Filipino cartoon and animation
Encyclopedia
Filipino cartoon and animation, also known as Pinoy cartoon and animation, is a body of original cultural and artistic works and styles applied to conventional Filipino storytelling, combined with talent and the appropriate application of classic animation
principles, methods, and techniques, which recognizes their relationship with Filipino culture, comics
, and films. It also delves into relying on traditional and common Filipino “sense of going about things” or manner of coping with Filipino life
and environment.
s, known as komiks
. During the late 1920s, Filipino writer Romualdo Ramos and Filipino visual artist Antonio “Tony” Velasquez created the cartoon character named Kenkoy. It appeared in the pages of the Tagalog-language
Liwayway
magazine as a weekly comic strip
entitled Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy or "Kenkoy's antics". Because of its popularity it became a Filipino icon and was translated into other regional languages
in the Philippines. Since then, other cartoon characters were created by other Filipino comic book artists. The creation of Kenkoy also influenced the works of Filipino musicians such as Nicanor Abelardo
(the product was the libretto
Hay Naku Kenkoy or "Oh, My Gosh, Kenkoy!"), and the emergence of a typical Kenkoy-like pronunciation of English words which came to be known as “Kenkoy’s English” and “Carabao
English
”. This influence of Kenkoy gave birth to original Filipino language
vocabulary, such as Barok
(also became a stand-alone cartoon character), Jeproks, and Pinoy
, the colloquial form of the word Filipino
. Kenkoy also survived the arrival of the Japanese during World War II
. Kenkoy became a tool of the Japanese occupier
s for disseminating health program
s. Other Filipinos who excelled in the Philippine komiks and cartoon industry are Francisco Coching and Alex Niño.
. RPN-9 began airing in November 1986. Garcia is considered as the pioneer of Filipino animation industry. From 1995 to 1997, Garcia also brought into life Adarna, the first Filipino full-length animation movie, based on the story of the Adarna bird. Garcia wrote the story and directed Adarna under FLT Productions and Guiding Light Productions. Adarna received recognition from the Metro Manila Film Festival
on December 27, 1997 as the first animated movie in Philippine cinema. In 1998, it was also included in the Asian Collection of Japan
’s 7th Hiroshima Animation Festival.
In 2008, Garcia’s creation was later followed by the second Filipino full-length animated feature film, Urduja
, a Philippine animation product using a mixture of digital and traditional animation techniques.
. One more is Alfredo P. Alcala who, apart from creating several comic strips in the Philippines, worked for American comic book firms, namely DC Comics
, Dark Horse Comics
, and Marvel Comics. Another recognized Filipino animator is Benedict Carandang, the co-founder of Tuldok Animation Studios and recipient of the United Kingdom’s British Council’s 2008 Young Screen Entrepreneur. Carandang produced the animation of Ramon del Prado's short-film entitled, Libingan or “The Burial”, an animated cartoon inspired by the hanging coffins
of Sagada, Mountain Province
.
.
. Recently, approximately 90 percent of animations are created in Asia
, including India, China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore and the Philippines. The current trend is that American animation companies are setting up more animation studios in the Philippines. Many animated cartoons are currently created and subcontracted in studios of Disney, Marvel
, Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbera, Cartoon Network
and Universal Studios
in the Philippines. An example is the Filipino company called Fil-Cartoons, a subsidiary of Hanna Barbera and Turner Broadcasting. Reasons for choosing the Philippines by such American animation producers include the influence of Western humor, nuances, and culture
to Filipinos, the existence of talented Filipino artists, an established local animation industry, the emergence of the business process outsourcing industry in the country, and cheaper production costs. Compared with India where outsource studios are supported by India's profitable software industry the Philippines are ahead in 2D animation due to their close ties to the Western mindset. Producing animated cartoons is also cheaper than in other Asian countries. An example of an American comic book superhero for Marvel Comics
drawn by a Filipino is Wolverine
. The trend in the industry is paving the way for making the Philippines as the world’s “cartoon capital”. Filipino cartoonists are also known illustrators of Japanese-style cartoons called anime
and manga
.
serves as the primary overseer and coordinator for Filipino animators. The Council is sustained by the Business Process Association of the Philippines.
contraction of animation and imagination, is a Philippine animation festival established by the Animation Council of the Philippines. Its purpose is to recognize Filipino animators and their original works.
, a Filipino English
teacher named Leonila Liberato incorporated editorial cartoon
s, such as from the Philippine Daily Inquirer
, in her lesson plan
s for critical reading classes, resulting to her winning Inquirer’s Education (IIE) Lesson Plan Contest. Liberato’s purpose was to acquaint Filipino students with current events and issues happening in the Philippines, and to promote a “higher order of thinking”, through editorial cartoons.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
principles, methods, and techniques, which recognizes their relationship with Filipino culture, comics
Komiks
Comics in the Philippines were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century, particularly after World War II, the medium became widespread and popular throughout the country, though its popularity has subsided somewhat with the advent of...
