He only had 50 dollars his mother had borrowed from an Indian lady whose clothes she washed. This Indian lady had pawned her earrings to get the money.

Hassan had made the long journey to assist a former schoolmate who was working on window displays at Robinsons Department Store on Jalan Mountbatten (now Jalan Tun Perak). He carried an old bag and wore shoes that were split in the middle.

As he looked around the city, little could he have known that decades later, he would be named the “Father of Malaysian Animation”. In a conversation with FMT Lifestyle, the now 78-year-old shares his story.

At Robinsons, he had been tasked to help his friend create large paintings for walls – but there was one problem. “I knew nothing about commercial art!”

But Hassan, to his credit, has never shied away from hard work. “Whenever I’m given a job I’ve never done before, I will never say ‘no, I cannot do it’ or ‘I don’t know how to do it’. I’ll cross my fingers, say ‘no problem’, and start looking for books.”

Indeed, his talent shone and his artwork impressed many. But after several years, he felt a hunger stirring within him to learn something new. And that was when he decided to apply for a job at the national film department.

Hassan towered in height, but he felt like an underdog during the interview.

“There were 10 people, including myself. I looked to the left and right, and these guys were better qualified than me,” he said. Hassan had failed his Form Five examinations, although he later passed on his second attempt.

Still, he got the job. Years later, he chanced upon his interviewer and learnt it was his excellent command of English and experience with window displays – similar to creating sets – that had given him an edge.

“He also said: ‘You taught yourself. You didn’t wait to be sent for training. These are the kind of people we want’.”

So, Hassan began a new journey as a film titling artist. “It was all manually done. When I was in Robinsons, I used a brush; and now, I had to use a rolling pen,” he recalled. Again, he was undeterred by having to learn a new skill, and soon found himself thriving.

A new opportunity beckoned when Hassan was asked to create animated trailers for festive seasons. “I never did animation, and I didn’t know where to start!”

Nevertheless, he gamely took on the challenge and successfully created a Christmas trailer. “When I saw it on the screen, I knew animation was going to be in my life. I got hooked.”

He later began making public service advertisements; among his popular works was an anti-Aedes series that communicated its message effectively and humorously.

But it was the animated “Sang Kancil” series that catapulted Hassan to fame. “I was the writer, director and animation supervisor. I also designed the background and one of the characters,” Hassan explained.

This series, both funny and educational, quickly charmed viewers and remains well-loved until today. “It was the language and funny dialogue, which became viral in schools. Like, ‘jangan monyet, jangan!’ or ‘aku nak itu, aku nak itu!’. I did it without thinking,” he said, explaining its longevity.

Hassan went on to become the director, co-writer and animation supervisor of “Legendary Silat Warriors (Silat Legenda)”, Malaysia’s first-ever animated feature film, about five boys who uncover the magical weapons of ancient warriors.

For his contributions to the industry, he has received many accolades, including the prestigious Asian Animation Pioneer award by Nanyang Technological University in 2011 and the Merdeka Award (Education and Community) in 2018.

He was also conferred the title “Father of Malaysian Animation” by former prime minister Najib Razak in 2012.

Over the years, Hassan has been a photographer and lecturer, and even authored four books: “Malaysian Cinema in a Bottle”, “From Mousedeer to Mouse: 70 years of Malaysian Animation”, “Cherita Sutradara & Seniman, Mamat Khalid”, and “A Guide for Cinephiles & Movie Addicts”.

Additionally, he has been on the panels of international and local film festivals including, most recently, this year’s Taylor’s University Film Festival.

“When I was in school, I worked at a ‘mee goreng’ street cart, and one of the places we stopped was at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). At that time, it was called Minden Barracks.

“In 2011, I was invited to USM to deliver a keynote address. I told them, ‘50 years ago, I was selling mee goreng outside your gates. Now, I’m giving a keynote address’,” he shared with a laugh.

This full-circle moment certainly highlights just how far Hassan has come. Looking back on a career that is nothing short of illustrious (literally!), he concluded happily: “I never imagined I would do all of these. I was just doing what I love.”