The Adventure of Sudsakorn
Encyclopedia
The Adventure of Sudsakorn is a 1979 Thai animated
fantasy film
. The only cel-animated
feature film
ever made in Thailand
, it was directed by Payut Ngaokrachang
. It was released in Thailand on Songkran Day, April 13, 1979. Since then, it has occasionally been seen at film festivals around the world but has not been made available for international audiences on DVD or video.
The story is based on Phra Aphai Mani
, a 30,000-line epic written by Thailand's best-known poet, Sunthorn Phu
. In 2006, the story was adapted into a Thai live-action fantasy film, The Legend of Sudsakorn.
, the son of a mermaid and a minstrel
prince, fights on different occasions, an elephant, shark, and dragon horse, and encounters in his meanderings a king, a hermit, a yogi, a magic wand, and ghosts.
"I made a lot of my equipment from pieces I got from junk of World War II military surplus," Payut told writer John A. Lent. "I'd find a screw here, a crank there, etc. I used a combat camera and adapted it. I pulled together pieces of wood, aluminum, whatever I could find."
The intense, detailed work on Sudsakorn impaired Payut's eyesight. "I did all the key drawings myself, even the layout and design ... I was almost blind from doing that film and now I wear contacts. My right eye is long, my left is short, crooked because of all that detailed work."
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...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
. The only cel-animated
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
ever made in 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...
, it was directed by Payut Ngaokrachang
Payut Ngaokrachang
Payut Ngaokrachang was a Thai cartoonist and animator. He created Thai cinema's first cel-animated feature film, The Adventure of Sudsakorn.-Early life:...
. It was released in Thailand on Songkran Day, April 13, 1979. Since then, it has occasionally been seen at film festivals around the world but has not been made available for international audiences on DVD or video.
The story is based on Phra Aphai Mani
Phra Aphai Mani
Phra Aphai Mani is a 30,000-line epic written by Thailand's best-known poet, Sunthorn Phu. It has been adapted into the films The Adventure of Sudsakorn and Legend of Sudsakorn, and the comics Apaimanee Saga....
, a 30,000-line epic written by Thailand's best-known poet, Sunthorn Phu
Sunthorn Phu
Phra Sunthorn Vohara, known as Sunthorn Phu, is Thailand’s best-known royal poet. He was active in the Rattanakosin era....
. In 2006, the story was adapted into a Thai live-action fantasy film, The Legend of Sudsakorn.
Plot
SudsakornSudsakorn
Sudsakorn is a fictional character in Sunthorn Phu's story of Phra Aphai Mani. Sudsakorn is son of Phra Aphaimani and a mermaid. He was born at Ko Kaeo Pisadan without ever seeing his father...
, the son of a mermaid and a minstrel
Minstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
prince, fights on different occasions, an elephant, shark, and dragon horse, and encounters in his meanderings a king, a hermit, a yogi, a magic wand, and ghosts.
Background
Production started in 1976 and was plagued with shortages of capital, personnel and equipment. For the first six months, the crew had 100 workers, but by the second year their numbers were reduced to nine."I made a lot of my equipment from pieces I got from junk of World War II military surplus," Payut told writer John A. Lent. "I'd find a screw here, a crank there, etc. I used a combat camera and adapted it. I pulled together pieces of wood, aluminum, whatever I could find."
The intense, detailed work on Sudsakorn impaired Payut's eyesight. "I did all the key drawings myself, even the layout and design ... I was almost blind from doing that film and now I wear contacts. My right eye is long, my left is short, crooked because of all that detailed work."
See also
- List of animated feature films
- List of films based on poems
- Khan KluayKhan KluayKhan Kluay is a 2006 Thai computer-animated feature film set during Ayutthaya-era Siam about an elephant who wanders away from his mother and eventually becomes the war elephant for King Naresuan...
(Thailand's first computer-animated film)