, and films. It also delves into relying on traditional and common Filipino “sense of going about things” or manner of coping with Filipino life
Filipino values
The Filipino value system or Filipino values refers to the set of values or the value system that a majority of Filipino people have historically held important in their lives. This Philippine value system includes their own unique assemblage of consistent ideologies, moral codes, ethical...
and environment.
First Filipino cartoon
Original Filipino cartoons began with the publication of local comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, known as komiks
Komiks
Comics in the Philippines were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century, particularly after World War II, the medium became widespread and popular throughout the country, though its popularity has subsided somewhat with the advent of...
. During the late 1920s, Filipino writer Romualdo Ramos and Filipino visual artist Antonio “Tony” Velasquez created the cartoon character named Kenkoy. It appeared in the pages of the Tagalog-language
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
Liwayway
Liwayway
Liwayway is a leading Tagalog weekly magazine published in the Philippines since 1922. It contains Tagalog serialized novels, short stories, poetry, serialized comics, essays, news features, entertainment news and articles, and many others. In fact, it is the oldest Tagalog magazine in the...
magazine as a weekly comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
entitled Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy or "Kenkoy's antics". Because of its popularity it became a Filipino icon and was translated into other regional languages
Central Philippine languages
The Central Philippine languages are the most geographically widespread demonstrated group of languages in the Philippines, being spoken in southern Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Sulu. They are also the most populous, including Tagalog , Bikol, and the major Visayan languages Cebuano, Hiligaynon,...
in the Philippines. Since then, other cartoon characters were created by other Filipino comic book artists. The creation of Kenkoy also influenced the works of Filipino musicians such as Nicanor Abelardo
Nicanor Abelardo
Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo was a Filipino composer who composed over a hundred of Kundiman songs, especially before the Second World War.-Life:...
(the product was the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
Hay Naku Kenkoy or "Oh, My Gosh, Kenkoy!"), and the emergence of a typical Kenkoy-like pronunciation of English words which came to be known as “Kenkoy’s English” and “Carabao
Carabao
The carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia...
English
Philippine English
Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
”. This influence of Kenkoy gave birth to original Filipino language
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
vocabulary, such as Barok
Barok
Barok is considered as one of the most popular komiks characters in the Philippines created by Filipino cartoonist Bert Sarile and Filipino comic book script writer Polly Rallanca in 1973...
(also became a stand-alone cartoon character), Jeproks, and Pinoy
Pinoy
Pinoy is an informal demonym referring to the Filipino people in the Philippines and overseas Filipinos around the world. Filipinos usually refer to themselves as Pinoy or sometimes the feminine Pinay...
, the colloquial form of the word Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
. Kenkoy also survived the arrival of the Japanese during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Kenkoy became a tool of the Japanese occupier
Japanese occupation of the Philippines
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines was the period in the history of the Philippines between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan occupied the previously American-controlled Philippines during World War II....
s for disseminating health program
Medical education in the Philippines
Medical education in the Philippines is principally offered and developed by accredited and government recognized medical schools in the country.The Philippine medical schools are graduate schools offering the Doctor of Medicine degree. The M.D...
s. Other Filipinos who excelled in the Philippine komiks and cartoon industry are Francisco Coching and Alex Niño.
Filipino animation pioneer
The first Filipino-made cartoon for television was Panday, created by Gerry Garcia in the 1980s based on the comic book character of the same name produced by Carlo J. CaparasCarlo J. Caparas
Magno "Carlo" Jose Caparas , widely known as Carlo J. Caparas, is a Filipino comic strip creator/writer-turned director and producer, who is best known for creating Filipino superheroes and comic book characters such as Panday, Bakekang, Totoy Bato, Joaquin Bordado, Kamagong, Kamandag, Elias...
. RPN-9 began airing in November 1986. Garcia is considered as the pioneer of Filipino animation industry. From 1995 to 1997, Garcia also brought into life Adarna, the first Filipino full-length animation movie, based on the story of the Adarna bird. Garcia wrote the story and directed Adarna under FLT Productions and Guiding Light Productions. Adarna received recognition from the Metro Manila Film Festival
Metro Manila Film Festival
upright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
on December 27, 1997 as the first animated movie in Philippine cinema. In 1998, it was also included in the Asian Collection of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
’s 7th Hiroshima Animation Festival.
