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'Jumbo' becomes Indonesia's highest-grossing animated film

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Film about bullied boy takes more than $20 million at the

box

office

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Industry hopes success will encourage producers to back

animated

features

By Stanley Widianto

JAKARTA, May 15 (Reuters) - "Jumbo", an Indonesian

cartoon about a spirited orphan boy named Don, has toppled the

Disney ( DIS ) film "Frozen 2" to become Indonesia's highest-grossing

animated movie in a major boost for the country's fledgling

animation industry.

As of mid-May "Jumbo" had been watched by more than 9.6

million people locally and earned more than $20 million to

overtake Frozen 2 and its classic character Elsa and become

Indonesia's top-grossing animated film.

Released on March 31 and produced by Indonesian production

company Visinema Pictures, the story about a bullied village boy

who tries to stage a talent show, has also become Southeast

Asia's most-watched animated feature, entertainment website

Deadline reported last month.

"This is an incredible milestone. That it could surpass

'Frozen 2' is not just about numbers, but also proof that

Indonesians are proud and love homegrown stories," Angga Dwimas

Sasongko, Visinema Pictures' award-winning founder, told

Reuters.

Though smaller in scale, the success of "Jumbo" is

reminiscent of that of Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2",

which beat Pixar Animation Studio's "Inside Out 2" this year to

become the highest-grossing animated film globally.

Many producers in Indonesia prefer to make live-action

movies - mostly horror - because they know such films are

popular with audiences and are less labour intensive.

Animated features are more of an unknown quantity, said

Daryl Wilson, chairman of the Indonesian Animation Industry

Association.

But the success of "Jumbo", which is due to be released in

some 17 countries from June, could help energise Indonesia's

fledgling animation industry at a time when global studios are

showing more interest in the region and its talent.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm from creators to make animated

films. But before 'Jumbo', investors were still doubtful because

there hadn't been a success story that you could call a box

office," Ryan Adriandhy, the writer-director of "Jumbo", told

Reuters, adding that its 420 crew, including animators and

engineers, had spent five years making the film.

Ryan said the success of "Jumbo" reflected the timing of its

release - during the Eid school holidays - as well as the

story's broad appeal.

"I realised this may open the eyes of producers, production

houses, film creators that there is a very thirsty audience for

content that people of all ages can enjoy," he said.

Major local operator Cinema XXI said it recorded

more than 14 million moviegoers in April, the company's highest

ever. Corporate secretary Indah Tri Wahyuni told Reuters varied

local film choices during the holidays, including "Jumbo", were

one reason.

ANIMATION INDUSTRY IN ASIA

Demand for animated content in the Asia Pacific has been

rising as streaming giants such as Netflix ( NFLX ) step up commissioning

and digital platforms proliferate, Research and Markets wrote in

an April report, forecasting a CAGR for the industry of 6.88%

from 2025 to 2030.

The report noted the appetite for productions from

established powerhouses such as Japan, South Korea and China.

But it also said global studios were turning to the region for

outsourced production work such as visual effects due to "the

availability of highly skilled animation talents at relatively

lower costs compared to Western counterparts."

The U.S. has since said it is exploring options to impose a

100% tariff on movies produced outside the country and the

potential impact remains unclear, but Indonesia still lags other

Asian production hubs, according to the country's animation

association.

Revenues for Indonesia's screen industry, which includes

animation and films, could grow by about 20% by 2027, according

to 2023 findings by PricewaterhouseCoopers and researchers at

the University of Indonesia, citing technological advances and

investment in cinemas, among other reasons.

For the most part, the industry currently makes money by

providing services such as concept artists and graphic

designers, rather than developing more lucrative intellectual

property (IP) with original stories and characters, the

association said.

Angga said "Jumbo" was part of an effort by Visinema to

create its own IP. The company has earmarked $10 million for its

animation projects, which includes two more animated feature

films, he added.

Film critic Eric Sasono said the success of Jumbo showed

that Don's ability to conquer his self-doubt resonated with

audiences, and underlined the importance of storytelling.

"Jumbo's presence satiates the need for the right local

story," Sasono said.

With the film's success, Visinema is now discussing a

"roadmap" for future productions featuring Don and his friends.

Whether that is a sequel or a musical has not been decided, its

director said.

"My hope is for children to still recognise or have memories

of watching 'Jumbo'," Ryan said.

($1 = 16,445.0000 rupiah)

(Additional reporting by Yuddy Cahya Budiman; Editing by Kate

Mayberry)