A thing that I really tend to find interesting is how India has become a popular destination for American companies to outsource animation to, yet that country hasn't produced a film that could break out on a global scale so far. When companies like Industrial Light and Magic and Jellyfish Pictures set up offices in India, and the company Cinesite acquires a majority stake in India's Assemblage Entertainment, why hasn't Indian animation become as popular and mainstream as anime and American animation yet?
Wasn't Japan a popular destination for American companies to outsource animation to, like what Rankin-Bass Productions did, before anime became mainstream? Will Indian animation follow the same path? I know a lot of Indian animation isn't great, but I feel that a country with a large, young and talented workforce will eventually produce animation that could rival those of the United States and Japan.
Is Indian animation on the rise?
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Re: Is Indian animation on the rise?
India has actually been doing this a long, long, long time, but you’re right in that the industry there has never produced a breakout, crossover hit. The main reason for this, though, is precisely because of what you also say: their businesses are primarily concerned with providing services, be they animation or VFX, as vendors for other studios and producers.
We just used an company in India to provide VFX shots because they were essentially a half, or even a fraction, of the price of a company here, even at mates rates, and could turn around the shots quickly and to a very high standard. Because this is just what they do, and within that they have companies that specialise specifically on one area, so a whole company that just does wire removals, another that just does roto, etc. That’s their model and it works for them because they can have huge teams just churning this stuff out.
And, largely, they are content with that, although I don’t really see why why don’t see the kinds of Bollywood and Indian movies that prevail in live-action there happen in animation. I’m sure there are examples, but again nothing that breaks out. Even that Disney experiment with Roadside Romeo didn’t lead to an English version or worldwide release. I do know from experience that they like to please and be told specifically what is needed and they are happy to go along and provide that, so maybe there just isn’t the push from independently minded filmmakers to try and make a space for themselves.
Even big successes like RRR, which has a ton of VFX work on it, need international support to make the kind of splash that has, but maybe only time will tell. If they can make an animated film along those lines, that plays to international audiences while preserving the culture (and so what different and special), then we might yet see something emerge, but I think most of their creativity and skill is just based on taking advantage of the crowded service provider market, at least at the moment.
We just used an company in India to provide VFX shots because they were essentially a half, or even a fraction, of the price of a company here, even at mates rates, and could turn around the shots quickly and to a very high standard. Because this is just what they do, and within that they have companies that specialise specifically on one area, so a whole company that just does wire removals, another that just does roto, etc. That’s their model and it works for them because they can have huge teams just churning this stuff out.
And, largely, they are content with that, although I don’t really see why why don’t see the kinds of Bollywood and Indian movies that prevail in live-action there happen in animation. I’m sure there are examples, but again nothing that breaks out. Even that Disney experiment with Roadside Romeo didn’t lead to an English version or worldwide release. I do know from experience that they like to please and be told specifically what is needed and they are happy to go along and provide that, so maybe there just isn’t the push from independently minded filmmakers to try and make a space for themselves.
Even big successes like RRR, which has a ton of VFX work on it, need international support to make the kind of splash that has, but maybe only time will tell. If they can make an animated film along those lines, that plays to international audiences while preserving the culture (and so what different and special), then we might yet see something emerge, but I think most of their creativity and skill is just based on taking advantage of the crowded service provider market, at least at the moment.
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Re: Is Indian animation on the rise?
Do we really need MORE Indian-animated CGI movies on Netflix and Tubi?