MANILA – The next Adventure Time, Uncle Grandpa, or Powerpuff Girls could very well come from the Philippines as Cartoon Network searches for talent to develop a new series for the kids’ TV channel.
Having been a long-time partner of independent Filipino production studio Top Draw Animation, Cartoon Network has expressed its interest in working with and supporting writers and storyboard artists from the Philippines.
“We do a lot of looking around through Asia-Pacific but especially here because there’s just so many people that can draw really, really well here and animate really, really well here,” Silas Hickey, Cartoon Network’s Creative Director for Animation Development in Asia Pacific, said.
Hickey added that an enthusiasm for animation really sets Filipinos apart.
“The thing about the Philippines that is really different to other areas of the region is that I can have a conversation with people, ordinary people on the street about cartoons that I grew up with,” he said. “Everybody is generally enthusiastic about cartoons and animation…it’s something I really love about the Philippines.”
Top Draw founder Wayne Dearing added that Filipinos have an edge when it comes to understanding the humor of Western shows.
“The Philippines grew up on a diet of Western Culture and television…and so we’re not making animation for our own appetite, we’re making it for what we understand the international audience wants,” he explained. “The sense of humor, the understanding of the sense of humor, the context of it is what the strength here compared to anywhere in the region is.”
Dearing pointed out that Cartoon Network looking for talent gives Filipinos a long-awaited opportunity to create their own shows.
“There must have been a thousand times when Filipinos expressed the desire to originate their own ideas to the point sometimes that they get frustrated that all we do, we make other people’s cartoons. So this is a great opportunity,” he said.
“You have an avenue now, so next time says to me, why don’t we make our own thing, my answer will be: well you can,” he added.
So what kind of original content is Cartoon Network looking for exactly?
Hickey said that non-dialogue or slapstick shows tend to work better because it is not limited by the language barrier.
He explained: “It travels better across Asia if it’s going to be a regional property, which is much more important for us.”
He also said that they are looking for original, character-driven comedy and strong ideas that leave room to be developed.
“We don’t want to see too much. As I mentioned, the skinnier the better, solid in terms of the story, but if it’s a good idea and it’s not developed too far, than we can get involved at an earlier stage and try to steer it more towards the Cartoon Network brand,” he explained.
“There really does seem to be an incredible pool of talent here. I want to see more original production come out of here. I think that would be a good thing,” Hickey said.
Presently, Cartoon Network and Top Draw are working with Bogan Entertainment Solutions in Australia to produce two new shows: Monster Beach, and Exchange Student Zero.
At a Top Draw studio tour, a talent competition was held where staff dressed as their favorite characters from the two projects. They also performed various scenes from the TV series. Dearing commented: “Today’s talent show was a chance for our local staff to show the passion that they pour into their work. There’s plenty of creativity here in the Philippines, and with support from global networks like Cartoon Network, the animation industry here is looking very rosy.”
Monster Beach premieres in the Philippines at 5:00 p.m. on Halloween, October 31. Exchange Student Zero, an animated series which also features an Asia-Pacific collaboration, will premiere on Cartoon Network in mid-2015.
