Courtesy of Viva Fantasia Animation

With Indonesian animation still scarcely seen in movie theaters, the arrival of the locally-made animated film Knight Kris offers some hope to an overlooked industry.

Knight Kris, which stars Chika Jessica, Bima Sakti, Deddy Corbuzier, Stella Cornelia and Kaesang Pangarep, tells the tale of a giddy, naïve boy who is thrust into becoming a hero in a King Arthur fashion after he pulls a mystical kris from a rock, triggering a series of mystical events in which he has to save his village and his father from oblivion.

The animation itself is bright and smooth, akin to an even more polished version of Malaysian animated series Upin & Ipin. It is made in the same 3D-rendered form all current animated features are made in.

While the voice acting is okay, the story itself starts out a bit shaky before gradually finding its feet toward the end of the film. It’s a happy and simple film, there’s some sadness, some fear, but the kids in the audience seemed to enjoy it very much.

Overall, the film is ok. A good effort, but given the nascent stage of the Indonesian animation industry, one can’t really expect Disney-level quality animation just yet either.

The most high-profile collaborator on the film was Kaesang Pangarep — the renowned video-blogging, fitness nerd son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Kaesang voices the happy little thief character Yuda, who becomes a central figure in the film’s story.

Deddy Corbuzier, who is also the film’s executive producer, recalled that Kaesang was pleasant to work with, albeit with his own insecurities about voicing a character for film.

“Kaesang’s Javanese accent is incredibly thick, so he lacked a little confidence trying to adopt a character’s voice while reciting his lines. He tried so hard, but it just didn’t work. In the end, we decided he should just do the character’s voice in his natural tone and accent so people can immediately recognize him,” he said.

As the executive producer, the former illusionist/nutritionist/television personality was instrumental in getting the film made.

Antonius Fajito and William Fajito, the sibling duo responsible for writing and directing the film, said it originated as a final university project, which underwent three years of pre-production and two more years of production before being finished.

The film itself was inspired very much by the Mahabrata epic popular in ancient Indonesia, which has tended to be forgotten among today’s younger generation amid a sea of foreign influences and the domination of Islam.

Bima Sakti’s character, Mpu Tandra, was modeled on a wayang puppet.

Deddy explained that the reason the film included a prominent character molded after a wayang puppet was to help remind today’s children, who have been exposed mainly to digital technology and cultural influences from abroad, of the country’s wayang tradition, thereby creating a kind of cultural bridge for them between the past and the present.

The inclusion of Indonesian historical elements also means the film serves as an educational tool that can help kids appreciate many overlooked aspects of Indonesia’s history.

“There is also a need for more Indonesian children’s films that can both inspire and educate. By including historical elements, this film can help children to become more aware of their country’s history and appreciate their culture and traditions, so that they won’t be lost to time,” Deddy added.

An international release seems possible for the film, with the decision to give the film an English title making it more accessible for foreign audiences. However, plans to dub the film in English have yet to be made.

Knight Kris arrived in theaters on Nov. 23 and is yet another example of the severely underrated Indonesian animation industry trying to spread its wings and pique the interest of the public.

Even though the quality of animation may not match that achieved by major studios such as DreamWorks, Knight Kris represents the passionate struggle of a team of animators whose work has yet to be noticed, or taken seriously, by their own people.

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Knight Kris

(Viva Fantasia Animation, SSS Pictures 106 minutes)

Written and directed by Antonius and William Fajito

Voiced by Chika Jessica, Stella Cornelia, Kaesang Pangarep, Bimasakti, Santosa Amin and Deddy Corbuzier

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