Big dreamer

A versatile entertainment writer and poet, LHOT is a PR writer for “Urduja” (the breakthrough animated film in the country today). She has been a good fiend of Kuris animators and would love to work with them someday for an important project. This time, we love to post one of her well-written PR articles for Urduja prior its showing date last June 18. We hope she could inspire you to be proud and believe in the talents of Pinoy animators.

URDUJA: A dream come true in Philippine animation

When a Filipino animator who did the background graphics for the hit Disney animation Finding Nemo included a bahay kubo in Nemo's aquarium, Filipinos all over the world basked in a collective sense of pride for such global display of Pinoy artistry. The word spread fast and most Pinoys found themselves looking out for that talked about nipa hut when they watched the film, either in its original cinema run or when it came out on video. A short glimpse of the bahay kubo was all it took, and Filipinos swelled with sheer pride for their heritage.

Truth is, Filipino animators have been involved in a number of Hollywood animated films for years but their contributions are rarely acknowledged and there's hardly any hype stirred among Filipino communities about them. But the time has come for Filipino animators to step into the limelight and showcase their talent in a breakthrough animated film that is purely and proudly Filipino – Urduja, the first full-length digital and traditional animated movie in Philippine history.

The brainchild of Mr. Tony Tuviera, Urduja is every Filipino animator's dream come true that is 11 years in the making and is born from the utmost dedication of hundreds of people who believe in the project and sacrifice their time, effort and resources to ensure that the final product will be something Filipinos can really be proud of. Running a total of 85,000 drawings shown in 1,922 scenes equivalent to 8,771 feet of film, Urduja involved around 400 Filipino animation practitioners in both digital and traditional fields in animation studios located in Makati and Palawan.

Three people who have been truly instrumental in encouraging Mr. Tuviera to persist with the project despite the countless hindrances in the 11 years of trial and error were his son, director Mike Tuviera; Mimbi Eloriaga, who has been overseeing the animation of the entire film; and director Reggie Entienza, who wrote the film's original script, was involved in the project's conceptualization and partly designed the character of Urduja.

For Mike Tuviera, Reggie Entienza and Mimbi Eloriaga – as it is with Mr. Tony Tuviera and all the animators and talents involved in the movie – Urduja is a dream come true, something they initially thought was impossible to achieve as a Philippine production but still pursued to give Filipinos a taste of a large-scale and world-class animated film that is truly and proudly theirs.

“We describe our Urduja experience as unbelievably fascinating,” said Eloriaga, who has 18 years of animation experience to her credit. “This project has been blessed from the very start. I wouldn't describe it as smooth sailing, but the opportunities have always presented themselves to further the project alone. Whenever we encountered a roadblock, there was always an immediate solution that led us out of the situation.”

For director Reggie Entienza, Urduja has also been a great learning experience. Creating the character of Urduja for the animated film, taking care not to pattern the story too close to the historical life of the real Urduja of Pangasinan but still retaining the warrior princess' remarkable quality of valor and loyalty to her tribe has been a tedious process and a notable feat in itself. With the help of director Mike Tuviera, they were able to write a story that has all the elements of romance, comedy and action that will make Urduja appealing to viewers of all ages.

Urduja features the voices of some of the biggest stars in Philippine showbusiness, with Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez singing the movie theme song and lending her voice to the title role, along with Cesar Montano, Eddie Garcia, Johnny Delgado, Jay Manalo, Michael V, Allan K, Ruby Rodriguez and Epi Quizon.

This June, what had once been a far-fetched dream becomes an impressive reality as Urduja comes to all Filipinos of all ages in theaters nationwide.

All-text 20

Textus interuptus 1

My Lolo's crappy radio blur for a second while listening to an afternoon radio drama (was it "Condorilla"?, haha). I think there will be some text messages coming up in my cellphone knowing that mobile messaging interupts signal. Yeah right, there were lots of text from Kuris peeps. I jumped fast to the sofa and pushed the "OK" button of my phone to reveal messages... then everything went partly motionless... much like the Matrix slowmo-scenes (hehe)...I will reveal and would never hold back what the Kuris guys have texted me... this is textus interuptus edition post of this blog. you get raw thoughts straight from the Kurisans!

Textus interuptus phase one:

KENSHIN RACIL: Nong musta... ti mkakd2 kmo s pista nmon? miz u guyz (21/06/2008 7: 42pm)

MY THOUGHTS: How we wish we could be there for your fiesta Raz. But we will try. The group is getting busier but we didn't forget you, promise.

KADULOM MARX: Musta na Nel, amo ni gli globe ko nga number. (23/06/2008 5:45pm)

MY THOUGHTS: Now why does Marky suddenly switched to Globe? my wild guess: he has a new cellphone...was it N95? (and he's keeping his smart sim with the old phone) Oh well, this is what you'll gonna do when the special project paid well, hehe.

