Hollywood expert lauds Kerala's talent

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 28 (IANS) Hollywood's animation and graphics expert Richard Klien said the creative minds of Kerala have more reasons to enjoy as the talent in the state is 'amazing'.

'It is not often that appreciations would pour in from the outside world, especially on creativity in a tech savvy animation industry. The talent that I find here is amazing, and is second to none in terms of creative capability,' said Klien.

Klien is a self-taught graphics expert who has worked with famous productions like 'Space Jam', 'Batman and Robin', 'Air Force One' and more recently on an unreleased Warner Brothers' blockbuster '10,000 BC'.

Klien Wednesday interacted with animators at the Toonz Animation studio here in the Technopark campus.

'I can see a lot of interest among the youth in graphics and animation and academies like Toonz would go a long way in helping them hone their skills,' said Klien.

Giving a word of caution, he said the industry doesn't need people who can operate softwares, but individuals who can think and give shape to an idea. The need of the hour is not to try and learn everything under the sun, but to understand one's capabilities and specialize in that, he added.

'The animation industry in India has immense potential to grow and with the kind of creative talents available, the future looks to be in safe hands,' added Klien.

Established in 1999, Toonz has become a major provider of animation to top producers in the US and Europe and is South Asia's biggest and most admired animation studio.