The Hindu Business Line : Toonz film chosen for global fest

AN animation film called Penguins to the Zoo directed by 10-year-old Arun V. of Thiruvananthapuram has been selected for screening in the competition category of the Ottawa 03 International Student Animation Festival (SAFO 2003) to be held in October this year.

Mr Bill Dennis, CEO, Toonz Animation India, said the film was one among the 65 films selected for screening at SAFO from 1,200 entries this year.

"The honours being received by various films at different international festivals just underscore the difference Toonz Animation has been able to make in unearthing animation talent in this part of the world," he added.

In May, the film had bagged the Honour's Award at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI) in the US.

It is, along with the other films that have fetched honours this year, an outcome of the Children's Animation Workshop conducted by Toonz last summer.

The film tells the story of a group of penguins that have a fun-filled adventure when the truck in which they are transferred to the zoo breaks down, giving them a chance to explore the urban jungle.

"A highly creative child, Arun was instrumental in the design and feel of his story from the beginning till the end. He is a Class V student of St Joseph's School," Mr Dennis said.

The Children's Animation Workshop, an annual event sponsored and conducted by Toonz Animation, is designed to promote animation among children in India and help ignite their creative talents.

Children from all over the country are invited to submit their story ideas and drawings for making a two-to-three-minute cartoon. From thousands of entries, the best ideas are chosen and the children and their parents are invited to the Toonz studios here to attend the workshop and direct the pre-production of their films.

The children work with writers and artists refining their scripts, further developing their characters and determining the style of animation.

SAFO showcases the finest emerging animation talent from around the world. It will take place from October 16-19 at the National Archives of Canada.

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