In 2008, Garcia’s creation was later followed by the second Filipino full-length animated feature film, Urduja
Urduja (film)
Urduja is a 2008 animated film adaptation of the legend of the warrior princess Urduja of Pangasinan. It is the first of two locally produced animated films set for release in 2008. The other, Dayo, is set for a December 2008 release, in time for the Metro Manila Film Festival...
, a Philippine animation product using a mixture of digital and traditional animation techniques.
Other Filipino cartoonists
Another known Filipino pioneer cartoonist is Lauro Alcala, more popularly known as Larry AlcalaLarry Alcala
Lauro Zarate Alcala , also known as Larry Alcala, was a well-known editorial cartoonist and illustrator in the Philippines.He was born on August 18, 1926 to Ernesto Alcala and Elpidia Zarate in Daraga, Albay...
. One more is Alfredo P. Alcala who, apart from creating several comic strips in the Philippines, worked for American comic book firms, namely DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, and Marvel Comics. Another recognized Filipino animator is Benedict Carandang, the co-founder of Tuldok Animation Studios and recipient of the United Kingdom’s British Council’s 2008 Young Screen Entrepreneur. Carandang produced the animation of Ramon del Prado's short-film entitled, Libingan or “The Burial”, an animated cartoon inspired by the hanging coffins
Hanging coffins
Hanging coffins are coffins which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In China, they are known as Xuanguan which also means "hanging coffin".-China:...
of Sagada, Mountain Province
Sagada, Mountain Province
Sagada is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 10,930 people in 2,158 households....
.
Beginnings
The beginnings of Philippine animation industry began as early as the 1980s. The local Philippine animation industry has been established for twenty years. Among the first animation offices in the country were Burbank Animation, Inc., Asian Animation, Fil-Cartoons, TOEI Animation, Roadrunner, Toon City Animation Inc., and Tuldok Animation Studios among others totaling to greater than 50 animation companies. The clientele of Philippine studios supply the demand coming from the United States and Europe. Today, the said country is regarded as one of the main and “stronger players” in outsourced and global animated cartoon production. The Philippines is second to India in providing services related to business outsourcingBusiness process outsourcing in the Philippines
Business process outsourcing or BPO is an emerging industry in the Philippines.-Overview:The business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines has grown 46% annually since 2006. This boom is led by demand for offshore call centers...
.
Outsourcing services
In previous years, cartoons were primarily developed and produced in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Recently, approximately 90 percent of animations are created in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, including India, China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore and the Philippines. The current trend is that American animation companies are setting up more animation studios in the Philippines. Many animated cartoons are currently created and subcontracted in studios of Disney, Marvel
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
, Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbera, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in the Philippines. An example is the Filipino company called Fil-Cartoons, a subsidiary of Hanna Barbera and Turner Broadcasting. Reasons for choosing the Philippines by such American animation producers include the influence of Western humor, nuances, and culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
to Filipinos, the existence of talented Filipino artists, an established local animation industry, the emergence of the business process outsourcing industry in the country, and cheaper production costs. Compared with India where outsource studios are supported by India's profitable software industry the Philippines are ahead in 2D animation due to their close ties to the Western mindset. Producing animated cartoons is also cheaper than in other Asian countries. An example of an American comic book superhero for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
drawn by a Filipino is Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
. The trend in the industry is paving the way for making the Philippines as the world’s “cartoon capital”. Filipino cartoonists are also known illustrators of Japanese-style cartoons called anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
.
Animation Council of the Philippines
The Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc.Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc.
The Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. is a non-profit and non-stock organization in the Philippines that specializes in 2D and 3D animation...
serves as the primary overseer and coordinator for Filipino animators. The Council is sustained by the Business Process Association of the Philippines.
Filipino animation festival
Animahenasyon, a FilipinizedFilipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
contraction of animation and imagination, is a Philippine animation festival established by the Animation Council of the Philippines. Its purpose is to recognize Filipino animators and their original works.
Education and editorial cartoons
In Davao CityDavao City
The City of Davao is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its international airport and seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the Philippines....
, a Filipino English
Philippine English
Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...
teacher named Leonila Liberato incorporated editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
s, such as from the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
, in her lesson plan
Education in the Philippines
During the period of governance of Spain and the United States, education in the Philippines changed radically, mostly modeled on the system of education in the United States of the time...
s for critical reading classes, resulting to her winning Inquirer’s Education (IIE) Lesson Plan Contest. Liberato’s purpose was to acquaint Filipino students with current events and issues happening in the Philippines, and to promote a “higher order of thinking”, through editorial cartoons.
See also
- Cartoon Network (Philippines)
- List of Filipino comic creators
- List of Filipino superheroes
- List of Filipino supervillains