NEWS
New era for Malaysian animation, Komet Productions' head Izham Omar says at JAFF Market today
30 November 2025
"Kisah Bawah Tanah" – Malaysia's first animated series for older audiences – is on its way to "several" Southeast Asian markets in new distribution deals flagged today at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. Details are expected to be unveiled next week during the ATF in Singapore.
Speaking today in a session about the evolution of children’s films and animation in Malaysia over the years, Komet Productions' head Izham Omar pointed to the blockbuster animated superhero feature "Ejen Ali" as a transformational moment for Malaysian animation and highlighted "Kisah Bawah Tanah" as breaking new ground in the space.
"Kisah Bawah Tanah", from Malaysia’s Animasia Studios and Spaceboy Studios, is an animated comedy co-production featuring reimagined Southeast Asian folklore. Season one (26x11-mins) follows best friends Sam and Zack as they navigate a world teeming with creatures that have long haunted the region.
When the series was announced last year, the companies said they were paving the way for an era of increased diversity in regional storytelling and described the series as a “pivotal step in maturing Malaysian animation beyond the children’s market".
Omar today said Malaysian audiences had "become more complicated in their thinking".
He also said "Kisah Bawah Tanah" offered "a lot of complex stories that adults will get... but this one is more for college kids although children will also get it because they know these ghosts".
The grand plan is to expand the franchise into video games, a spin-off micro-series, on-ground experiential attractions, direction for the soundtrack and music scoring as well as the development of a feature film.
“Kisah Bawah Tanah” was the winner of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) 2018 Intellectual Property Creators Challenge contest. The show continues to be supported by MDEC's Digital Content Grant programme.
..."Kisah Bawah Tanah" – Malaysia's first animated series for older audiences – is on its way to "several" Southeast Asian markets in new distribution deals flagged today at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. Details are expected to be unveiled next week during the ATF in Singapore.
Speaking today in a session about the evolution of children’s films and animation in Malaysia over the years, Komet Productions' head Izham Omar pointed to the blockbuster animated superhero feature "Ejen Ali" as a transformational moment for Malaysian animation and highlighted "Kisah Bawah Tanah" as breaking new ground in the space.
"Kisah Bawah Tanah", from Malaysia’s Animasia Studios and Spaceboy Studios, is an animated comedy co-production featuring reimagined Southeast Asian folklore. Season one (26x11-mins) follows best friends Sam and Zack as they navigate a world teeming with creatures that have long haunted the region.
When the series was announced last year, the companies said they were paving the way for an era of increased diversity in regional storytelling and described the series as a “pivotal step in maturing Malaysian animation beyond the children’s market".
Omar today said Malaysian audiences had "become more complicated in their thinking".
He also said "Kisah Bawah Tanah" offered "a lot of complex stories that adults will get... but this one is more for college kids although children will also get it because they know these ghosts".
The grand plan is to expand the franchise into video games, a spin-off micro-series, on-ground experiential attractions, direction for the soundtrack and music scoring as well as the development of a feature film.
“Kisah Bawah Tanah” was the winner of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) 2018 Intellectual Property Creators Challenge contest. The show continues to be supported by MDEC's Digital Content Grant programme.
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