The Animation Industry in South Africa encompasses traditional 2D animation,

3D animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

and

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

for feature films.

History

In 1916, Harold M. Shaw first created his first animated film called ''An Artist's Dream'', it tells a tale about a protagonist who is an artist whose drawings come to life. In 1927, the first

animators An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

David and Shlomo Frenkel, two brothers from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

were inspired by first Disney Studios' Mickey Mouse. Their first animated film was destroyed in a fire in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

, however their later works were saved and preserved in a museum.

Awards and festivals

Awards and conventions for the South African animation industry include: * The

Durban International Film Festival The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Founded in 1979 by Teddy Sarkin and Ros Sarkin, it is the oldest and largest film festival in Africa and ...

for Best South African Feature Film * South African Film and Television Awards for Best Animation * Cape Town International Animation Festival * Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Animation * Anima Mundi for Best Children's Feature * Gold Panda Award for Best Foreign Animation *

Zanzibar International Film Festival The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), also known as Festival of the Dhow Countries, is an annual film festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania and one of the largest cultural events in East Africa. ZIFF is a non-governmental organization est ...

for best animation * South African Film and Television Awards for Best music composition for a feature film * Gold Panda Award for Grand Prize *

Annecy Animation Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

for Best Animation * My Better World Award for Kids: Factual & Entertainment category nternational Emmy Award *The Snail and the Whale for best special production nternational Animated film Association

Industry

South Africa's animation industry consists of 29 production companies with its major studios including Triggerfish Studios, Clockwork Zoo Animation and Sunrise Productions. South Africa's animation sector consists of private companies using animation techniques for advertising, websites, architecture, etc. South Africa's animation studios don't have the funding for

traditional animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Proc ...

, their market was too small to make it viable. This market still has a skills deficit and little to no government funding.

Market

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, Port Elizabeth,

Plettenberg Bay Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29,149 population. It was originally named Bahia Formosa ("beautifu ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

and

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

have several major animation studios in the country. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) values its animation sector at R464 million in the film industry and box office, WESGRO values it in the international market at the cost of R365 million in a cinematic budget, Visit website. The Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) encourages skills for young animators to boost South Africa's Socio-economic sector, also the small companies. The largest producer and exporter of animation is the Western world. It produces and exports animation for an estimate of US$145.4 million per year, and South Africa can produce for US$13,0 million per year due to its straining economy and lack of resources.

List of South African animated films

One of the first animated films released in 1916 was ''An Artist's Dream'', many of its films being released in South Africa.

List of South African animated television series

References

{{Animation South African Cultural history of South Africa South African animation Animation industry