Singapore's Stereoscopic 3D and Animation Capabilities Rise to the World Stage


By ANIMATION XPRES... | 4 October, 2010 - 16:17

The Singapore Pavilion has proven to be a star attraction at MIPCOM once again, wowing visitors with its showcase of Singapore’s stereoscopic 3D and animation capabilities.

The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) is leading 12 Singapore companies specialising in animation, 3D and live action to the annual television and animation market in Cannes.

A highlight at the Singapore Pavilion is the preview of Dream Defenders, Singapore’s first stereoscopic 3D series. The 26-part CG-animated action comedy is produced by Singapore-based Tiny Island Productions, with writers from Los Angeles and development executives from international distributorship Classic Media. The US$5.2 million series will be released in non-stereo 3D and the stereo 3D format by late 2011.

Noted Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer, MDA,“The increased availability of 3D equipment and technology in Singapore allows local content providers to have greater access to a wider range of equipment to enable and expedite their development in 3D content and we are starting to see this bear fruit through quality made-by-Singapore 3D content.”

Dr Chia is equally upbeat about Singapore animation. He said: “On the animation front, our line-up of titles, from branded properties to original creations, demonstrates that Singapore animation companies have come of age in their ability to produce content for the world, with the world.”

One Singapore animation company at Cannes is Sparky Animation, which co-produced the preschool animation TV series Dinosaur Train. A collaboration between the Jim Henson Company and Sparky, the first season of the award-winning CG-animated series ranks among the top five programmes for children between two and five years on PBS KIDS. The second season of Dinosaur Train will also be co-produced by Sparky, attesting to the strong confidence international partners have in Singapore’s animation capabilities. The new season will hit US screens in fall next year.

Mr Moon is another Sparky offering at MIPCOM. The 52-episode high-definition animated series is produced by Sparky, Gallileo and Title Entertainment (Mr Moon).

Making a deep impression on visitors as well is MDA’s new stereoscopic 3D video, featuring the promise of the Singapore Media Fusion Plan through the eyes of media personalities. Produced wholly by Singapore talents, the video also reflects Singapore’s tremendous progress in nurturing an ecosystem for stereoscopic 3D.

This is the tenth year that Singapore is participating in MIPCOM, which expects 12,000 participants from 102 countries. MIPCOM will run until 8 October. The Singapore Pavilion is located at 05.20-07.19, Palais des Festivals.