Netflix vows to expand animation lineup
Taiki Sakurai, chief producer of anime at Netflix Courtesy of Netflix
By Park Ji-won
Netflix has hinted at the possibility of joining hands with additional Korean animation production companies, its chief animation producer said Tuesday, while aiming to provide all kinds of such content to meet various audiences' preferences.
“There are some Korean animation studio which can come up with quality animation films. I am taking a close look at Red Dog Culture house, Maru Animation and Studio Goindol … There are possibilities that Netflix will expand its partnerships,” Taiki Sakurai, chief producer of anime at Netflix said during an online press conference held for Korean reporters, Tuesday.
He said that Korean animation companies are more than capable of meeting foreign animation companies' needs in production.
“Maru Studio, for example, many staff can speak Japanese as it has been working on Japanese animation content. What I respect the most about Korean animation studios is that they adapt fast to any different workflow and develop their companies to respond to requests.”
He added that Netflix recently signed a contract with Seoul-based Studio Mir because the Korean company can work on complete animation projects with its in-house teams.
“The company has an all-in-one process in making animation; they had supervising animators, designers and a background making team. Also, there are many staff to work on large-scale series.”
But he also pointed out his company is taking a cautious approach in forging partnerships as they could face a lack of creators because of the out-sourcing based production system. “Korea and Japan have the same problem of lacking the number of creators. If one company works on one project, it outsources them to other companies, meaning that when we sign more partnership contracts with animation companies, there would be no subcontract companies which can work on projects.”
He added that the streaming company is aiming to expand its lineups to meet various needs of audiences.
“We used to provide mainly action, science fiction and fantasy animation films. But recently, we aim to provide other genres as well such as romantic, animation for girls and boys, horror, comedy and slice of life genres. Basically, what we aim to do is to provide animated films so that any audience can find all kinds of they want within Netflix.”
The press conference was held to announce new production plans of five additional original animation production projects in addition to 11 original animated film series which are planned to be released in the future, which could show Netflix's determination to develop the animated film business. The five are “Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure,” “Thermae Romae Novae,” “High-Rise Invasion,” “Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan,” and “The Way of the Househusband.” Last week, the video streaming company also announced that it signed partnership contracts with four animation studios, including Studio Mir.
Netflix's Korean business has played a major role in third-quarter growth, according to a recent Reuters' report which cited an anonymous source, boosted by an increase in paid customers in Korea and the global popularity of pop culture content.
The chief producer added that the animation film market has expanded fast in recent years and is no longer a niche market.
“I read data showing that more than 100 million households watched an animation film over the last year ... In Japan, one out of two Netflix members watch animated films more than five hours a month … Animation creators have been thinking the animation market is a niche market. But the world has already accepted the genre.”