Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons

Korean animation studios are increasingly taking the lead in animating homegrown webtoons, shifting towards full in-house production instead of relying solely on overseas collaborations. Historically, adaptations of popular Korean webtoons into animated films were produced abroad. The success of "Solo Leveling," derived from a Korean web novel and webtoon, set the stage for a different approach.

This popular series, touted as the most-watched on animation streaming platform Crunchyroll, was brought to life through a multinational collaboration involving Japanese and Korean entities. This traditional model, which merges Korean intellectual property with Japan's extensive production infrastructure, is evolving. Simultaneously, there is a growing trend within the industry as Korean studios embark on the production of theatrical animations from start to finish, based on local webtoon stories.

"Guardians of the Video Game," a project stemming from Gasfard's Naver Webtoon, exemplifies this shift. Scheduled for release on October 14, this animated feature is entirely produced by Seoul-based studio Locus. This endeavor follows the studio's previous film, "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning," further demonstrating Korea's growing prowess in the animation industry.