Korean Animation

Words and photos by Wil Rawlins

“Don’t have a cow, man,” “Go Joe!” and the ever-popular “Hello Nurse!”  These are famous catch phrases of some of our favorite cartoon characters. As familiar as most are with the hilarious antics and compelling adventures of animated characters, many are not aware of how they come to be. What exactly is the process involved in making an animated series? Furthermore, where is it made and who is making it? Fortunately all these questions can be answered right here in Gwangju. Recently the CGI center has opened in the Pungam area. This is the home of some well-established animation companies that are the invisible hand behind some of America’s and other countries’ most popular animated series.

What exactly has the Korean animation industry contributed to the cartoon world? Well for fans of the series The Simpson, Animaniacs and Transformers you should thank AKOM (Animation Korea Movie), which animated them. That’s not all – rough Draft Studios produced Futurama and Star Wars: Clone Wars 1 and 2. Also, King of the Hill, Rugrats, Recess and Lilo and Stich are the works of Anivision and Sunwoo Entertainment. The Korean animation industry is not just limited to western animated series. Popular Japanese Anime like Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, and Pokemon were made possible by DR Movie, a Korean animation studio with an exclusive partnership with the Japanese animation studio Madhouse. These are just a few examples of Korean contributions to animation. Actual involvement in many animated series by Korean companies is wide, in-depth and diverse.

Most of the Korean animation companies and studios are headquartered in Seoul. That is where you can find an up-and-coming company called Neon Pumpkin. Founded in 2006, Neon Pumpkin provides 2D, 3D and Flash animation services worldwide. Although new to the scene, this company has done work for Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Moonscoope, Toonzone and Xilam. Some of their projects include Dora’s Explorer Girls TV Special (USA), Three Little Daughters (Japan) and Oggy and the Cockroach (France). Providing excellent leadership by demanding quality and creativity, Han Ok-rye brings twenty years of animation experience to her company. Recently Han has decided to open a subsidiary company in the Pungam CGI building called Neon Creative. Here is where we can get a better understanding of how the animation process works in Korea.

One of the best ways to get futher insight is from the animators themselves at Neon Creation. Gwangju News has interviewed the hard working people at this company from the most junior to the most senior staff, as well as the CEO herself.

CEO, Ms. Han

GN: What has changed in the animation industry over the years in Korea?

Ms. Han: Korean animation was usually made for America, Europe, and Japanese 2D OEM in the 1990s.

In the early 2000s, 3D animation companies started to make children’s TV series and creative work; since then the production environment has started to change.

After 2004, early animation companies developed creative abilities and techniques and they started to work with other countries. They realized that project investment and licensing are very important so they focus on extending their reach in world markets. Recently they have communicated and worked with China, which has been growing fast.

GN: Why did you decide to open Neon Creation in Gwangju?

Ms. Han: We expected that we would have a lot of support and get contracts with other animation companies because of the CGI center in Gwangju. We also believe that we can hire a lot of talented workers here.

Manager, Mr. Nam

Mr. Nam: 3D animation work requires a lot of creative ideas, so I have more mental stress than physical stress. Although sometimes I experience physical stress when we do lots of overtime work. Overall, the animation work is mentally demanding.

Senior 3D animator, Ms. Shin

 

GN: Why do you work at an animation studio?

Ms. Shin: I challenged myself to work in an animation company when I saw the animation work in theaters. Since then it has been my dream to work in this kind of job. It gives me great excitement and joy to do this work. It is amazingly creative to make nothing into something.

Junior 3D animator, Ms. Lee

 

GN: How did you prepare for work here?

Ms. Lee: I thought that it would be very important to have as much general knowledge and qualifications in animation as possible. I majored in animation in college and also took 3D animation classes where I learned Maya. I also attended a 3D animation class at 광주 정보 문화 산업 진흥원 and made a short story animation portfolio.

The animation industry in Korea is very interesting indeed. The new investment in the city of Gwangju through this industry can be seen as a testament to the ever-growing recognition the city is getting. Let’s hope, this will result in a creative, colorful and animated future for Gwangju.