Vietnamese cartoons drop due to low funds

Most of the cartoons on television are foreign-made, with few of them produced by local companies due to a lack of financial resources.

Dang Vu Thao, Director of the Studio of the cartoon Viet Nam, said his studio produced between 200 and 250 minutes of animated films each year on the order of the State.

' So, this is just enough for a month, with each show lasts less than 10 minutes, "he said. "We would like the country to exploit untapped cartoon market, but we lack public funding and support."

Thao's studio and the cartoon Studio run by the Viet Nam television Film Company (VFC) are two studios in the country specialising in animation films.

HCM City Giai Phong film company, which two cartoons per year as required by the State made, stopped operation many years ago as a result of financial losses.

"Thanks for cable TV, children are entertained by the US-based foreign cartoons on Cartoon Network," said Nguyen Van Tin, father of a 10-year-old girl.

The majority of cartoons shown during children's programmes on national television networks are not produced in Viet Nam, but come from abroad, mainly Japan, France, China and the us.

Cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, Doraemon, Pikachu and Ben 10 are known by many Vietnamese children.

"My son loves both locally and foreign-made cartoons," Nguyen Thi loan, mother of a six-year-old boy, said. "But with only a few local cartoons shown on national television, my son doesn't remember all the characters in these cartoons."

Phung Of Ha, that his own money used to Lu and Bun cartoons that use 3D technology, said the lack of cooperation between film producers, distribution companies and TV stations meant that local cartoons rarely target groups reached.

"Few filmmakers want to invest in cartoons, because making cartoons is not easy. It takes time and skills, "said Ha. "Making movies or TV series focused on romance or action brings more profit than cartoons."