First cartoon cinema brings hope for future of VN animation
Friday, January 10, 2014, 12:15 GMT+7
On January 9th, Vietnam Cartoon Co. inaugurated Thanh Giong Cinema in Hanoi, the country’s first theater dedicated to screening cartoons only, bringing hope for the fledgling local animation industry.
The 150-seat cinema, located on the company’s premises on Tran Phu street, will screen its new cartoons for affordable ticket prices from VND15-20,000 (US$1) apiece.
In its first week from Jan 11 to 19, cartoons will be screened for free at 9.30-10.30am and 4-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The company also launched its latest 12 films in 3D and 2D formats, including “Anh chang so 9” (The No. 9 lad), “Doi con va cu non” (The young bat and owl) and “Chau chang chau chuoc” (The bullfrogs).
According to a company representative, if Thanh Giong Cinema does well, the company will launch another 100-seat, high-end theater soon.
Efforts to draw young audiences
According to Dang Vu Thao, CEO of the Vietnam Cartoon Co., unlike previous years in which only six or seven cartoons were made, the company produced up to 12 films in 2013 in efforts to attract kids’ interest.
Apart from screening its films at Thanh Giong Cinema and releasing them as DVDs, the company also launched the “The Best Cartoons” program, which is regularly broadcast on Kids TV on VTC11 from 5-5.20pm every day.
The company has also stepped up its promotion program in mass media and online.
Since 2012, the company released films online on MobiFone, Vinaphone, and Viettel mobile networks. There are over 1 million views of its cartoons online via cellphones and tablets since April 2012.
Despite the company’s tremendous efforts to attract the interest of local kids, it has been a struggle, as most Vietnamese youth prefer foreign cartoons with visually striking images and sophisticated technology. The young audiences also have several entertainment options besides cartoons, like video games and computer games.
The majority of cartoons currently aired on national television networks are not produced in Vietnam, but come from abroad, mainly Japan, France, China, and the US.
