Malaysian-Korean 3-D Comedy in the Works

KUALA LUMPUR/SEOUL: At the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival Promotion Plan (SPP), Malaysian animation production company Centraline Animation and Korean media content producer ToonZip announced the joint-production of a 3-D adventure comedy, Robot ARPO.

The 52-episode animation series tells the story of a fearsome combat robot that has been turned into domestic helper by a wacky earthling family. In addition to the Robot ARPO project, Centraline is in the early stages of an animated movie production, and is expected to launch a new sport-themed animated series supported by a full range of merchandise offerings by the first quarter of 2010. Based in Korea, ToonZip is involved in the production of a diverse range of media content from digital animation to online games.

Centraline and ToonZip are supported by the involvement of multiple-award winner Jeffrey Scott, who has worked on such shows as Pocoyo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies. Robot ARPO will be one of the first Asian-produced animations penned by Scott.

"Centraline is pleased to be working with ToonZip, one of the most promising animation companies in Korea," said Centraline’s chairman, Damien Leong. "For a Malaysian-based animation entity, the collaboration with ToonZip represents an invaluable opportunity for us. It allows us to lead a new wave of Malaysian animation talents and showcase to the world what we are capable of achieving and how far the Malaysian animation industry has evolved."

Commenting on the collaboration, Kamil Othman, the VP of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDec), said, “Collaborations between creative companies will always result in synergies which may be difficult to achieve by any company doing it alone. I am proud to say that the co-production between Centraline and ToonZip, as well as other collaborations being established, will continue and sustain the growth of Malaysia’s library of exportable content to the world.”

"ToonZip and Centraline complement each other in expertise and network to ensure the production of a high-quality end-product that can appeal and penetrate multiple regions," ToonZip’s CEO, Nam Kyu Kang, added. "Centraline’s existing reach into China is especially vital to this synergistic collaboration because it allows the Robot ARPO project to tap into one of the fastest-growing animation regions in the world."