'India , major outsourcing destination for animation'

Monday, 29 November 2004, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: India's animation industry is set to emerge not only as the outsourcing destination for animators and gamers the world over but also as a major stand-alone sector on its own, says an expert in the field. "India has the manpower and the technology to achieve this," said Phil Mitchell, vice president of Canada's Mainframe Entertainment, a leading entertainment studios and maker of the hit Spiderman 3D television series. The company has produced similar films on the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man and Barbie. Mitchell will address a seminar on "Animation: the Big Picture", while David Liu, founder and president of the College of Interactive Arts (CIA), Canada, will speak on "Career opportunities in animation and gaming industry" here Monday. On his first visit to India, Mitchell was here to inaugurate the courses of CIA at the Jagran Institute of Management and Mass Communication (JIMMC) at suburban Noida. According to a recent study, the Indian animation industry is currently pegged at $550 million. The Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service Companies) study forecast that the global animation market would generate revenues worth $50-70 billion by 2005. Animation production in India is expected to go up from $0.6 billion in 2003 to $1.5 billion by 2005 - a phenomenal growth of 150 percent. Another study by Anderson Consulting estimated India's animation industry to reach $15 billion by 2008. With such high potential forecast, JIMMC plans to provide trained professionals to this sunrise industry. "We are pleased to have successfully launched gaming and visual effects courses here. JIMMC aims to create awareness about the digital entertainment industry and prepare students for a career in this growing industry," said JIMMC director Ajay Upadhyay.
Source: IANS