Taiwanese companies aim for global success.
“Taiwan has a lot of talent. The problem is that our market is really small. In recent years, with the support of TAICCA (Taiwan Creative Content Agency), so many projects have become reality. That’s why ‘YaYa’ can be here,” Chun-chien Lien, director of “YaYa’s Band”, told Variety.
His series, which was entered in Annecy’s TV film category, was also screened at France’s giant animation festival’s Taiwan Spotlight Showcase on Wednesday.
“This is a very special project for us,” he said, recalling that he was approached by a charity raising funds for orphans.
“They asked us to make a poster, so we made a whole world.”
In Notevana’s world, “music is part of everyone’s DNA” as 4-year-old YaYa plays music with her friends. The dialogue-free show will officially launch in August.
“Taiwanese animation is truly unique. Take ‘Pringau,’ for example, which references our indigenous culture. But we are still growing and many people don’t know about us yet. We want them to know that Taiwan can be a good partner for international co-productions,” said Jillian Lu of TAICCA.
“Pringau” (also known as “Sorceress”) also features indigenous songs in the story of two sisters who are separated. The main reason is that one of them is possessed by a dark spirit.
“We want to create an entire universe. We’re ambitious,” said producer Daniel Yen (Mk Origin Studio).
This sentiment is echoed by Xinyi Chen, general manager of Lusasa Animation, who is responsible for “Hi Kids! Sing and Dance with Lusasa Family.” This project is another that incorporates musical elements and aims to “grow with children through different stages of life.”
The company is currently developing Season 2 and hopes to build “the next generation of preschool IP,” thanks in part to its international collaboration with Go-N Production and Federation, which will handle global distribution.
Ting Ting Li (Brilliant Animation Studio) is also trying to “connect Taiwan with the world” with “Flamy Rangers.” The company is also behind “Dear Mae,” about a sister caring for her younger brother, and “Husky,” about a single father and his son.
“Do you think things will go well for them? No, they won’t. European distributors are very interested in this.”
The same goes for Beer Yum Yum Time, a popular series that “combines adventure storytelling with food exploration” and is currently airing its third season.
“We have proven that this format works,” said Jia Jia Zhang of Taiwan Bar Studio, acknowledging that the story has already reached homes in 60 countries. That number is likely to rise even further in the new season, as the show’s “unstoppable foraging crew”, including a magical food truck, bet on pizza, pasta and other international treats to devour.
“This show will be expanded into a multilingual format with music and interactive elements, allowing for global co-productions. We are ready to take our audience to the next level,” she said, mentioning a brand new English channel with new songs, waiting to be discovered.
“Taiwan can bring intellectual property and economic opportunities. But how can we collaborate with international companies to increase the value[of these stories]instead of doing it on our own?” asked Jia Jia Chan.
He added, “Taiwan has technology and has a lot of creative talent. But we haven’t thought about international horizons and haven’t developed the market yet. We need to do more to spread our character to the world.”
“Beer Yum Yum Time”
Provided by TAICCA
