The cartoon series has had 2 billion views per month on the YouTube channel plus received three diamond buttons and more than 3,700 episodes translated into 17 different languages. The animated series Wolfoo has conquered millions of children around the world after 7 years of launch. All these things will pave the way for the desire of the all-Vietnamese staff who want to make Vietnamese-made cartoons on the world animation map.
An attempt to change the conception of viewers around the globe about Vietnamese-made cartoons
Animation is considered a key pillar of the film industry in many countries in the world bringing the countries billions of dollars. State-owned film studios are autonomous in cartoon production in Vietnam but just several dozen short animated films produced by commissioned projects each year can’t compete with many existing foreign animation channels and YouTube.
But the above opinion gradually changed when many passionate and creative Vietnamese young people were silently nurturing the dream of making a ‘Make in Vietnam’ comic strip. The animation production ability of young Vietnamese people has been chosen by many of the world's leading studios from the US and Japan. Moreover, many creative products inspired by the history and culture of Vietnam have been attracting millions of views on digital platforms.
CEO Ta Manh Hoang, founder of Sconnect - the father of the character Wolfoo, revealed that around 2015, many world animated masterpieces such as Inside Out and Minions ruled the weekend box offices worldwide which made the creative team more determined to venture into this field.
Sconnect started from short content on popular digital platforms because these are products that quickly reach viewers' tastes and are easy to adjust according to viewers’ tastes. The first characters were 2D animation, Stopmotion (moulded-out animation) was screened, starting the first full-length animated films in Vietnam.
Moreover, the team of young people decided to conquer children in the US instead of the Vietnamese audience at the beginning, because the US market is a difficult, challenging one but also extremely potential market.
During the period from 2016 to 2018, based on their studies and understanding of the US market, Sconnect created and developed many sets of cartoon characters. In 2018, the animated series Wolfoo with its original English version quickly conquered millions of children around the world and became a shining star in the digital content creation industry.
Wolfoo has so far been translated into 17 different languages such as French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese and the series was favored by children in many countries. Wolfoo was screened in China later than many other countries, but Ms. Brie Yan, Global Marketing Director of Leadjoy - Sconnect's strategic partner, disclosed that Chinese children really like the Wolfoo animated series.
There are various versions including short versions on social media platforms with 3,700 episodes and long series episodes on television, OTT and IPTV. Team of Sconnect has also started producing theatrical versions with a length of 90-100 minutes.
In October 2023, Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island - a cinema project which has been made for 3 years - officially premiered on the nationwide cinemas because the success of Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island in ticket offices is beyond expectations, said Mr. Ta Manh Hoang.
The comic film ranks in the top 3 box office revenue after one week and revenue exceeded 500 percent compared to the original plan. Furthermore, this is not only a very encouraging result for the production and creative team but also a milestone to expand into the field of theatrical animated films.
Building a long-term strategy
The Wolfoo animated series is so popular that it is misunderstood as an American film. Even after winning 3 diamond buttons, many parents of young children who are fans of Wolfoo were surprised to learn that it was a "made in Vietnam" cartoon.
Delighted because their products can stand on par with foreign products, the creative team admitted that they have not fully exploited Vietnamese cultural values to introduce to international friends through animated works. Vietnamese animation must be for Vietnamese people before conquering foreign markets, and cultural values are the root of creating a sustainable brand.
To realize this goal, Sconnect and its partner Alpha Studio Vietnam have cooperated to develop animation products, inspired by the values of Vietnamese life and culture with stories conveying the values of Vietnamese identity. Among them, the animated film project Trang Quynh in her childhood was born in August 2023 with vivid 3D images, recreating the old village scene but in a completely new version, integrating the values of humanities and education.
Always having a burning desire to bring Vietnamese animation to the world, Mr. Ta Manh Hoang said that the Vietnamese film industry, especially the animation field, has great potential for development and can become a major industry bringing the country billions of US dollars as Vietnam has a diverse group of artists and production teams for this industry. Training schools and academies have also begun to pay attention and train majors for making animation. Vietnam's strength in animation can be attributed to its ability to transform traditional stories into modern animated products.
At the same time, production costs in Vietnam are also lower than in many other countries, creating favorable conditions for investment and development of the animation industry, making animation a culture like Japan and Korea.
Mr. Ta Manh Hoang believes that it is time for businesses and organizations in the digital content creation market, in general, and the animation field, in particular, to think about a long-term strategy to develop animation. The strategy aims to make Vietnam's animation industry even stronger by embarking on projects to attract domestic and foreign talents and animation enthusiasts who will work together to develop the Vietnamese animation industry.
