Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Ribbit, a 3D animation comedy/adventure story about a frog with an identity crisis, is ready for delivery to distributors around the world. The film is voiced by popular Hollywood actors Sean Astin from Lord of the Rings, Tim Curry from The Hunt for Red October, international comedian Russell Peters and Cherami Leigh from Fast Food Nation. Ribbit — co-produced by KRU International (Malaysia) and Crest Animation Studios Ltd (India), and partly financed by the Malaysian government through the Multimedia Development Corporation — was first introduced at the Marche Du Film, Cannes 2012.
Ribbit
Represented by KRU’s sales and distribution arm “United Studios”, the film has been picked up in over 80 countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, China and Brazil to name a few. Grant Raynham, United’s Head of International Sales & Distribution, confirms “there has been growing interest over the last two years and today more than 18 buyers in North America are interested in acquiring the film.”
Directed and written by Chuck Powers, the animated film Ribbit was recorded in Los Angeles. The development and post-production works were entirely completed in Malaysia, while the animation production took place in both Cyberjaya, Malaysia and Mumbai, India. The bulk of the rendering work was done in Hong Kong; making Ribbit a truly global project for a story set against the backdrop of the Amazon rainforest.
Chuck Powers
The key driving force behind the production of Ribbit is Norman A. Halim, the Group CEO, Executive Producer and President of the KRU Group of Companies. “We have been in the entertainment business since 1992; however we realise that the best way for us to go global is via animated feature films and television shows. We have gathered the best talents in the region for Ribbit. We also learned a lot from Crest’s experience in the production of Alpha & Omega, which was released in 2010 by Lionsgate. Currently we have a slate of animated feature films and television shows in the pipeline, some of which will be announced in Marche Du Film this year.”
The Stereoscopic 3D version of Ribbit will be premiered at Marche Du Film 2014 and the North American distributor is expected to be announced shortly thereafter.
Set amongst the backdrop of the Amazon rainforest, Ribbit tells the tale of a frog with an identity crisis. Unlike frogs, he hates hopping and has a strong aversion to water. Feeling a misfit, he is full of questions about his life. So, together with his best friend, a flying squirrel, he embarks on a soul-searching journey in search of the truth and his rightful place in this world.
