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South Korean animation: is the underdog finally having its day? South Korean animation: is the underdog finally having its day?
(about 20 hours later)
It's a sad fact that the biggest exposure for Korean animation came courtesy of Banksy in 2010, when his opening titles for The Simpsons wept blood for the poor downtrodden Asian artists toiling in sweatshops to draw the TV show on the cheap for Fox. Banksy was operating in his usual sloganeeringly simplified moral universe – raw animation for The Simpsons has been partly done at Seoul's AKOM studio since 1989: hardly a sweatshop – but he did spotlight the fact that Korean animation is mainly known for what it has done on behalf of others.It's a sad fact that the biggest exposure for Korean animation came courtesy of Banksy in 2010, when his opening titles for The Simpsons wept blood for the poor downtrodden Asian artists toiling in sweatshops to draw the TV show on the cheap for Fox. Banksy was operating in his usual sloganeeringly simplified moral universe – raw animation for The Simpsons has been partly done at Seoul's AKOM studio since 1989: hardly a sweatshop – but he did spotlight the fact that Korean animation is mainly known for what it has done on behalf of others.
Next to the precinct-stomping, laser-eyed behemoth that is its Japanese uncle (worth nearly a quarter of a billion in international sales in 2005) the Korean industry seemed to have settled for second-class status: a key outsourcing destination for the hard grind on US shows such as Family Guy and Justice League Unlimited. (South Korea even started outsourcing the outsourcing to North Korea – something touched on in Guy Delisle's excellent graphic novel Pyongyang.)Next to the precinct-stomping, laser-eyed behemoth that is its Japanese uncle (worth nearly a quarter of a billion in international sales in 2005) the Korean industry seemed to have settled for second-class status: a key outsourcing destination for the hard grind on US shows such as Family Guy and Justice League Unlimited. (South Korea even started outsourcing the outsourcing to North Korea – something touched on in Guy Delisle's excellent graphic novel Pyongyang.)
But there have been signs in the past couple of years that Korean animation might be awakening from its slumber. In 2011, Leafie, a Hen into the Wild – about a chicken who escapes from a farm and adopts a duckling – managed to do what seems routine in the rest of the world: tap into the inexhaustible family-film dollar; and in the process became the highest-grossing Korean animation ever. The previous record-holder had been the country's first feature-length cartoon, Hong Gil-dong, released back in 1967. Leafie also secured one of the crucial foreign-film release slots in China, the first Korean animation to play in the country. Meanwhile, also in 2011, Green Days: Dinosaur and I, a coming-of-age story about an insecure girl athlete, was attracting attention on the global festival circuit.But there have been signs in the past couple of years that Korean animation might be awakening from its slumber. In 2011, Leafie, a Hen into the Wild – about a chicken who escapes from a farm and adopts a duckling – managed to do what seems routine in the rest of the world: tap into the inexhaustible family-film dollar; and in the process became the highest-grossing Korean animation ever. The previous record-holder had been the country's first feature-length cartoon, Hong Gil-dong, released back in 1967. Leafie also secured one of the crucial foreign-film release slots in China, the first Korean animation to play in the country. Meanwhile, also in 2011, Green Days: Dinosaur and I, a coming-of-age story about an insecure girl athlete, was attracting attention on the global festival circuit.
You might notice a theme developing here: the underdog is obviously a cause dear to the Korean animator's heart. But the inferiority complex is rendered in more shocking hues in The King of Pigs, released this week in the UK. A nihilist howl of a cartoon directed by up-and-comer Yeon Sang-ho, it subjects its high-school protagonists to beatings, piss-dousings, sexual abuse and a general irreversible demolition of their self-esteem; the Korean education system – overseen by ruthless headboy "dogs" from rich families at the expense of the "pigs" – seems like a training run for an unforgiving and impregnably Darwinian adult world. It's powerful stuff, with elemental animation – produced on a tiny $130,000 budget – squeezing the emotions up into contorted, indelible facial expressions.You might notice a theme developing here: the underdog is obviously a cause dear to the Korean animator's heart. But the inferiority complex is rendered in more shocking hues in The King of Pigs, released this week in the UK. A nihilist howl of a cartoon directed by up-and-comer Yeon Sang-ho, it subjects its high-school protagonists to beatings, piss-dousings, sexual abuse and a general irreversible demolition of their self-esteem; the Korean education system – overseen by ruthless headboy "dogs" from rich families at the expense of the "pigs" – seems like a training run for an unforgiving and impregnably Darwinian adult world. It's powerful stuff, with elemental animation – produced on a tiny $130,000 budget – squeezing the emotions up into contorted, indelible facial expressions.
Not exactly Gangnam Style, then, but The King of Pigs – apparently inspired by Japanese tsunami drama Himizu and Clint Eastwood's Mystic River – definitely comes from that dark Korean cranny that produced Oldboy, its most celebrated high-school trauma story. That extreme-Asia tag certainly won the country some global street cred in the noughties, but what's mysterious is why the animation industry, as one of the country's more promising soft-power exports, hasn't received the same zealous state support as its live-action cinema.Not exactly Gangnam Style, then, but The King of Pigs – apparently inspired by Japanese tsunami drama Himizu and Clint Eastwood's Mystic River – definitely comes from that dark Korean cranny that produced Oldboy, its most celebrated high-school trauma story. That extreme-Asia tag certainly won the country some global street cred in the noughties, but what's mysterious is why the animation industry, as one of the country's more promising soft-power exports, hasn't received the same zealous state support as its live-action cinema.
Animation has never enjoyed the same prestige as in Japan. After an early rush of work, feature-length cartoons collapsed in Korea in the 70s due to TV-based competition; now some think the video game industry is more seductive to young creatives. The country has some pedigree in the character-creation stakes: CGI penguin Pororo and Mashimaro (best described as a marshmallow cross-bred with a rabbit) are both global brands.Animation has never enjoyed the same prestige as in Japan. After an early rush of work, feature-length cartoons collapsed in Korea in the 70s due to TV-based competition; now some think the video game industry is more seductive to young creatives. The country has some pedigree in the character-creation stakes: CGI penguin Pororo and Mashimaro (best described as a marshmallow cross-bred with a rabbit) are both global brands.
What's exciting is that South Korea's animation industry is actually the world's third-largest, behind the US and Japan; clearly the talent base and the potential is there. But it's not certain that the audience is there, given the scarcity of homegrown animation successes. If a Korean Studio Ghibli feels some way off, then the industry shouldn't lose heart: independent thinking and outsider mystique can be its calling cards for now. The King of Pigs shows the power of flaunting those spiky edges.What's exciting is that South Korea's animation industry is actually the world's third-largest, behind the US and Japan; clearly the talent base and the potential is there. But it's not certain that the audience is there, given the scarcity of homegrown animation successes. If a Korean Studio Ghibli feels some way off, then the industry shouldn't lose heart: independent thinking and outsider mystique can be its calling cards for now. The King of Pigs shows the power of flaunting those spiky edges.
• Next week's After Hollywood looks at Les Misérables and global musical brands. Meanwhile, what global cinematic stories would you like to see covered in the column? Let us know in the comments below.• Next week's After Hollywood looks at Les Misérables and global musical brands. Meanwhile, what global cinematic stories would you like to see covered in the column? Let us know in the comments below.
• This article was amended on 23 January 2013. In the original, the standfirst described South Korea as the Hermit nation. This has been corrected.