Six Malaysian-made animation titles made their way to Amazon Prime via a deal signed between Primeworks Distribution, a subsidiary of Primeworks Studios and Janson Media. Ejen Ali, Soccer Bugs, Cingkus Blues, Saladin, Knowsy Nina Wants To Know, and Super Tots are now available on Amazon Prime to viewers across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Developed and produced in Malaysia, five of these titles are represented by Primeworks Distribution while Ejen Ali is produced by Primeworks Studios and Wau Animation.
“Having co-produced Ejen Ali, we understand the work and hours that go into producing an animation series and a deal like this, is crucial not only to the Malaysian animation industry in terms of monetization of investment but also in terms of recognition for the quality animation and stories coming from Malaysia. We are extremely pleased to be a small part of keeping the Malaysian animation field thriving. Our gratitude to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for their continuous support via financial aid as well as in the form of sales leads and industry intel,” said Ahmad Izham Omar, CEO of Primeworks Studios.
The deal that was signed earlier this year, takes effect at a crucial time amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, where audiences are confined to their homes and are constantly scouting for quality content.
“We take great pride in the work that goes into our animation and having it on a platform like Amazon Prime is a testament to our hard work. It is great to know that audiences in other corners of the world will be able to enjoy it, especially during these testing times. The endeavours that Primeworks Distribution take are imperative to smaller studios like us who need to focus on production while distribution unfortunately has to take a back seat. While the world faces this pandemic in despair, we are fortunate to be able to bring this deal back to our teams that worked on Cingkus Blues and Soccer Bugs,” said Kar Hooi Tan, Executive Producer at 3rd Rock Creations.
“The Primeworks package of children’s animated tv series will be a wonderful addition to Amazon Prime Video’s kids content offering. During this time, we have seen a tremendous increase in viewership for kids content and we are confident that these animated tv series will find success with Amazon’s audience,” added Jesse Janson, Executive Vice President for Acquisitions and Development for Janson Media.
Primeworks Distribution represents a colourful catalogue of animation titles from across the nation alongside their original IP, Ejen Ali which has seen tremendous success both locally and internationally. With 2 action-packed seasons travelling across 50 countries worldwide, Ejen Ali’s success continued with the big screen in November 2019. It raked in an impressive MYR30 million at the Malaysian Box Office making it the highest-grossing animated movie in Malaysia.