Animations in Kenya and more so in Africa is becoming a familiar way to communicate. This spurred the launch of Kenyan animation studio, Chomoka which wants to replicate the successful Hollywood animation studio Pixar.
The company which does, 3D animations, game development, advert creation through animation and virtual set design has 10 employees who are well versed in the animation field.
Kennedy Muigai the Manager at Chomoka Studios told TechMoran that they have set their eyes on greater heights for the animation industry.
“We have a whole production set up and a script. The production is aimed at kids and at the end of each episode there is a lesson to be learnt,” Muigai commented.
“What we want to do is to get a sponsor for the production because animation is really expensive,” Muigai said. “To do a whole series will take quite some time.”
The company has managed to create clips that talk about various issues ranging from water conservation, energy saving tips and general subjects that affect the community. They are offering licenses to these animation clips to companies that would like to sell the message and can be customized.
Muigai also stated that gaming in Kenya is facing major acceptance challenges.
“When a person sees that this game is from Kenya, they don’t take it seriously. Most people are looking for free downloads and they opt for games from outside the country,” Muigai said.
Muigai is not fazed by these setbacks. He sees the success of animation advertising such as the Faiba Ads and Safaricom latest ads that have used animation to sell their product, as a window of opportunity.
They have seen successes in the past, with a chance to rebrand Kass TV’s virtual studio. For the Chomoka team, the sky is not the limit.