An in-depth Study on the Animation Industry - Philippine Institute for ...

In the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es, animation has f<strong>in</strong>ally found its way. Inspired by the high
degrees of sophistication emitted by other countries, Filip<strong>in</strong>o artists decided to try their
luck <strong>in</strong> the art. Years of hardships and disappo<strong>in</strong>tments never dampened the spirits of
our hardwork<strong>in</strong>g animators. In 1950, Jerry Navarro, Larry Alcala, Vicente Penetrante
and Jose Zabala Santos, tried their luck <strong>in</strong> animation. But due to f<strong>in</strong>ancial problems,
these young and budd<strong>in</strong>g animators had to work with the crudest of equipment.
Through the years, one or more artists would try to nurture their knowledge of animation
only to be blocked by the usual f<strong>in</strong>ancial constra<strong>in</strong>ts.
Meanwhile, anime or Japanese animation has long been a very popular
subgenre of Philipp<strong>in</strong>e pop culture s<strong>in</strong>ce the late 1960s and the whole of the 1970s
when Filip<strong>in</strong>o audiences were first exposed to the charms of Japanese animation by
way of such classics as Speed Racer, Gigantor, Astroboy, and a number of others. The
fanbase began to ga<strong>in</strong> sway dur<strong>in</strong>g the giant robot era of the 1970s when fans of Voltes
V and Maz<strong>in</strong>ger Z actually went <strong>in</strong>to the production of fanz<strong>in</strong>es, translated comic books,
and model kits. Despite hav<strong>in</strong>g been outlawed dur<strong>in</strong>g the Marcos regime, many
examples of fan merchandise from this era have survived even to this day.
Though the 1980s were characterized by a somewhat lukewarm response to Studio
Nue’s Macross, the mass market <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> Japanese pop culture (referred to as J-pop,
a term that encompasses everyth<strong>in</strong>g from pulp fiction to pop music and animation) was
revived by both the vernacular dubb<strong>in</strong>g of anime for Philipp<strong>in</strong>e television.
In 1983, an Australian company established a branch known as Burbank
<strong>An</strong>imation, Inc. (BAI). Aside from this, another company, which is known as
Asian<strong>An</strong>imation, was then called Optifex International, Inc. Unlike Burbank <strong>An</strong>imation,
Inc. which is a foreign owned company, Optifex <strong>An</strong>imation, Inc. is a Filip<strong>in</strong>o owned
corporation. Through the years, these companies worked with utmost dedication for the
improvement of the animation <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>in</strong> the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es.
Burbank <strong>An</strong>imation, Inc. and Asian animation, Inc. were jo<strong>in</strong>ed by another big
company, Fil-Cartoons, which was established <strong>in</strong> 1988. These companies, although
they have the same purpose did not yet form an association. However, they all have
done their share <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>dustry, such as help<strong>in</strong>g tra<strong>in</strong> aspir<strong>in</strong>g animators, produc<strong>in</strong>g
animated films <strong>in</strong> the country. However, most of the products of these companies have
been made for export reasons. Each company has a contract with various <strong>in</strong>ternational
animation companies.
The animation <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>in</strong> the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es is considered as one which progress<strong>in</strong>g
and develop<strong>in</strong>g. Had it not been for f<strong>in</strong>ancial constra<strong>in</strong>ts, they would have produced
more animated materials for Filip<strong>in</strong>o viewership and usage. Local anime, on the other
hand, has now developed <strong>in</strong>to a fan base on the Internet <strong>in</strong> the mid-90s.
At present, based on a local <strong>in</strong>ternet source, the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es reportedly accounts
for a 30% share of animation work <strong>in</strong> the Asia Pacific, and it is projected that this could
grow to 70% or more with professional tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g.
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