Positive changes
Some events considered as milestones in the formation of Vietnamese animation were the establishment of the Vietnam Doll Animation Studio (now the Vietnam Animation Studio) in November 1959 and the release of the first animated film titled “Deserves the Fox” in June 1960. Over the past 65 years, nearly 800 Vietnamese animated movies have been produced.
Animation has made significant progress over the past ten years, contributing 10-15% of the total revenue for the entire film industry. However, the potential and advantages of this industry, which is not just for children, have not yet been fully exploited.
At a discussion on the development of Vietnamese animation, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Association, said: “According to the world's assessment, if cinema is the seventh art, animation is recognised as the eighth art. Many countries have famous cartoon products and characters with billions of viewers worldwide, such as Doraemon, Mickey Mouse, and Cloud Bread. How can Vietnam also reach such heights?”
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Doraemon is the animation symbol of Japan thanks to its popularity and lasting humanistic values for many generations. (Photo: Internet) |
According to Ta Manh Hoang, Chairman of the Vietnam Digital Media Association (VDCA), Vietnam should issue policies to encourage economic sectors to participate in animation production as well as promote the products to the international market. Hoang also said: “In some countries in the region, especially the Republic of Korea (RoK), their film industry has been developing rapidly thanks to the connection among businesses and the favourable conditions created by the RoK Government to promote animation products to the world. Vietnamese businesses also need a market. However, in Vietnam, there has not been adequate output, there have been almost no policy incentives, and the organisation of events to introduce the businesses’ capacity have been also limited.”
Despite several barriers, the animation content industry in Vietnam has been developing strongly in recent years. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cross-border digital platforms have contributed to promoting innovative thinking and developing the capacity of human resources of the new generation. Although Vietnam cannot be compared with the "giants", such as the US, Japan, the RoK and China, the encouraging sign is that Vietnamese animation has been gradually forming standards towards "sustainable creativity", creating contents with cultural value and positive influence on the community.
Many Vietnamese businesses have entered the market with a series of animations using 2D, 3D, and stop-motion technologies, which have been welcomed by the international market. For example, Sconnect Vietnam has developed 18 sets of animated characters with a total production of more than 50,000 videos that were released worldwide with billions of views. Its animation series Wolfoo is the most notable. The production of animation films in cinema, which faced long-standing difficulties due to lack of scripts, high production costs, and the dependence on the cinema system, has been realised with the commercial release of the animated film "Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island" in October 2023, marking the milestone of Vietnamese animation entering the top three box office revenue.
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The animated film titled “Trang Quynh thoi nhi nho” (Trang Quynh in the funny days), which is an animated film produced using modern 3D technology, is imbued with Vietnamese culture. (Photo: Internet) |
Most recently, the 3D animated series “Trang Quynh thoi nhi nho” (Trang Quynh in the funny days), which were co-produced by Alpha Animation Studio and Sconnect Vietnam, were selected among the top ten best works for the 2024 De Men Children's Awards. Although only 45 episodes have been broadcast (out of a total of 450 episodes), the series has received great attention from children and trust from parents. Not only does it feature beautiful images and music, the film also highlights a system of pure Vietnamese characters with settings and situations imbued with the identity of ancient Vietnamese countryside. Watching the short episodes, little viewers can relax while learning good and right things in a gentle and psychologically appropriate manner. It is expected that the version for cinema will also be released by the producers.
Vietnam is capable of producing animation to serve the international market
According to statistics, Vietnam has about 200 large and small companies and studios that can participate in animation production at various levels. Their animation production capacity has achieved certain achievements, from taking on the outsourcing stage for international film studios to building brands and producing content on their own.
The “blooming” period of Vietnamese animation has been marked by the emergence of more and more creative businesses and high-quality products that are gradually conquering the world’s audiences. Standing out in the big picture is the animated series “Wolfoo” which has attracted the love and attention of hundreds of millions of children worldwide, especially in the US, China and Vietnam. Wolfoo, known as the “billion-view” wolf, has more than 4,000 short films broadcast on YouTube, with an average of 4 billion views per month and a collection of three diamond buttons on YouTube. The series has been translated into about 20 languages. Wolfoo has gradually become an everyday friend of children.
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Wolfoo and his friends create an animated series that attracts children around the world. |
Behind the success of Wolfoo is the Vietnamese staff of Sconnect Vietnam. To gradually narrow the gap between Vietnamese animation and advanced cinema in the region and world, Sconnect has been developing 18 animated character sets for all ages. The animated content is released on multiple platforms including social networks, television, OTT/IPTV, and cinema. This unit has participated in digital content production since 2014, when the digital content industry in Vietnam had yet to begin developing strongly.
Realising the potential of animation as well as the desire to create a strong brand like “Vietnam’s Disney”, the founders of Sconnect worked, studied, researched, and innovated to maximise and take advantage of their advantages. For example, Vietnam has thousands of traditional craft villages, with long-standing handicraft products that are highly appreciated by the international market. In addition, Vietnamese workers are hard-working, meticulous, and skilful. The investment in research and participation in animation production using stop-motion technology (still-life animation, clay animation) since the early days was considered a risky move for Sconnect. However, the sustainable vitality of stop-motion animation in the world, as well as the imprints of the characters Luka and Clay Mixer, have highlighted a great opportunity for Vietnamese animation production units.
According to Yahoo Finance, the global animation market is expected to reach 587.1 billion USD by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 5.2%. 3D animation alone is estimated to reach 47 billion USD by 2030. Furthermore, in the common international trend, the Vietnamese animation industry has also entered the digital content playground with the active participation of many state-owned and private units, aiming to increase the contribution of animation products towards promoting the country's film and cultural industry.
