Funcel's 'Atan & Nyet' to broadcast on RTM on 20th Nov

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur based Funcel's 'Atan & Nyet' (2D animated series)is all set to premier on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) on 20th November in collaboration with Faber Castell who is the sponsor for Atan & Nyet. Faber Castell is paying for the airtime of the series to the broadcaster RTM.

The series (13 episodes X 22 mins) is targeted at the age group of 6 - 9 years, and is about the exciting adventure of nine year old Atan and his robotic pet monkey Nyet, who is fitted with artificial intelligence chip and has the amazing ability to teleport just about anywhere from the future. But Nyet has enough sense to be selective in granting Atan his wishes to obtain objects from the future. Nyet wants Atan to learn that in life, he has to earn the things that he wants.

With the target market being local, the series is made in Malay with English subtitles. The studio also plans to develop 2nd season with 13 more episodes and thereafter also target the Asia Pacific and Middle East Market.

The project started in July 2008 and a total of 40 animators & technical professionals were involved in the making of 'Atan & Nyet'.

Talking to Animation Xpress Asia Pacific about the Licensing and Merchandizing plans, Azrul H. Baharom, Managing Director, Funcel shared, "Since were are working hand in hand with Faber Castell, we have a room for L & M to spill off for Atan & Nyet (we kick off with stationeries for Faber Castell). Next, mobile games, ringtones, educational tools & other merchandise are planned in the pipeline."

Talking further on the series he added, "It is very much fun since it is about the journey of a nine year old Atan & his robotic pet exploring the world of wonders! We promote creativity & exploration in this series so that the kids who watch this series can be more creative & analytic as they grow up. We hold dearly the quotes 'Imagination is more powerful than knowledge' by Albert Einstein as we believe imagination plus creativity will allow one to drive towards new findings."

"'Welcome to the world of imaginations!'. Imagination can really do wonders if it is channeled properly. So I hope 'Atan & Nyet' will add values to the viewers by stimulating creativity & being a catalyst to bring the best in oneself. As such, we want to inspire the younger generation." He added.

Funcel is also working on '7 Satria' with Gonzo, a Japanese company which acts as the strategic partner & consultant to a project under Finas (National Film Council) & Funcel premise. (Finas & Funcel are the co-production partners for the said project). This project is currently under negotiation. It is scheduled to kick off in early 2010.

Established in 1999 as an animation house specializing in 2d animation by Azrul, Funcel has evolved to become a leading player in the animation industry in Malaysia. In 10 years, the company has seen its in house productions being marketed to a number of entities like Radio Televisyen Malaysia and Gonzo which is a Japanese producer of animation content.

Funcel has also been given MSC Malaysia status of being leading player of the local animation industry. This is reflected in its being selected by MDeC (Multimedia Development Corporation) to be one of the five members of the animation industry to sit on a panel overseeing collaboration between the industry and institutes of higher learning. Apart from that Funcel is also a member of the panel under the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister's Department. Under this capacity, it participated in the advising and giving of insights to the EPU on the strategies that will boost the Malaysian animation and creative content development.