KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 – Back in 2002, CJ See took the bold leap of abandoning his career as a financial analyst.
All for the love of cartoons.
He co-founded the animation studio Inspidea with Andrew Ooi and the company has since become the go-to studio for world-class 2D animation in Southeast Asia with a global clientele such as Cartoon Network, Disney, Nickelodeon and Netflix.
In 2011, the animated series Pet Squad which Inspidea co-produced was nominated for a Bafta Children’s Award.
Asked what sparked his career change, See told Malay Mail: “I would have to say love – the love for cartoons and animation since I was very young.”
As a child, See grew up watching popular Cartoon Network animations such as Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory.
He has come full circle now that See is in the unique position of creating content for the cable television channel.
“As an adult, I still love the good old cartoons but I have also grown to love animations designed for adult audiences too,” he said.
The studio’s latest outing is Monster Beach, a Cartoon Network original series about two siblings on an endless summer vacation with their groovy monster buddies on a cursed beach which premiered over the weekend.
The Petaling Jaya-based studio, which led the international animation project, worked with creators based in Australia while Cartoon Network executive producers were based in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“We love working on international animation projects – very often you can work with a very diverse team, geographically and culturally,” See said.
“There are many things that we learned from each other and the process and experience can be very enriching.
“I guess we now understand the Australian creative community much better than before.”
When Inspidea directors and Endeavor entrepreneurs See and Ooi founded their animation studio 18 years ago, their journey began with a modest four-member team.
Today, their team has grown to more than 300 people, a testament to the studio’s success and the growing animation industry.
There was little support from the government back then and only a handful of studios existed then.
“The industry is now more vibrant with the government recognising creative industry being an important contributor to GDP.
“That’s why there are many programmes introduced by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia to support and grow the industry,” See said.
He went on to explain that Malaysia has been rising in ranks and recognition in the animation world and that the country has good 3D and 2D animation studios as well as reputable game asset studios that have been part of many international projects.
“Malaysian studios have been producing good work and having very good working ethics, which a lot of our international partners love.
“I am sure we stand tall among our peers in Southeast Asia,” See said.
Finding the right talent however, can be a challenge for animation studios in South-east Asia.
“Animation is a craft and finding artists who understand the craft and continuously polishing the craft is usually very rare,” he said.
In Japan, it has been widely reported that employees in the animation business often have to endure long-hours and low-pay conditions despite the genre’s popularity but luckily, things are different here.
See explained that Japanese animators, who usually produce content for the Japanese market, tend to have limited budgets.
Malaysian animators fortunately are able to speak multiple languages including English and that has worked in their favour.
“This has opened many doors for international clients from America, Australia and Europe.
“Animation in those countries usually has better budgets, and when you get a better budget for production, you will naturally pay your artists better – that’s a major difference that I see,” he said.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping across the globe and affecting businesses, Inspidea too is feeling the effects of Covid-19.
“While we could work from home, the volume of producing animation will certainly fall given the limitation we have on the movement of staff.
“So, it is very natural that the business will soften this year,” said See.
*Monster Beach airs Saturdays, 6.30pm on Cartoon Network (Astro Ch 615 HD/635).
