The Special Effects Boom in Indian Animation Sector

Did you know that India’s animators are long-time partners for the likes of Walt Disney Co? Our desi animation stars are reaping the rewards of the increasing demand for visual effects professionals and even starting to establish their own ventures.

India’s animation industry generated revenue worth 44.9 billion rupees ($675.7 million) in 2014, a 13 percent increase from the previous year -according to data from a FICCI-KPMG report on India’s media and entertainment industry.

The industry is expected to double in size to 95.5 billion rupees in five years. The main reasons for this surge are the availability of a large pool of talent at a low cost, knowledge of English and familiarity with Western culture.

Few are aware that we have already been a part of many popular creations. Animators based in India have created some scenes and props for the Emmy award-winning TV series “Game of Thrones”. We have also worked on films, including Disney’s 2014 Angelina Jolie movie “Maleficent” and Dreamworks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon”, among other Hollywood hits.

According to Biren Ghose, who runs the Indian subsidiary of U.S. firm Technicolor, “We are one of those best kept secrets. We do all this amazing work and no one knows about it.” Technicolor’s team was part of the India-based animation units that worked on “Maleficent”.

Indian firms also expand with the help of acquisitions for a higher reach. For example, a unit of Mumbai-listed visual effects firm, Prime Focus Ltd., bought London-based Double Negative last year. Double Negative won an Oscar for best visual effects for “Interstellar”.

Others like Prana Studios have attracted investment from some of the country’s richest men such as  Reliance Industries’ tycoon Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra of the diversified Mahindra Group.

India’s animation industry is almost as old as its movie industry, the world’s biggest in terms of revenue. In 1956, a local movie studio invited a Disney animator to train them, and a year later, India’s first animated production “The Banyan Deer” was made.

Studios have also generated their own animated movies over the years, ranging from 2008’s box office flop “Roadside Romeo”, a 3-D cartoon movie jointly produced by Yash Raj films and Disney, to this year’s super hit epic, “Bahubali”, India’s costliest film on record.

Making our own movies serves to increase the profile and portfolio of the local industry, although Indian demand for local animation is dwarfed by business from Hollywood.

Prana Studios is creating its own animated movie called “Wish”, based on the concept of wishing wells. “It’s a departure from waiting for work to come from the United States,” said Prana’s Fyzee.