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TODAY would have been the 67th birthday of the late Kamarudin Ismail, better known as Kamn Ismail, a leading figure in the Malaysian animation space, being a pioneer in the use of computers and digital applications during the 90s.
To celebrate his achievements, Google Malaysia is featuring an animated illustration of the animator at work, in their newest ‘Google Doodle.' In the past they have highlighted significant Malaysian figures such as P. Ramlee, Sudirman, and Saloma in this way, with pioneering journalist Azah Aziz being the most recent.
Attending the preview event at Google Malaysia's headquarters yesterday to share their memories of Kamn, were Muhammad Firdaus Omar, CEO of Quest Animation Sdn Bhd, who is also Kamn's son-in-law; Ujang, a fellow cartoonist and close friend; and Ts. Marzuki Abdullah, a lecturer of Faculty of Animation & Multimedia, Aswara.
“This project is a good platform to give tribute to Malaysian achievers who have given so much contribution to the country until the end. This project is inspirational and to include Kamn Ismail is very big and special.
“On behalf of my family, I would like to say thank you to Google Malaysia for this recognition of Kamn Ismail and the opportunity to be part of this project. I am honoured,” said Dalila Kamarudin, Kamn's daughter.
Kamn was born in Pengkalan Balak, Masjid Tanah, Melaka, in 1956. His interest in art and drawing began when he was still in school. One of his first jobs in animation was with a UK-based company, McMillen Film Company, to produce its ‘Paper Tiger' film (1975).
As the Malaysian animation industry was not yet viable, Kamn had to step away from his passion and had to take up other jobs, including as an administrative clerk with KTMB. His absence from animation would last 17 years.
From 1991 to 1997, Kamn joined Kharisma Pictures (M) Sdn Bhd to form and train the first group of animators to create the first Malaysian animation series, ‘Usop Sontorian'. It took almost three years and 94 dedicated staff to produce a total of 49 episodes.
In 1997, he joined UAS Animation Studios (M) Sdn Bhd as one of its directors. Tasked with creating a hit cartoon, ‘Keluang Man' was the happy result. It tells the story of a patient in a mental hospital in Tampoi named Borhan (Keluang Man), who becomes a crime-fighting superhero with the help of his trusted sidekick Tiong Man.
The show was the first locally produced cartoon that combined 2D animation with a 3D background.
Following the disruption of the financial crisis in 1997, Kamn established his own company Quest Animations (M) Sdn Bhd to publish and direct his own animation series.
Among the shows he produced were ‘Che Nat', ‘Kumang', ‘Toman 1', ‘Kumang Lagenda Sarawak', ‘Lagenda Kinabalu', ‘Pusaka', ‘Pejuang', ‘Duwi', ‘Kiddo Science World', and ‘Mat Kilau'.
Before retiring from the industry in 2016 due to health concerns, he produced ‘Mat Kilau', a patriotic animation series. Spanning 13 episodes, Mat Kilau won several awards and was translated into other types of media.
On April 1, 2018, the Malaysia Cartoon and Comic House together with Animas nominated him as the Malaysian Animation Icon on the Cartoonist Day awards night. – The Vibes, February 8, 2023