“Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world”
~Walt Disney
True. Animation is a language that can be understood by all irrespective of their age, color, caste, creed or location. And, this is one of the reasons why this industry has come a long way ever since its origin dated way back to 1671.
India is not an exception. Though the industry is at a nascent stage, it is considered as one of the fastest growing segments. Per NASSCOM report 2009, the Indian animation industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22% to reach USD 1 billion by 2012, while by the same year, Indian gaming industry forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 53% to reach 830.
In the recent past Indian animation companies and animation studios have been moving up the value chain to create their own intellectual property rights with Hanuman, Road Side Romeo etc. Also, these companies are partnering with International studios to produce animated properties for global audience. While we can observe that India produces very little feature animation for domestic consumption, they are beginning to be the back office for US majors Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony and other major production studios.
There are various factors that give an competitive edge to the country, which comprise of the following
Very competitive pricing
World class quality of the finished work
Creative edge of the talent pool
Cheaper work force
Inclination to western humor by the Indian animators
Though Indian talent is top notch and with that support the country is at cusp of an animation revolution, there are a few things that still lack in terms of awareness about the industry, and training programs.
We as a school of animation understand the potential of the industry and the need of training programs which can mould the talent and hone their skills to the world class level.