Malaysia’s animation industry has been on a roll for the past year – landing big theatrical hits in its home market as well as making a splash in the huge neighbouring market of Indonesia.
Papa Zola The Movie, produced by Monsta Studios and Astro Shaw and released in Malaysia last December, has grossed $16.3M (RM64M) in its home market – making it Malaysia’s biggest animated film ever and the third highest-grossing local film of all time behind historical drama Mat Kilau and action thriller Blood Brothers.
Remarkably, the film has also been a big hit in Indonesia, pulling in nearly 517,000 admissions, making it the fourth biggest film of the year overall behind three Indonesian horror titles (although as Indonesia’s biggest box office period of the year kicks off today, it’s likely to slide down the annual rankings). MD Entertainment handled the Indonesian release.
Papa Zola wasn’t even the only record-breaking local animation at the Malaysian box office last year – it took the all-time box office crown from WAU Animation and Komet Productions’ Ejen Ali The Movie 2, which grossed $12m earlier in the year. Both Papa Zola and Ejen Ali are well-known properties – while Papa Zola is an original IP, the character is known from Monsta Studios’ BoBoiBoy and Mechamato series, while Ejen Ali, about a young boy who transforms into superhero, is part of a franchise including a TV series and two films.
Monsta Studios CEO Nizam Abd Razak, who directed the Papa Zola movie, explains the film’s success by saying that both the story and the main character appeared to resonate deeply with local audiences. The story follows a former agent, now working as a delivery driver, who springs into action to save his daughter when aliens attack the earth.
“In the past, we produced shōnen-style [Japanese anime aimed at teenagers] shows like BoBoiBoy and Mechamato, where the heroes are usually kids or teenagers,” says Nizam. “With Papa Zola, however, the protagonist is a father, an ordinary man trying to do his best for his family. That shift in perspective made a big difference.
“Many viewers shared that it is rare to see a story centered on a father’s sacrifice, especially in animated form. That emotional core; the struggles, the love, and the quiet resilience of a father, struck a chord across different age groups.”
Nizam Abd Razak, Monsta Studios CEO
Nizam says these themes also helped the film to travel to Indonesia, where audiences were already familiar with the BoBoiBoy franchise and could relate culturally to both the story and the character: “Delivery riders or ‘ojol’ (ojek online drivers), are a significant part of daily urban life there”.
But he believes these themes are also relevant across the region and the film has potential to travel even further. Monsta has already licensed the film to distributors in South Korea and some territories in the Middle East and is now looking for partners in the rest of Southeast Asia and beyond.
Although Japanese anime remains the major force in animation across Asia, many other countries in the region are starting to produce blockbuster animated hits – China had $2BN hit Ne Zha 2 last year; Indonesia’s Visinema produced Jumbo, which topped the local box office in 2025 and is currently playing in Korean theatres; Malaysia has now of course joined the party with Papa Zola and Ejen Ali; Hong Kong’s highest-grossing local film last year was animation Another World; and Taiwan and the Philippines are also producing commercially and critically acclaimed animated films.
Nizam explains that Malaysia has long been a hub for servicing animation work from studios in the US, Europe and Japan: “We gained valuable technical skills and production discipline through those experiences. But for many of us, the long-term aspiration was always to tell our own stories, and now we have the capability to do so.
“Technology has also become more accessible,” he continues. “High-quality animation tools are no longer limited to large studios. In addition, many universities and colleges now offer strong animation programs. These programs are not just technical training, but also creative development and storytelling.”
He adds that audiences across Asia are also changing, becoming “increasingly open to watching animated films and series from different cultures”, while there’s also growing acceptance that animation content is not just for kids. He says that there were two overlapping audience groups for Papa Zola in Malaysia: the first was families with young children, while the second group comprised young adults and adults who grew up watching animation and anime.
“We’re seeing a clear shift: more adults are embracing animation as a legitimate storytelling medium, not just children’s entertainment. Traditionally, animation was viewed purely as kids’ content. Today, the audience range is much broader, roughly from ages 4 to 40. Papa Zola becoming one of the top three highest-grossing local films of all time in Malaysia demonstrates this shift. Such a milestone would not be possible if the audience were limited to children and families alone.”
In another interesting shift, while Japanese anime has undoubtedly been a creative influence across the region – many young people in Southeast and East Asia grow up reading manga and watching anime – several countries are now starting to develop their own aesthetics.
Papa Zola The Movie
Nizam explains that Monsta’s journey started with BoBoiBoy and Mechamato, which follow the structure of anime shōnen storytelling, but that Malaysian animation has a different look: “In that sense, anime has opened doors by establishing global acceptance of Asian storytelling styles. It has created an audience that is already comfortable with these narrative rhythms.
“The main difference lies in the medium. Traditional anime is predominantly 2D, while Malaysian animation or what we refer to as “Animy” (Animation Malaysia) is largely 3D, but infused with anime-inspired storytelling. Rather than competing directly, we are building on that foundation in our own way.”
Malaysia has yet to see widespread implemention of AI in animation production pipelines, although Nizam says that will likely change as live-action and CGI productions globally are integrating AI tools into various stages of production. But he cautions that: “Animation remains a craft that heavily depends on human creativity and artistic judgment”.
“As the industry evolves, we must adapt to new technologies,” Nizam says. “However, it has to be done in a careful manner. AI should serve as a tool to assist artists, streamline workflows, and enhance efficiency, not replace the creative minds behind the work. The goal should be to empower the craft, not eliminate the crafters.”
Meanwhile, Monsta Studios’ pipeline is already full – a third Boboiboy movie, Boboiboy 3: Ghost Of Gurlatan, will be released next year, while a series about Papa Zola’s family, Papa Pipi, is being readied for the fourth quarter of this year. The Monsta universe also includes physical comics, merchandising and games. Hollywood and Japanese animation might need to get ready for a new wave of competition from Southeast Asia.