SLY LYNDON: Nel ti musta na budget prop mo sa wafletime Ok n? (24/06/2008 12:14pm)

MY THOUGHTS: It’s done but I need to edit it guys so that we can assure that we can start right away. A little patience is all we need, I swear.

SAMURAGI TATANG: OK lng nel a. Una lng kabudlay s project wla pa mn ko sweldo ky 2 weks p lng ko ya. makad2 k dri kron? (25/06/2008 10:37am)

MY THOUGHTS: That's great Tang. I wish you well and you won't fish for food in the coming months, hehe. We hope when the real group project comes in, we won't dissapoint each other.

BRAVO BRYAN: diri kmi day Marx nel gstay a. sige p kmi obra projek my kulang p kmi nhulat gni. (25/06/2008 1:25pm)

MY THOUGHTS: I wish you the best guys. you were great and don't forget I need your help for the coming projects. you're one of the important peeps for the task.

MORBID DYVRUM: Nel, musta? Busy gid. My projct mn ko b sbng. My ngpaubra dan sakn plan sng balay so my nlagas mn ko nga deadline sa client ko. (26/06/2008 2:55pm)

MY THOUGHTS: Oh yeah, Mr. Morbid is an architecture grad so it's quite clear he gets these kind of projects once in a while. I hope he would show up when the group project gets in.

ZYRA JANELYN: Ron...gudpm, my clas n kmi ya. Ngkitanay kmi gli dy Marx a. mayo gani my income n sla dy Tatang. (26/06/2008 3:02pm)

MY THOUGHTS: Yeah, they're getting better friend. We could only hope for the best for each of us. I need to buy load coz I can't you text guys, hehe!

Textus interuptus...end (for now)

timeless feat, Filipino pride

Urduja, the recently successful animated film with an all-Filipino production team opened in theaters last June 18.

Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez is the voice behind Urduja

Tony Tuviera, head of APT Production and Urduja’s mega-producer with some the animated films cuddly characters.

"Isinasambit na ng hangin ang iyong pangalan, Urduja..."

last words of Lakampati to Urduja

Urduja's charm: the Kuris flick review

Urduja became an instant timeless artistic creation in the Philippine filmaking history. It's true, the all-Filipino animated film proved to be an innovative feat for both local animators, the creative writers and visionary producers. APT Production's CEO, Mr. Tony Tuviera, the pioneering producer of Eat Bulaga and other television shows as well a notable films succeeded in creating a breakthrough project that embraces both Philippine historical heritage and literary treasures fused with animation pop culture. The product seems to be comparable with Walt Disney's "Mulan-meets-Pocahontas". It raises the dignity of women's role and empowerment in the machismo-sided Philippine society. Urduja relflects the worth of women as equal with men when it comes to wit and leadership. APT risked a lot but I truly believe it was worth it.

Though the screenwriters and the creative production staff have altered parts of Urduja's story, they were great in combining their own twist and modern ideas to make the film more catchy, appealing and charming to the younger audience. Animation was suppose to be for kids, but this time around kids won't be the only genre of moviegoers to get entertained, even the older people will find its love story lovable. The dialogues are crisp, clear and fresh. The creativity of giving life to Urduja's story is relevent to the negative "regionalism attitude" and "kanya-kanya" system of the Filipinos. It is a clear message of unity and hope amid torments of fate. We can get positive values even if it's just a kids stuff animated film.

The animators can't be taken lightly in this project. They have breathe life to the characters of Urduja's saga through their artistic touch and stunning visual artistry. Every movements and scenes in Urduja reminds us how tough it is to give life through our drawings and turn it into animation, I bet they observed American standard of 2D animation (not less than 24 drawings per second, whew!). The costumes are delicately created and drawn with pure passion as well as the stunning backgrounds. Some of them are done in 3D animation like the "sea battle scene" of Lim Hang with the villain Wang. The waterfalls is also mesmerizing to watch. But I realize that Urduja's animation team is composed of various groups of animators since they carry unique names of their studios or group. How we wish we could be part of such huge project someday, hehe! I think their costumes and even the settings are well-researched. One of the highlights of the film is the opening dance and fight sequences of Urduja where she danced "singkil" fused with "Tinikling". The scene was awesone.

Big stars are never far behind the charm of the animated film. In fact, this is Regine Velasquez's first project that gave life to an animated character which shows her powerful songbird voice. She sang the same magical voice and fervor the way we see her in concerts or heard from her popular CDs. Also notable were the impressive performance of Cesar Montano, Eddie Garcia, Micheal V, Allan K, Jay Manalo, Ruby Rodriguez and a lot more powerhouse star cast. Allan K and Micheal V's characters Kukut and Tarsir reminds me of Lion King's "Hakuna Matata".

