Hollywood Animator Chris Reymonte on animation prospects in India

Gangtok, Dec 6 (UNI) Hollywood animator Chris Reymonte sees great prospect in the animation industry in India, but is also apprehensive that outsourcing of cheap work from abroad could lead to an unregulated mushrooming of unscrupulous institutes which are after money and not real talent.

''The talent pool in the country should concentrate more on original works so that it gains more credibility as well as benefits the industry rather than being exploited as a centre or facility for cheap work which is outsourced from abroad especially from the west,'' said Remymote.

The animator is in Sikkim as a resource person in the first Sikkim Career Fair being held at Chintan Bhavan here in the capital.

He has worked as an animator in over 60 films with many of them Hollywood productions and also has 20 odd television series to his credit.

The animator feels that India and China should grow from its present image of being just a dumping facility for cheap work and instead have more of its own production houses so that the enormous talent pool grows and benefits largely from it.

He said there were certain disadvantages of the outsourced work since it could make fake animators for the wrong reasons and not actually create talent.

'' People would be interested since there is money involved and creativity which is the art of animation will be lost. Further this will also give rise to mushrooming of unscrupulous institutes for business advertising excellent career placements,'' he opined.

Reymonte also opined that animation productions like Krishna and Ramayana epics have greatly enhanced the scope of animation in the country and said apart from reviving the culture and heritage and mythology of the country, the animated series has also shifted its focus from being just an entertainment for children alone and elevated animation into mainstream family entertainment which even adult members watch.

''People are coming forward and the animation industry in the country is booming. There are more people interested,'' he said adding unlike in his home country England where the industry is more of a cottage industry with very few people involved.

He said now with Richard Branson's Virgin comics having tied up with Gotham Chopra with productions like Sadhu etc and the young see a future in the animation industry.

Reymonte, who has also worked in the 1988 animation 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' that won four Oscars at the 61 Academy awards in 1989, in India for six months counselling for RTG animations based in Calcutta.

He has his own production houses like Cel Out films and presently heads Surrender films. Surrender films has recently completed a 26 episode television series tie up with the BBC in England to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular 'Muffin the Mule.' It will be aired on the British airwaves very soon, Reymonte said.

UNI