REEL TIME: Malaysia's Super Twins

There's a full page writeup about Geng in NST Saturday 07/03/09. LCP extends deepest thanks to NSTP and the writer for covering about us. The online article can be found here. It'll be good if you can get the paper too, support local products!

http://nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2498138/Article/index_html

Nur Fathiah Diaz, the voice of Upin and Ipin.

KIDS can help make a film. That explains the phenomenal success of Malaysia's first 3D film, Geng Pengembaraan Bermula.

MAT Gelap (1990), starring Imuda and Liza Othman, was the first Malaysian film to mix human and cartoon characters. The Film was produced by ZHA Film Productions and directed by Zarul Al-Bakri

More than 500,000 people watched the film within the first two weeks of its screening and more than half of them were kids. The film is now into its fourth week of screening. 

As children are charged half the cinema ticket price, the film only made RM4 million during those two weeks.

The film, by Les Copaque Productions, is also phenomenal in the sense that it really gave cinema operators a headache.

Local films are helped by the government's two-week compulsory screening policy and usually cinema operators will reduce the number of showings after that.
But producer Burhanuddin Md Radzi told cinema operators that he would pull out the movie from the cinemas if they slashed the number of screenings.

And it worked. Most major cinemas still had seven daily screenings of the film during its third week, a feat that even Malaysia's first superhero, Cicakman, and Malaysia's first mermaid, Duyung, failed to do.

All because of two lovable characters from the movie called Upin and Ipin.

"And Upin and Ipin are just supporting characters in the movie," said Burhanuddin.

Realising the power of Upin and Ipin, the company has started production on Upin & Ipin The Movie.

"We hope to release it next year. We are also working on a new series targeting the same family audience," he said.

It's not just the movie. More than 200,000 Upin & Ipin schoolbags have been sold as well as other merchandise like notebooks, T-shirts and caps. 

And if things work according to plan, there will also be a Upin & Ipin theme park. Burhanuddin declined to give details except that the park would be located in Johor. 

"If you watch the movie closely, you will notice that some of the scenes resemble certain thrill rides.

"If Disney can do it (have a theme park with rides based on their films), why can't we?" 

I guess parents will now have to start saving money for their kids' "Upin & Ipin" fund!