“Jumbo” Animation Director Presents ‘Building Emotions in Animation’ at the 16th Ucifest

Ryan Adriandhy’s sharing session at the 16th Ucifest event. (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang – Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN) had a proud guest at the 16th UMN Animation & Film Festival (Ucifest). At the event, the famous animation director of “Jumbo”, Ryan Adriandhy, was present, who also presented material on “Building Emotions in Animation” on Friday (09/05/2025).

“Why do I think acting is crucial in animation? Especially if the animation is a narrative story with a narrator, because even though it’s an animated movie, it’s still a movie. The medium is animation, not live action. There is only a fundamental difference in how the footage is presented,” Ryan said at the event.

Ryan also emphasized that although animated films are not like real-life action, animated films still present stories that show characters who must also be able to show emotions.

“What we present in the end on a screen is a story, and the character guides the story. So, the character must act, convey all the emotions and movements of the story,” Ryan said.

Ryan Adriandhy, when presenting material at UMN. (Doc. UMN)

In addition, Ryan revealed that the success of one of the animations he worked on, “Jumbo,” was able to make people shift their views regarding the world of animation, including the view that animation is a genre. According to Ryan, animation is not a genre but a technique to create the illusion of life on something that is not alive.

“Animation is not a genre. Animation is a medium, a technique, a storytelling technique. The basic word is from something inanimate, something that is not alive. It’s just a picture, it’s just a 3D model, it’s inanimate, it’s not alive. But by animating the model, it becomes something animated, so there is an impression of life,” he explained.

In addition, Ryan also discussed how animation can provide something that live-action cannot. One example is how animation can do a lot of visual language that, if done in live-action, is limited by logistics and the laws of physics unless visual effects assist the live-action.

“Basically, if he just makes ordinary live-action, he can’t do the things that animation can do,” Ryan said again.

It is also important to know that the animated film Jumbo reached 4 million viewers within two weeks of being shown in theaters. The film also made history as the highest-grossing film in Southeast Asia.

Source: Kompas.com

By Putu Wiena | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara.