KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Ensemble Worldwide, and PETRONAS have released another fully animated film for the year, to commemorate the upcoming Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations.
Titled ‘Operasi Koperasi’, the animation piece is inspired by a nostalgic Malaysian childhood game “Lawan Pemadam” meaning “Battle of Erasers”. The film’s fresh take on unity explores PETRONAS’ 2020 Festive Campaign theme of “Our Unique Family” further.
The scene takes place in a school co-op and centres on 14 characters being the state flag erasers – each representing the 14 states in Malaysia. When three of the erasers fall off the shelf, panic ensues, and the remaining erasers deliberate over an impossible rescue mission.
Chan Woei Hern, Executive Creative Director of Ensemble Worldwide said, “School is when you truly learn how to be Malaysian. And with schools opening up again, the one lesson that all kids look forward to, is friendship. We fight, we compete, we disagree, but when it comes down to it, we’re in it together. Being able to tell it through the eyes of a bunch of state erasers, made this truly a #StoriesOfJoy narrative for PETRONAS.”
With teamwork and ingenious contraptions, the erasers manage to reunite with their family members. The film ends with them celebrating a successful operation, but with rain pouring down ominously and yet another obstacle ahead, the erasers band to face it together.
Woei Hern adds, “There were just so many little touches from the team, our partners and clients that made a world of difference. We all had a lot of fun with the storyline and little nuances of languages across the states. More importantly, it was a truly Malaysian effort behind-the-scene too.
“The first day #OperasiKoperasi went live, we had more shares than likes. That’s when we knew we had something really special. To see the public chime in, respond and react to the film is the best reward for all of us.”
The film went live on PETRONAS’ official YouTube channel and Facebook Page on August 24 and has quickly garnered over 1.5 million views across both channels. The 60- second commercial version will be on air on TV till September 16.
The film is directed by Ismail Kamarul and produced by Reservoir World with post-production from Astatica and audio production with Kena Sound/ Scifi Studio. It features 14 diverse characters and showcases dialects from different states, voiced by everyday Malaysians.
