SOUTH African movie makers are fast catching up with international trends following the release of a new animated movie, Khumba, which climbed to number one on the box office on its first weekend after release.
Khumba is the second animated feature produced by Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios, following the successful global release of Adventures in Zambezia last year.
He meets a range of quirky characters and teams up with an unlikely duo: Mama V, an overprotective wildebeest; and Bradley, a flamboyant ostrich.
But he also has to come face to face with Phango, a sadistic leopard who controls the waterholes and terrorises all the animals in the Great Karoo.
Silverston said he formed the idea for the movie more than 10 years ago but it was only in 2005 that he started working on it. “It was when I met my co-writer, that we started working on the script properly. We worked on it independently and then Triggerfish took it on,” he said.
Silverston said in 2011 they started with the animations. “We went on a research trip in the Karoo. We took a lot of pictures of the animals and plants.”
He said they watched a lot of animation movies and documentaries and did extra research.
“We had some concept artists who did some sketches. We looked at the real animals and we then tried different styles in animations,” he said.
“One of the challenges is working with such a small budget. You must do everything quickly. We did not have time to experiment. We had to do one shot,” he said.
Silverston said the budget for the making of the movie was under R20-million.
“I am pleased with the response we have been getting from the public. People say it’s a proudly South African film and we are glad people can relate to it. At the same time we also wanted to make a global film, this movie can be viewed anywhere,” he said.
The movie is currently showing at cinemas countrywide, including in East London at Vincent Park and Hemingways. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
‘Khumba’ a box office hit
Khumba is the second animated feature produced by Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios, following the successful global release of Adventures in Zambezia last year.
He meets a range of quirky characters and teams up with an unlikely duo: Mama V, an overprotective wildebeest; and Bradley, a flamboyant ostrich.
But he also has to come face to face with Phango, a sadistic leopard who controls the waterholes and terrorises all the animals in the Great Karoo.
Silverston said he formed the idea for the movie more than 10 years ago but it was only in 2005 that he started working on it. “It was when I met my co-writer, that we started working on the script properly. We worked on it independently and then Triggerfish took it on,” he said.
Silverston said in 2011 they started with the animations. “We went on a research trip in the Karoo. We took a lot of pictures of the animals and plants.”
He said they watched a lot of animation movies and documentaries and did extra research.
“We had some concept artists who did some sketches. We looked at the real animals and we then tried different styles in animations,” he said.
“One of the challenges is working with such a small budget. You must do everything quickly. We did not have time to experiment. We had to do one shot,” he said.
Silverston said the budget for the making of the movie was under R20-million.
“I am pleased with the response we have been getting from the public. People say it’s a proudly South African film and we are glad people can relate to it. At the same time we also wanted to make a global film, this movie can be viewed anywhere,” he said.
The movie is currently showing at cinemas countrywide, including in East London at Vincent Park and Hemingways. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
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