Who hasn’t enjoyed movies such as The Lion King, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, all created at various Hollywood studios? Over the years, animated films have fascinated audiences the world over. Today, the emerging hubs of the global animation industry are to be found in countries such as China, South Korea and India.
A recent report on India’s media and entertainment sector, compiled jointly by FICCI and Ernst & Young, has a whole section devoted to the rapid rise of the animation industry. Incredibles 2 released last month in India across more than 925 screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu has collected more than `30 crore till date, surpassing the collection of Kung Fu Panda 3 and becoming the highest grossing animated film in India. Of the total collection, 34 per cent came from the film’s dubbed version.
According to the report, Hollywood’s film revenue in India driven by dubbed versions grew by over 10 per cent in 2016 and has been growing substantially every year. The Indian market is diverse, comprising several powerful regional centres. Local audiences are keen on watching Hollywood films in their own language. Dubbing these films into regional languages helps Hollywood to penetrate newer markets and attract a bigger audience. For example, the dubbed versions of The Jungle Book contributed to 58 per cent of its total earnings in India. In fact, in the first week of its release, the dubbed versions accounted for 52 per cent of the collection compared to 48 per cent from the English version.
Animated films which were once considered to be for the educated, multiplex and family audiences are now released in single screens catering to B and C centres too.
OTT & digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and VooT have also increased their Indian animation content. Amazon Prime has partnered with Green Gold Animation to commission exclusive animated series of its popular IPs such as Chhota Bheem. Netflix signed up Green Gold to produce Asia’s first animation original with their own IP – Mighty Little Bheem – to be syndicated in over 190 countries.
Talking to Sunday POST, R K Chand, Head of Business Development, Golden Robot Animation Pvt Ltd, elaborated on the growing popularity of animated films in India: “The most important aspect of animation as a genre is that it appeals to people of various age groups, be it kids, youngsters or grandparents. An animated movie may be made primarily for kids, but it usually has elements of storytelling and action for adults. Besides, it has unique and original characters.”
About many well-known Bollywood stars lending their voices to animated films, he said, “Dubbing plays a secondary role as compared to the story, visuals, music and the entertainment factor. The voice must fit the character, however. A voice will not appeal to the audience just because it is a film star’s.”
Chand pointed out that TV industry animation has more original content and locally created shows.
Talking about the marketing strategy for dubbed animated films, he said that India is a very diverse market and almost all animated films are released in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages. Other than using well-known local celebrity voices in the films, the producers undertake a lot of other marketing and publicity activities including film trailers in the theatres, newspaper advertisements, public relations campaigns, brand associations, social and digital media campaigns. The entire marketing mix is strategically implemented to reach the maximum number of people before the release of the film, he said.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan says that there is no doubt that the performance of animated movies has shown a remarkable growth. He attributed this to three major factors: firstly, a rise in the number of multiplexes; secondly, the superior quality of animated films which Hollywood brings out; and lastly, the storyline. He said that when top actors lend their voices to popular characters, it builds anticipation among the audience. In the past, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar, Irrfan Khan and Om Puri have dubbed for The Jungle Book. Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan dubbed for The Incredibles 1. For Incredibles 2, Disney roped in Bollywood actress Kajol to lend her voice to Helen (Elastigirl).
Sushil Kumar Agrawal, CEO, Ultra Media & Entertainment Group said, “India has a fair appetite for good animated films made in different languages if the story is engaging and told in the regional language. Hence, we are releasing a well-known Ukrainian film The Stolen Princess in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in India. The film has been very well received globally. It’s an engaging fairy tale, where the protagonists are involved in several adventures. It will appeal to children, teenagers and other age groups too. The arresting visuals will add to the appeal. We have also acquired other animated films from around the globe, which we will be releasing in theatres in due course of time.”
Deepak Panigrahi, visual effects compositor, who has created some scenes in Hollywood movies like Avengers: The Infinity War, Pacific Rim Uprising, Blade Runner 2049, Fast & Furious 8, Assassin’s Creed, Huntsman Winter War and Wrath of Titans, says that the fan base for Hollywood animated films is growing in India.
When asked whether the Odia film industry has scope for animation, he says, “The first and foremost thing required is manpower with the right skills and the Odia industry lacks that. Besides, animation requires a huge investment. There should be a substantial audience that appreciates animated movies too.”
SHABIHA NUR KHATOON, OP
