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Writer's pictureMichael Chen

All-Malaysian animated zombie series seeks financiers

The following is an excerpt from the full interview featured on FMT, published on 5 June 2023 and was written by Terence Toh under the Lifestyle section.


PETALING JAYA: Within a grimy, dimly-lit apartment block, a man is weeping. The pieces of his broken life lie scattered all around him.


He picks up a pistol, eager to put himself out of his misery. But the man is interrupted by an unexpected visitor: a young girl, scared and out of breath. From the alley behind her, a sinister, blood-spattered figure swiftly approaches, running on all fours like a beast.


The man rushes to help the girl and…what happens?


You can find out by watching the teaser to “Happy Survivors Club”, an upcoming animated series currently being developed by local entertainment production company Iron Hill Media.


Set in a post-zombie apocalypse Malaysia, this ambitious show focuses on a group of survivors living in a low-cost apartment block, who must band together to survive.


“Happy Survivors Club” is aimed at audiences aged 16 and above, and will consist of eight episodes, each 24 minutes long.


The series will be directed by Gavin Yap and Spencer Ooi, with Michael Chen and Chienni Chang as producers, and animation by Studio CLIMB.


“With animation, you can do things that you can’t do in live action. So we think this would be the best medium to really do the story justice. We’re using a hybrid of 2D and 3D animation to give things a timeless feel,” quipped Chen during a recent interview with FMT.


He added that despite its apocalyptic premise, the show would also feature humour, something writer Yap is known for.

“Many times, whenever you have an Asian story, they’re sad. A lot about trauma, and pain, and so on. And that’s great, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. We want to tell an authentically Malaysian story, and have fun as well,” Yap said.


The genesis for this project came several years ago, when Chen discovered the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) was offering grants for upcoming animated projects. He turned to his friend Yap, who had experience working in this medium, for advice.


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