Outsourcing of animation to the Philippines
[1] The rising need for outsourced services, mainly from the United States and Europe, caused the continued flourishing of animation studios in the country.
Today, the country is regarded as one of the main and "stronger players" in outsourced and global animated cartoon production.
[3] Primetime Emmy-winner Jess Española started working with Fil-Cartoons, a subsidiary of Hanna-Barbera in Pasig where he served as lead animator and supervisor in 1985.
[4][5] After he left Hanna-Barbera in the late-1990s due to layoffs, he joined Film Roman to work as a layout artist and assistant director for King of the Hill and Futurama, and later The Simpsons after he met Matt Groening.
[6] Other major studios in the country have emerged including Toei Animation, a Japanese company with a Philippine subsidiary that has worked on G.I.
Though both have long been considered competitors in the global information technology industry, India is admittedly way ahead of the Philippines in terms of size and manpower.
Instead of competing against each other, Aninash Gupta, minister of the Embassy of India, encourages “coopetition”, which means cooperation among competitors.
By complementing their strengths, both Philippine and Indian animation companies could enter joint ventures to be able to be at par with other Asian countries, like Singapore and Hong Kong, and garner larger parts of the market including the US.
In a press conference, Mr. Gupta and Filipino economist Bernardo Villegas urged for the formation of partnerships and business opportunities that the Philippines and India could explore.
[13] Currently, Toon City belongs to an exclusive list of studios, as it has been recognized with the Emmy award of Outstanding Animated Children's Program in 2010, for "Curious George."
A majority of the studio's projects involve work scopes that concern scene layouts, composited animations, storyboards, and designs.
Recently, approximately 90 percent of animations are created in Asia,[17] including India, China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines.
Reasons for choosing the Philippines by such American animation producers include the influence of Western humor, nuances,[18] 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.
Reasons given include the country's English-language competence, competitively priced labor for a range of middle-level technical skills, familiarity with American cultural norms, and widespread international employment experience.
The DTI led a five-company delegation to the 2002 International Animated Film Market in Annecy, France, the world's largest show, and promoted Philippine animation companies in the 19th International Film and Program Market for TV, Video, Cable and Satellite in Cannes, France.
[24] Controversies arose regarding the majority of Filipino animation studios who continue to outsource their talents to foreign film makers for non-Filipino audiences due to financial issues.
