released in March in Indonesia, the animated film Jumbofeaturing a young boy despised by his comrades, a hit. Its success is preparing to go beyond the country’s borders.
Jumboan Indonesian animated film which addresses the theme of harassment at school, beats records of entry into the archipelago and could be a wider success by landing in theaters in Asia or even in Turkey.
Jumbowhich tells the adventures of the main character donation, an Indonesian orphan confronted with various intimidation in the school environment, has become the most profitable Southeast Asian animated film, collecting more than $ 8 million in revenues.
Released at the end of March to coincide with the Eid-el-Fitr holidays, at the end of Ramadan, the film has gathered more than 8 million spectators in the archipelago to date, the highest total third in the history of Indonesian cinema, according to Film Indonesia.
“A reminder that everyone deserves respect”
The feature film explores “what we have lost in the life and the strength we need to overcome it,” said AFP the director Ryan Adriandhy Halim.
“We hope to encourage a change, so that people behave with each other more kindly and we want Jumbo to be a reminder that everyone deserves respect, regardless of your origins, whatever your age group,” he added.
Don, the hero of the feature film, has a book of stories filled with magic tales and meets a fairy who needs his help to reconnect with his family.
“This film is for us, for our children and for the child who is in each of us,” adds the director.
Jumbowhose production lasted 5 years and which made 400 local creators work, largely surpassed the regional entrance record for an animated film, established by the Malaysian film Méchamato Movie in 2022.
Distributed in 17 countries
But the film will take a real test when it was released in more than 17 countries in June, including Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and Mongolia, explains Anggia Kharisma, content director at Visinema Studios, the film’s production house.
A distribution in other countries is still under discussion, said the production company.
In Indonesian dark rooms flooded with Hollywood blockbusters and local horror films, Jumbo surprised by its popular success.
“It has been a long time since we had an Indonesian family film,” said Adi, 38, after the film he watched in the company of his wife Ria and their two young children.
But Adi remains cautious when the chances of seeing the film go beyond the borders of Asia: “In Southeast Asia, it will work because culture is similar, but I am not sure for regions beyond”.
Petrus Kristianto Prayitno Santoso, 27, supervisor of the cinematographic programming for the operator Flix Cinema, did not expect such success: “I had predicted that the film would be popular in the country, but not at this point!”.
What give hope to local productions to overcome the borders and export.
For Dika, 27 -year -old cinephile, Jumbo could even “compete with Disney productions”.
Director Ryan Adriandhy Halim hopes him that his first feature will mark an important step for this kind of film and that he will become “a springboard and a reference for Indonesian animation”.
