Suzhou Ori Animation Co., Ltd. and Thailand's THE MONK STUDIOS CO., LTD conducted a successful online signing ceremony for a collaborative production agreement on December 24, 2021. The event was witnessed by Ms Chang Yumeng, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Thailand, and Mr Nop Dharmavanich, Chairman of the Thai Animation and Computer Graphics Association (TACGA).
The signed Sino-Thai co-production project is a 90-minute CGI animation film, scheduled to be officially launched on January 1, 2022, completed by the end of 2024, and released globally in 2025. The project will integrate Chinese national culture and Thai island culture, narrating a story of guarding, responsibility and growth.
Mr Qian Feng, Chairman of Ori Animation, emphasized that this collaboration with Thai MONK STUDIOS signifies Ori Animation's successful cultural outreach in Southeast Asia, aligning with the Belt and Road cultural development plan. Ori hopes that this cooperation can infuse both Chinese and Thai culture into the film, fostering global awareness and friendship between the two countries.
Mr Juck Somsaman, the founder of MONK STUDIOS, said that they have always attached importance to the cooperation with Chinese cultural enterprises. This agreement with Ori is also a huge step for MONK. It is hoped that this cooperation can invite mutual appreciation of Chinese and Thai cultures. MONK looks forward to broader collaboration with Ori in the future, making more contributions to Sino-Thai cultural exchanges.
Chairman Nop highlighted the historical bonds and interlinked cultures between China and Thailand and anticipated that the joint production project would serve as a model for further cooperation between animation companies of both nations, fostering world-class animation creations through cooperation in creativity, technology, art and other aspects.
Counselor Chang Yumeng lauded the agreement’s significance, noting its role in deepening Belt and Road cooperation and cultural exchange between China and Thailand. The co-production not only showcases joint cultural strengths in creating high-quality products but also encourages mutual understanding and friendship.
Established in 2006, Ori Animation is a national animation enterprise, and a national key enterprise of culture exporting. It has been committed to cultural exporting since 2013 and has been at the forefront of foreign cultural trade in China. It has achieved remarkable achievements in cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road. Hakim & Kong Xiaoxi II was selected for the Belt and Road Cultural trade and investment key project of the Ministry of Culture. The Sino-Singapore co-produced animation Duo Duo was selected as the Key International Cooperation Project of the Cultural & Tourism Industry in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian film and television exchange and cooperation plan of the National Radio and Television Administration. The animation Hakim & Kong Xiaoxi co-produced by China and Saudi Arabia won the Jiangsu Provincial Spiritual Civilization award.
Thailand THE MONK STUDIOS CO., LTD was established in 2006 and is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a top high-end animation and visual company with extensive in-depth cooperation with internationally renowned film and television companies such as DreamWorks Animation, Industrial Light & Magic, and Lucasfilm. It is the top CGI production company in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
The co-production project embodies the rich heritage of Chinese and Thai cultures, showing the artistic charm of the two cultures, fostering closer cultural ties, good-neighbourly relations, and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. This project also promotes China-Thailand’s comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership.
