‘Only the strongest will survive in the animation industry’

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: Japanese animated series Pokemon, Digimon Tamers and Beyblade are already ruling the cartoon world globally and in India. Now more are on the way. One of India’s leading gaming and animation companies, DQ Entertainment (DQE), which is listed on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM), has tied up with a two-decade-old Japanese content company, THINK Corporation, which is developing four animation serials—Coluboccoro, Love Rollercoaster, Honeinukun and Pooky for pre-schoolers and tweens (7-11 years)—for global consumption. DQE chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti says, while the look, graphics and the story will be handled by THINK, the entire process, from scripting to post-production, is DQE’s responsibility. Chakravarti talks to Sudipta Datta on the synergy with THINK, how India is slowly opening up to high quality animation and why it does not make business sense to create properties (animation serials) just for the Indian market.

Excerpts:

What does the collaboration with THINK Corporation, Japan, mean for DQE?

To begin with, THINK has been developing these four properties, a post-modern era Pokemon and Digimon Tamers series if you will, for the past one-and-a-half years and now our teams in Hyderabad, Dublin, Paris and LA will be a part of it. While the storyline and the draft script is being created by THINK, maintaining Japanese creativity and culture, the draft will then go to our creative office in LA where it will be finalised. It’s important to give story telling and animation a global perspective. The storyboarding to animation production will be done in Hyderabad and the post-production in Ireland—truly a global initiative. We will be ready to introduce the four properties by fall 2009 up to 2011.

Will the animation industry consolidate?

Yes, only the strongest will survive. The industry should settle down in a few years. As it is, India is four to five years behind the world animation industry.

Give us a perspective on the Indian animation industry. Although Hanuman was a success, isn't quality an issue?

Hanuman, irrespective of any issues, had the first mover advantage and was welcomed by India with open arms. India, in just two years’ time, has become highly global with large-scale development of multiplexes and digital cinema as well as hunger for DTH video of international quality.

What’s DQE's calendar looking like?

Our animated IP library has 28 global properties including seven movies; TV distribution as well as DTH video distribution for properties like Delta State and Rat Man have already begun in India and Asia while, global TV and video distribution for famous properties like Skyland, Hoze Houndz, Benjamin Bear, Potatoes & Dragons, Jet Grooves, Pet Pals (II & III), Todd World (I & II), And Yet It Moves (I, II & III), Gloria Wilma & Me, Tutenstein are going on effectively for over a year generating IP revenues of substance this year onwards. We are very happy that iconic brands like Casper—the Friendly Ghost, Marvel Comics’ famous Iron Man, Twisted Whiskers and Maryoku Yummy from American Greetings have joined the library with co-productions and will join the Indian and global markets from beginning of 2009 onwards. This also includes our Indo-French joint-venture on an original idea developed with Japanese inspiration Mikido in co-production with our French partners and famous Little Leonardo with our long-term Italian partners.

What does the Bollywood foray mean to DQE?

We are systematically progressing towards entering the Indian market for animation and live-action productions in collaboration with major successful Bollywood producers. Our understanding with Percept Pictures company and some more to come are based on the fact that the domestic population and the Indian diaspora worldwide require high quality Indian stories meant for the global audience.

Does India have the talent to do this high quality work?