Geng: The Adventure Begins
Encyclopedia
Geng: The Adventure Begins is the first Malaysian computer animated
feature film. The film is produced by Les' Copaque
and released in Malaysian cinemas beginning 12 February 2009.
Geng was launched in a ceremony held on 11 September 2007 together with short animated series Upin & Ipin
that have connections with the film. Planning for the film began in late-2005 as Les Copaque commenced operations. It received financial support from ICT-related agencies such as Multimedia Development Corporation
and MIMOS
.
orchard. However their simple holiday trip is cut short by the discovery of a clue that leads them closer to the legend of the mystery house deep in the forest of death. Together with their newly found friends, Rajoo the animal-whispering boy, Ros (who Badrol develops a crush on, and she also revealed that she loved Badrol too) the village beauty, and her two cute twin brothers, Upin and Ipin, they work together to unravel the secrets surrounding the small Kampung.
s to complete Geng, which director Mohd Nizam Abdul Razak compares as cheap against Western animation budgets worth "around RM15 million to RM40 million" and "about 130 to 150 animators".
Les'Copaque Production's Managing Director, Burhanuddin Md Radzi, told that planning the film began when Mohd Nizam, Muhammad Usamah Zaid and Mohd Safwan Ab Karim met him to read out their plan. In terms of cost-saving, he said that the computers were bought from Low Yat Plaza
with modifications of their own, besides financial and logistic support from MDeC
, Mimos Bhd
and MOSTI". Maya
and MentalRay
were employed as the main 3D animation software. Nizam added that supply from Mimos worth millions of ringgit
allowed Les' Copaque to perform rendering
in only six to eight months compared to the usual over-one-year period, as well as saving costs.
Geng was completed in August 2008 at 108 minutes, and was previewed to invited guests from MDeC, Finas, Mimos, RTM
, Media Prima, Astro and the press. It had been shortened to 90 minutes on the advice of Finas to please the cinema operators. Les' Copaque was also busy completing the Upin & Ipin
shorts for television which somewhat disrupted post-production of Geng. Les' Copaque prepared five original Geng reels, three of which were sent to Kantana Group
in Bangkok
, Thailand
for audio mixing. On November 2008, Les' Copaque announced the Censorship Board
's approval of their film without cuts and permission to screen by Finas.
The music for Geng is mainly composed by Yuri Wong, who also composed music for the related animated series Upin & Ipin
, along with Mohamed Azfaren Aznam, who contributed music as a second composer.
nominees Slumdog Millionaire
and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
.
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
feature film. The film is produced by Les' Copaque
Les' Copaque Production
Les' Copaque Production is a MSC-certified animation and film production company based in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Founded in 2005, it is best known for the production of the commercially and critically acclaimed TV series Upin & Ipin and Geng: The Adventure Begins.-History:Les' Copaque was established...
and released in Malaysian cinemas beginning 12 February 2009.
Geng was launched in a ceremony held on 11 September 2007 together with short animated series Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin is a Malaysian television series of animated shorts produced by Les' Copaque Production, which features the life and adventures of the eponymous twin brothers in a fictional Malaysian kampung...
that have connections with the film. Planning for the film began in late-2005 as Les Copaque commenced operations. It received financial support from ICT-related agencies such as Multimedia Development Corporation
Multimedia Development Corporation
The Multimedia Development Corporation is a government-owned institution responsible for the management of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia as a technology industry and commerce zone....
and MIMOS
MIMOS
MIMOS Berhad is a strategic agency under purview of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation . The agency is led by Dato’ Wahab Abdullah, who was appointed in July 2006, to become the premier applied research centre in frontier technologies; and transform the landscape of the...
.
Plot
Bored with nothing to do for their school holidays, Badrol invites his best friend Lim to go on a camping trip at his old Kampung where he grew up, with intentions to experience some long-forgotten true Malaysian life in his Grandfather’s durianDurian
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
orchard. However their simple holiday trip is cut short by the discovery of a clue that leads them closer to the legend of the mystery house deep in the forest of death. Together with their newly found friends, Rajoo the animal-whispering boy, Ros (who Badrol develops a crush on, and she also revealed that she loved Badrol too) the village beauty, and her two cute twin brothers, Upin and Ipin, they work together to unravel the secrets surrounding the small Kampung.
Cast
English-language actors are noted in parenthesis- Amir Izwan as Badrol (Lyon Smith)
- Kee Yong Pin as Lim (Thomas SangsterThomas SangsterThomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
) - Nur Fathiah Diaz as Upin & Ipin (Alyson StonerAlyson StonerAlyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
) - Balqis Fadhullah Lee as Ros (Stephanie MorgensternStephanie MorgensternStephanie Grace Morgenstern is a Swiss-Canadian actress, filmmaker, and screenwriter for television and film. Born in Geneva, Switzerland and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Morgenstern began her acting career when she was 15. She has worked extensively on stage, film, and television in both English...
