Mechamato Movie: Highest-Grossing Local Animated Film A Testament to Malaysia's Outstanding Digital Talent

Kre8tif! 2022 was organised to strengthen the digital creative content industry, propelling the nation's digital economy forward.

The local animated film Mechamato Movie by Animonsta Studios (Monsta) has made an incredible international impact, amassing a staggering RM34 million at the box office and establishing Malaysia firmly on the global film-making map.

Mechamato Movie has climbed into the top 10 global weekend box office earnings at number nine since its release whilst earning RM18.3 million in 11 days of screenings.

The Monsta's sci-fi adventure animation is recorded as the highest-grossing Malaysian-made animation movie and was also shown in Brunei, broadcasting booming popularity locally and everywhere else.

As the industry witnesses the growing demands for locally-produced animated content, animation films in Malaysia have been gaining more attention in the local scene. There are undoubtedly several contributing factors to the increasing interest in this field like no other before. 

More animation studios are finding their stable footing in this country, various career path choices and greater appreciation towards the art of animation amongst Malaysians of all ages. Its' intellectual play with the current sensation, AI robots among children, has piqued people's further attention.

Another reason is the public's growing interest in animation as a potential career path. Malaysian youth are finally putting their hobbies into serious work, and more wish to bring them to life by working closely within the industry.

This has fuelled them to channel their hobbies to pursuing formal education and finally step in as one of the animation industry players. Monsta's big venture in the industry has indirectly created a massive platform of employment opportunities for aspiring animators. They currently employ over 150 talents and more whilst training them to be local animators producing high-quality animated content.

The Mechamato Movie's success proves that Malaysians are becoming more appreciative of animation and willing to pay to watch more. The following Mechamato Series are airing on Netflix with broadcasting rights to 65 countries, available in six languages, including Japanese and Korean and have gained talks globally.

MDEC has achieved success in promoting the animation industry. They've strategically targeted university-level courses, granted financial assistance to local animators, and hosted numerous animation festivals for public benefit - these initiatives proving beneficial all around.

MDEC, through Kre8tif!, will keep encouraging the progress of Malaysia's digital creative content industry and position Malaysia as a regional creative powerhouse.

Kre8tif!, MDEC's flagship animation festival, has remarkably advanced the animation agenda in Malaysia and beyond Southeast Asia. 

Kre8tif!, founded in 2009, is a networking platform connecting Southeast Asian animation companies with buyers from all over the world and a gathering place for individuals involved in the industry to engage with one another.

The creative and animation industry must continue its momentum as the global animation market is estimated to be worth US$298.2 million this year and US$519.6 million by 2028. The industry has shown tremendous progress due to the growth of streaming platforms worldwide, bringing more opportunities for all studios, said Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC.

Kre8tif! has served as a business networking ground for local animators to acquire opportunity paths and learn further about production and distribution.

In keeping with Malaysia's national objective to create 200 original pieces of intellectual property (IP) by 2025, Kre8tif! will see the release of numerous original IPs, including Batik Girl The Movie by R&D Studios, Didi & Friends The Movie by Warnakala, and a Mechamato movie series by Monsta. MDEC's Digital Content Grant sponsored the two latter animated films, which help local producers develop and facilitate digital content IP.

At the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2023, Mechamato Movie achieved remarkable success, ranking 11th out of 100 anime works. This amazing breakthrough proved that Malaysian animation studios are capable of creating excellent animated products worthy of competing in the international market - exemplified by successful series such as Boboiboy, Ejen Ali and Upin & Ipin.

Mechamato narrates the story of Amato, a young boy, and his partner robot, MechaBot, who battle against wicked robots.