Animators toon up with tech tools

Artists reach globally to draw biz
As Kenyan tech companies push for their vision of a "silicon savannah" in this East African nation, local animators say their industry is set to ride the high-tech wave toward becoming an animation powerhouse.

Buoyed by the success of "Tinga Tinga Tales," a toon for the BBC's children's web CBeebies co-produced by the U.K.'s Tiger Aspect Prods. and the Nairobi-based Homeboyz Animation, Kenyan animators are hopeful that their country will emerge as the next big market for outsourcing.

Allan Mwaniki, director and lead animator at Homeboyz, says that the scale of "Tinga Tinga Tales," which involved nearly 50 animators in Nairobi, was proof that the Kenyan industry could effectively handle a large-scale production. "We've shown the world we can do it," he says.

Kenya's animation industry began to blossom with a series of U.N.-sponsored training programs from 2004-2006, which brought Kenyan animators together with artists from around the world.

Dubbed Africa Animated!, the initiative was created to enhance the ability of African animators to compete with the Western imports, which dominate children's programming on African TV stations.

The workshops gave Kenyan artists an important platform to show their work on a global stage, eventually leading to the "Tinga Tinga" collaboration.

The series was a watershed moment for local animators.
Read on at source: www.variety.com