He picks up a pistol, eager to put himself out of his misery. But the man is interrupted by an unexpected visitor: a young girl, scared and out of breath. From the alley behind her, a sinister, blood-spattered figure swiftly approaches, running on all fours like a beast.
The man rushes to help the girl and…what happens?
You can find out by watching the teaser to “Happy Survivors Club”, an upcoming animated series currently being developed by local entertainment production company Iron Hill Media.
Set in a post-zombie apocalypse Malaysia, this ambitious show focuses on a group of survivors living in a low-cost apartment block, who must band together to survive.
“Happy Survivors Club” is aimed at audiences aged 16 and above, and will consist of eight episodes, each 24 minutes long.
The series will be directed by Gavin Yap and Spencer Ooi, with Michael Chen and Chienni Chang as producers, and animation by Studio CLIMB.
“With animation, you can do things that you can’t do in live action. So we think this would be the best medium to really do the story justice. We’re using a hybrid of 2D and 3D animation to give things a timeless feel,” quipped Chen during a recent interview with FMT.
He added that despite its apocalyptic premise, the show would also feature humour, something writer Yap is known for.
“Many times, whenever you have an Asian story, they’re sad. A lot about trauma, and pain, and so on. And that’s great, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. We want to tell an authentically Malaysian story, and have fun as well,” Yap said.
The genesis for this project came several years ago, when Chen discovered the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) was offering grants for upcoming animated projects. He turned to his friend Yap, who had experience working in this medium, for advice.
As it turned out, Yap had a script lying around at home: an unused idea for one of his previous projects, the film “KL24: Zombies”. Yap had initially thought to repurpose it for the beginning of a book, but realised animation could also be a great way to bring this story to life.
Also, according to Yap, “Happy Survivors Club” is not connected to “KL24: Zombies” in any way. While both feature the walking dead, each story portrays them differently.
Chen then approached local animators Studio CLIMB, whose art played an important role in bringing the fantastic world of “Happy Survivors Club” to life.
With everyone on board, the team applied for the MDEC grant, successfully receiving it in 2020. “We didn’t really see this coming!” joked Chen.
Yap and Chen reveal that the film is proudly Malaysian in every way, including having a multilingual script, and an abundance of local details.
“There were long, in-depth discussions about how everything should look. Even for things like the rainbow-coloured chair that the old man is sitting on in the trailer, which many Malaysians know. We wanted everything to be very specific,” Chen laughed.
Yap added that audiences could look forward to seeing all-too familiar characters: the sort of people you would expect at the shops and services of a regular local apartment block.
“We’ll see the prawn mee auntie and her Indonesian helper, who speaks better Cantonese than her. We’ll have the migrant worker who cleans the place up. And the teenage couple going on an ice kacang date before everything goes to hell,” Yap quipped.
Iron Hill Media is currently seeking investors, partners, or any kind of collaborators to help them fund and create this series.
Chen and Yap will also be headed to the prestigious Annecy Animation Film Festival in France later this month, and be featured at the MIFA SEA Focus Pitching Stage on June 14.
There, they will have eight minutes to pitch the “Happy Survivors Club” to potential buyers from around the world.
The duo is certainly excited. Funding, of course, will only be the first step in the long road towards the completion of “Happy Survivor’s Club”, which could take years.
Regardless, Chen and Yap are optimistic about the animation series’ prospects, and are definitely in this for the long haul. They both look forward to sharing the series’ offbeat energy with the world.
“This series, we’re really wearing Malaysia on our sleeves. For Malaysians, they can pick out details they can relate to. But I think this story can also resonate universally. So I hope someone picks it up.” Chen concluded.
Learn more about ‘The Happy Survivor’s Club’ here. Also follow Iron Hill Media on Instagram.