) - Kannan Rajan as Rajoo (Will SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
)
Production
It took two years, RM 4.7 million and 40 local animatorAnimator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
s to complete Geng, which director Mohd Nizam Abdul Razak compares as cheap against Western animation budgets worth "around RM15 million to RM40 million" and "about 130 to 150 animators".
Les'Copaque Production's Managing Director, Burhanuddin Md Radzi, told that planning the film began when Mohd Nizam, Muhammad Usamah Zaid and Mohd Safwan Ab Karim met him to read out their plan. In terms of cost-saving, he said that the computers were bought from Low Yat Plaza
Low Yat Plaza
Low Yat Plaza , or commonly referred to as LYP, is an established commercial shopping centre specializing in electronics and IT products in Malaysia...
with modifications of their own, besides financial and logistic support from MDeC
Multimedia Development Corporation
The Multimedia Development Corporation is a government-owned institution responsible for the management of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia as a technology industry and commerce zone....
, Mimos Bhd
MIMOS
MIMOS Berhad is a strategic agency under purview of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation . The agency is led by Dato’ Wahab Abdullah, who was appointed in July 2006, to become the premier applied research centre in frontier technologies; and transform the landscape of the...
and MOSTI". Maya
Maya (software)
Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
and MentalRay
Mental Ray
mental ray is a production-quality rendering application developed by mental images . mental images was bought in December 2007 by NVIDIA.As the name implies, it supports ray tracing to generate images....
were employed as the main 3D animation software. Nizam added that supply from Mimos worth millions of ringgit
Ringgit
Ringgit mostly refers to the Malaysian ringgit, which is the local currency in Malaysia, but it can also refer to the Brunei dollar or Singapore dollar in the Malay language. The word ringgit was originally used to refer to the serrated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the area...
allowed Les' Copaque to perform rendering
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
in only six to eight months compared to the usual over-one-year period, as well as saving costs.
Geng was completed in August 2008 at 108 minutes, and was previewed to invited guests from MDeC, Finas, Mimos, RTM
Radio Televisyen Malaysia
The Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia, DBA Radio Televisyen Malaysia , is a Malaysian state-owned public broadcaster. It owns and operates a number of radio and television stations in Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur...
, Media Prima, Astro and the press. It had been shortened to 90 minutes on the advice of Finas to please the cinema operators. Les' Copaque was also busy completing the Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin is a Malaysian television series of animated shorts produced by Les' Copaque Production, which features the life and adventures of the eponymous twin brothers in a fictional Malaysian kampung...
shorts for television which somewhat disrupted post-production of Geng. Les' Copaque prepared five original Geng reels, three of which were sent to Kantana Group
Kantana Group
Kantana Group Public Company Limited is a film and television production company based in Bangkok, Thailand. It is one of Thailand's oldest and largest film studios. The company's post-production facilities, including the joint-venture Oriental Post, are a major Asian hub for film processing and...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
for audio mixing. On November 2008, Les' Copaque announced the Censorship Board
Film Censorship Board of Malaysia
The Film Censorship Board of Malaysia is a Malaysian government ministry that vets films. It is under the control of the Home Ministry.The Board was established under the Film Censorship Act, and its role was revised in 2002 under an updated version of the Act. Any film that is to be screened in...
's approval of their film without cuts and permission to screen by Finas.
The music for Geng is mainly composed by Yuri Wong, who also composed music for the related animated series Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin
Upin & Ipin is a Malaysian television series of animated shorts produced by Les' Copaque Production, which features the life and adventures of the eponymous twin brothers in a fictional Malaysian kampung...
, along with Mohamed Azfaren Aznam, who contributed music as a second composer.
Reception
Les' Copaque has been reported to place targets ranging from RM5 million to RM10 million, and even RM100 million after considering international distribution plans. Geng opened on 12 February 2009 to incredible public response and rave reviews. On its first week in Malaysian cinemas, it gained RM2.3 million at the box office. As of 1 April, it was confirmed that Geng had amassed RM 6,314,526 of ticket sales throughout its seven weeks on Malaysian silver screens, in a rare event in which a Malaysian film has single handedly defeated an array of major foreign releases, which at that time included Oscar81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
nominees Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
.
Box office chronology
| Days of screening | Cumulative sales |
|---|---|
| 4 days (15 February) | RM 1.75 million |
| 7 days (18 February ) | RM2.3 million |
| 11 days (22 February) | RM3.7 million |
| 14 days (25 February) | RM 4.09 million |
| 18 days (1 March) | RM4.8 million |
| 26 days (9 March) | RM 5.72 million |
| 35 days (18 March) | RM 6.011 million |
| 39 days (22 March) | RM 6.24 million |
| 43 days (26 March) | RM 6.28 million |
| 49 days (1 April) | RM 6.31 million |
Awards
2009- International Film Festival for Children, Indonesia
- Anugerah Pilihan Penonton (People's Choice Awards)
- 22nd Malaysian Film Festival
- 2 Jury's Choice Awards (box office, animated feature film with distinctive characters)
- MSC Malaysia Kre8tif! Industry Awards
- Best Editor (Mohd Faiz Hanafiah)
- Best Music/Score (Yuri Wong)