Ribbit, Malaysian-made 3D animation wins international award

A Malaysian product has made its mark in the international scene, once again.

“Ribbit” – a 3D animation comedy/adventure story won the “Best Family Film” Award at its world premiere at the Niagara Integrated Film Festival (NIFF) 2014 in Canada on Saturday.

The film was directed and written by Chuck Powers, and featured well-known voice talents such as Sean Astin (‘Lord of the Rings’), Tim Curry (‘The Hunt for Red October’), Russell Peters (stand-up comedian), and Cherami Leigh (‘Fast Food Nation’).

It was recorded in Los Angeles, California while the development and the post-production work was entirely completed in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. The animation production meanwhile took place both in Cyberjaya, Malaysia and Mumbai, India. In addition to that, the rendering was done in Hong Kong, China, making “Ribbit” a truly global project.

Executive Producer of “Ribbit” who is also the Executive President and Group CEO of the KRU Group of Companies Norman A. Halim said “We are honoured and excited that we have garnered such recognition in our first foray into the animation arena. We have gathered the best talents in the region for “Ribbit”.

Set against the backdrop of the Amazon rainforest, “Ribbit” will be released in a number of major territories including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, South America and the Middle East beginning of the fourth quarter of this year.

The film’s adaptation into Bahasa Malaysia was directed by well-known local film director, Mamat Khalid which featured the voices of renowned Malaysian artistes namely Johan Raja Lawak, Elfira Loy, Awie, Datuk Aznil Hj. Nawawi and Izzue Islam.

The award-winning animation tells a story about a frog named “Ribbit” which is undergoing an identity crisis and is different from other frogs; Ribbit hates hopping and has a strong aversion to water. He feels like a misfit and has a lot of questions about life. Together with his best friend, a flying squirrel, he embarks on a soul-searching journey in search of the truth and his rightful place in this world.

Trouble begins when Ribbit is accidentally hypnotised by a conman or rather, a “conbat”, making Ribbit believe that he is a human prince trapped in a frog’s body. With a mission to kiss a human princess, Ribbit will soon discover that being a frog is not bad after all – and more importantly, that the love of his life has always been right before his very eyes.

Don’t forget to catch the film in cinemas beginning September 4, 2014!