Animation
South Korean animators stage clean sweep in Tokyo
TOKYO: South Korea has added another trophy cabinet to its cultural conquest. After K-drama and K-pop colonised global screens and playlists, Korean animators have now stormed the animation world—at least the bit that matters in Tokyo.
On 8 January, South Korean creators swept every top prize at the annual TBS Digicon6 Awards at TBS Blitz Studios in Akasaka. Not a single award escaped their grasp.
Young Chan Jeon’s The Statue—a meditation on fame’s fleeting nature and the fickle worship of heroes by the masses—won best story. Yumi Joung took Asian gold for Glasses, an art-house piece tracking a young woman’s psychological journey after she accidentally crushes her spectacles and visits the optometrist.
But the grand prize went to Dahee Jeong for Society of Clothes, a 15-minute 2D animation that abstractly examines humanity’s obsession with appearance. The film features coats, trousers, hats and dresses wandering about without bodies to adorn them—and not getting very far.
The biggest surprise, however, was what didn’t win. India’s entry, Suresh Eriyat’s Annecy award-winning Desi Oon, had been the bookmakers’ favourite among creators from the 13 nations competing. It left with precisely nothing. Not even a special jury mention.
The 90-minute ceremony drew Tokyo’s top animation studios working with TBS. They came expecting a contest. They got a coronation.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
