Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons
Korean animation studios are expanding their strategy to adapt homegrown webtoons into feature films, adding full in-house production alongside global partnerships. When a hit Korean webtoon got the animation treatment in the past, the actual production usually happened overseas. "Solo Leveling," based on the hit Korean web novel and webtoon, became the most-watched series on record on animation…
Korean animation studios are taking a leading role in translating homegrown webtoons into feature films, shifting from outsourcing production overseas to producing them domestically. Previously, hits like Solo Leveling, derived from a popular web novel and webtoon, were animated abroad, but this trend is changing. The industry is now witnessing a surge in Korean studios producing theatrical animation based on local webtoon stories, from conception to completion.
One example of this new direction is Guardians of the Video Game, an animated feature based on Gasfard's Naver Webtoon. Scheduled for release on October 14, this film is being produced entirely by Seoul-based studio Locus. This marks a significant shift, as the studio has also previously worked on Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning, another domestic production.
The move signals a growing confidence in Korean studios' capabilities to deliver high-quality animated content, leveraging their understanding of local narratives and cultural nuances.
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- Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons koreatimes.co.kr
