Issue06 : 23 June 2014

Dr Jirayuth Chusanachoti, the ambitious animator from Thailand

Jirayuth Chusanachoti has visions of the silver screen and beyond for Thailand’s most popular animated character.

As if creating Thailand’s most successful global television series is not enough, the creator of Shelldon is now intent upon global domination. Jirayuth Chusanachoti plans to bring his animated creation – a half-hour children’s show about a young sea clam, his family and adventures – to the big screen in a US$70 million project, featuring the voices of major Hollywood stars, in a bid to step into the global big league.

It’s just one of a raft of projects that Chusanachoti has on the slate for Shellhut Entertainment the private company that creates the series. His business model is tried and tested. The company creates the characters and stories, brand them and then outsources production to animation houses. It also has a successful range of merchandising within Thailand where the show is watched by five million people, which Chusanachoti wishes to propel upon the rest of the world on the back of the proposed feature animation. And there is even talk of a Shelldon theme park.

But the next project off the block represents quite a departure into unchartered waters – a ground breaking co-production between Asia’s pop cultural behemoth South Korea, Thailand and Hollywood in a US$15 million action romantic comedy with some animation. Chusanachoti explains the intention is to take what has been very much a children’s brand into the lucrative teenage or young adult sector.

“We have the kids and so we have their parents but the demographics in-between are weak for us,” he says.

Chusanachoti initially came up with concept of Shelldon in 2001, but it took him until 2008 – and a US$2 million investment from family and friends – before he was signed up for his first series. It proved an overnight success. After only two series of 26 episodes, Shelldon is now shown in more than 100 countries and dubbed in 30 languages. Although the original series was produced mainly in Singapore, around 90% of season two was made in Thailand.

Now, Chusanachoti is hoping to convince Hollywood backers to take Shelldon to the big screen, with an announcement due in December. Once again he is hoping to produce the movie in Thailand, although he admits the final decision will be down to his backers.

Shellhut is as the forefront of Thailand’s booming animation sector. The country is increasingly being seen as a low cost alternative to Hollywood with production costs for animation significantly lower than regional rivals such as Singapore and Malaysia. “But most of them are not making original content,” he says, adding that much of the work is in advertising.

And while the outsourcing model has proved extremely successful so far, like any budding media mogul Chusanachoti has his eyes set on an old-fashioned dream. “A studio,” he says. “One day I think we will have our own studio.” If all his plans come to fruition, it will not just be a cartoon clam but the whole Thai animation sector that will be placed on the map.

Words by Michael Sainsbury

About Shelldon

Shelldon is a Thai animated series which has been broadcasted in more than 100 countries in 39 languages. Setting in the Andaman Sea, the story developed around Shelldon Clam the Sun Carrier Shell and his friends. As a pre-teen, Shelldon sometimes get into a trouble. Most of the episodes are partly educational with moral conclusion at the end of the episode.