiences with the name Shambarik Kharolika.
And as time progressed, we saw the birth of technological marvels that revolutionized the art of storytelling, the motion picture camera invented by the Lumiere Brothers. This wonder machine opened the floodgates to many storytellers, and we were submerged into the depth of its potentialities.
And soon, the world witnessed its first-ever animated film created by Émile Cohl, who shot thousands of his own drawings. The film mainly consists of a stick man moving about and encountering all manner of morphing objects, such as a wine bottle that transforms into a flower that becomes an elephant.
And later on this side of the world, the pioneer of Indian cinema, Dada Saheb Phalke, created a stop motion movie using matchsticks called ‘Agkadyanchi Mouj’- ‘The Game of Match Sticks’, which is hailed as the beginning of Indian animation.
And since then, we saw the rise of many skilled and enthusiastic filmmakers and animators trying their hands in this art form. Amongst them was ‘The Pea Brothers’ made by Gunamoy Banerjee in 1934, which was the first animated film in India to get a theatrical release. Using the classical hand-drawn animation style, this movie featured the story of five peas popping out and transforming into toys that motivated many aspiring artists to pursue this form of animation.
And later in the same year, Kolkatta-based director Birendranath Sircar pulled out a film called “On a moon night” in just a month. The fascinated thing about this movie was that it was the first time that soundtrack was added into an Animated film that amused the audiences like never before.
Then on the 15th of November 1934, Animator Raghunath K. Kelkar, along with Pune-based Prabhat Film company founded by V. Shantaram, released an animated shot called Jambu kaka at Majestic Cinema in Mumbai.
Jambu Kaka
This shot featured a humanized Jackal that gained immense popularity amongst its viewers and helped Indian animation-grow further. This eventually led to a decade full of innovative and imaginative movies, right from Lafanga Langoor in 1935 by Mohan Bhavani, “Superman Myth” in 1939 by G.K Gokhale, Bakam Bhatt by Kolapur Cinetoons, “Akash Pataal’ by Mandar Malik, and IFI’s “The War that never ends.” And with it ended the long-fought war against the colonial rule, and most of the works were lost somewhere in the pages of history.
But, not all hopes were lost, as the whole country was engulfed in the celebration of newly found independence and a sense of nationality. Gemini Studios of Chennai released a wholly Indian animation film called “Cinema Kadambam,” a series of animated caricatures of famous film stars of the ’40s made by N. Thanu.
And meanwhile, in Mumbai, Animators Gupte and Ghokle were planning to revolutionize the advertising sector and created an animated series called Rangeen Chutkiya, which held its position till 1955.
And next year, in 1956, Indian animation regained its spirit with the arrival of Disney’s Animator Claire Weeks under the Indo-American technical co-operation program. His mission was to expose Indian artists to advanced technological and creative equipment and helped to set-up India’s first-ever animation studio.
And with it, began the production of the first independent animation film called “The Banyan Deer” in the year 1957, inspired by the Jataka tales. Staying true to the intention of the Indo-US relationship, the film also resembled the mixture of Indian and American art styles. The human characters were inspired by the artistic style of Ajanta caves, while the Deer had a close resemblance to Disney’s Bambi.
This film was widely appreciated and tasted great success that helped to launch the careers of some of the best-known artists in the history of Indian Animation.
And with the success of The Banyan deer and many other short-films and shows, the next decade brought the era of experiments, trials, and errors as many bold artists tried various techniques such as time-lapse, cut-out animation, stop-motion, claymation, etc.
Many of these were used as propaganda films to promote the government’s ideology and influence the citizens to adopt a better standard of living. Soon animation began to transform from merely an art to a full-fledged career.
And with it, we saw the rise of great artists like Madhava Kunte, Ramesh Potnis, Bhimsain Khurana, who is best known for his short film Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiya, V.G Sawant, and none other the legendary Ram Mohan hailed as the father of Indian Animation and only Indian animator to receive the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the Government of India.
Ram Mohan, Legendary Animator.
And as these artists were pushing the boundaries of this art form, the technology was also evolving rapidly, and soon, we witness the arrival of computers that quickly became part of the animation industry. This new-found tool helped save a lot of valuable time, sweat, and efforts that go into making a traditionally animated film.
Yes, something as simple as a walk cycle could take as much as eighteen hand-drawn images drawn in a sequence that loop to create an animation of a walking character. The number of drawings can increase or decrease depending upon the character’s personality, timing, phase, and many, along with essential animation principles without which the animation won’t look as good as it seems that we will learn in the upcoming chapters.
But the arrival of new technology like 2D animation and especially 3D animation cut short the output time to half, and our highly skilled and talented artists were quick to adopt this new form of working style.
And with it began a new era and came to the much-needed boom in the market of the Indian animation industry. Soon we saw the rise in demand for our domestic services in the international arena due to our quality work at a much lower price.
And since then, Indian animators have continued to showcase their capabilities around the globe that can be reflected by the number of awards we have won until this time. But sadly, we found ourselves stuck under the influence of Disney style for a longer period and have been on a roller-coaster ride in its history of over a hundred years.
Even though with the rise of many great artists like Ram Mohan, V.G Samant, and the extreme popularity of shows like Chhota Bheem, Little Singham, and movies like Hanuman, Bal Ganesha, Indian animation is still struggling to earn the respect of our local audiences.
But why is that why other countries like Us, Japan, embraced this art and have managed to turn this medium into full-fledged family entertainment, whereas, in India, it is still looked down on as purely children’s genre and is ignored by almost all adults?
But more importantly, why don’t we shy away from investing our time and money into watching International films like Kung-fu Panda, The Incredibles, but won’t even think of walking into the theater to watch domestic Animated movies?. What makes Disney, Pixar, and Ghibli so successful, and what is that we need to adopt from them to grow and prosper in terms of art, style, commerce, and entertainment.
In the upcoming articles, we will explore answers to all these and many more questions and debunk the mysteries behind the success of western and Japanese animated films and the struggle behind our industry. With each article, we will look at some fundamental and deeply rooted faults in it, things that have worked for us, and things that have led to the downward slope of the art of animation.
As an animator, as a writer, and more importantly, as an audience, my intention behind writing this book is to help the new and younger generation of artists and everyone interested in the medium to take learn from our past, fix our present, and take a leap into the future. And hopefully, together, we can support our beloved art to earn a place in the hugely profitable business of family entertainment.
But next came the tricky part: The studio wanted to alter the storyline, sending Ram and Sita into the forest for their honeymoon and substituting the entire myth of fourteen-year exile or Sita’s abduction. They wanted to turn it into a straight adventure concept despite it being a perfect plot in all sense. The producers and Yugo disagreed with it and parted away with the studio as it was clearly against their sensitivity, which eventually prevented it from gaining a wider release.