For the record, Urduja is the second all-Filpino animated film shown in the big screen since Ibong Adarna. It combined both traditional and digital way of making animation. It boosts with impressive storyline, cultural relevance, music and star cast. A truly Filipino pride in animation and we hope it would be given fitting recognition internationally. Believe me, your heart will be tickled with this film.

Animation is getting stronger and bigger in the Philippines these days. We hope we can be part of that breakthrough and innovation in the coming years.

Urduja Cast

• Regine Velasquez - Princess Urduja
• Cesar Montano - Limhang
• Eddie Garcia - Lakanpati
• Jay Manalo - Simakwel
• Johnny Delgado - Wang
• Ruby Rodriguez - Mayumi
• Epy Quizon - Daisuke
• Michael V. - Kukut
• Allan K. - Tarsir

Urduja reviews

“

Though the film was patterned after Disney’s Pocahantas and Mulan, it depicts the Filipinos talent on creating animation and putting it to work. This isn’t bad at all as it will be a start of a more creative filming’s in the movie industry and more educational local animation from the Philippines.

”

- paraisophilippines.com

“

... trailer of a new Filipino Animation, which I’d rather call “Filipino Anime” - Urduja, it is so good we were shocked its completely Filipino made, we thought it was a dubbed version of another country’s legend but it is about the Philippines!

”

- Shixi XIE

people helping people...

SM Foundation team headed by Ma’am Connie Angeles during the weeklong free medicine charity event in response to typhoon Frank’s recent devastation in Iloilo.

A Kuris animator with SM Foundation Head and Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko popular anchor Connie Angeles

A Kuris animator with SM Foundation’s lovable project manager Cristie Angeles

Kuris animators gladly joined the group headed by SM Foundation in giving joy to the kids last Christmas in the city’s biggest mall.

Kuris and SM team for a Christmas charity last year. (from left to right) SM PR officer Troy Camarista, Kuris’ Ronelo Ladiao, Marx Silva, SM Foundation project manager Cristie Angeles, SM Marketing staff, GMA Ratsada’s Mark Nuneza and Kuris’ Amado Caporal.

SM's charity and passion

There are many reasons why charity and passion complement each other. For us, it is a symbol of our purspose and dream to reach out with our gifts. Sharing what we have and what we know is the best way of making ourselves into total artists. Artists are supposed to be beings of emotions and warmth. We hope we would always be...
SM Foundation and SM City Iloilo were some of Kuris अनिमटर's valuable partners and sponsors when we were starting to create our dream a year ago. Last October 19, 2007, we held our graduation at SM City Iloilo lower ground floor. It was memorable since it was the very-first graduation ever held in the biggest mall in the city. It was just a dream from the start and people wouldn't even believe that we we're gonna truly have our grad at SM. But it happened and a lot of Ilonggos finally took a glance of how talented local animators are.
The BEQUEST: Origin of Dinagyang, the group's popular animated short film project as the first of its kind in Western Visayas was publicly promoted at SM City Iloilo in a weeklong exhibit. Again, people were visited the booth with much curiosity and interest to the talents of Ilonggo animators. There were art and poster exhibits, film showing and hands-on drawing exhibition from the artists. On the 25th of January, the animated short film was shown at SM Cinema 7 fully-packed with more than 500 spectators, all were curios Ilonggos wanting to see the BEQUEST for the first time. SM City Iloilo has been generous enough to provide a venue and sponsorship assistance to our group in achieving our dreams in a short period of time. We owe so much gratitude to the management of SM City for trusting us and showcasing our talents...for free.
SM Foundation, SM Supermall's charitable arms in helping the less fortunate people in the country considered Kuris Animators as its important friend in bringing the message of hope and compassion. Last December, we were invited to take part in a Christmas charity program for kids in the mall. For us, it is a rare previledge to take part in the foundation's activities that harnessed not only our talents but our social commitment and conciousness. The short S and M animated project we did for SM is a sign of our gratitude to the mall for its generosity.We did it for weeks and it was done for free. I even heard that another mall was previously planning to copy such effort but they failed since the animators whom they invited charge TF until the plan was scrapped. Oh well, sometimes there are things that doesn't come for free.
In response to the recent devastation of typhoon Frank to various parts of Panay, SM Foundation immediately came to Iloilo to distribute free medicines and relief goods. Headed by SM Foundation's leader, Connie Angeles and Project Manager, Cristie Angeles, they showed the meaning of hope and compassion to the Ilonggos. They will stay until Sunday this week to fulfill their task. Ma'am Connie who is also a prominent anchor of the longest-running public service TV program, Kapwa ko Mahal Ko brought her production team to cover the charity event. I was there ealier today to witness the how it feels good to help other people who were in need. They welcomed Kuris animator's effort to help and share life with hope.
In fact, we were inspired to pursue our plan to held our own charity project by the end of the year. Our media friends, generous sponsors and partner organizations are willing to help us not only to show our talent but to touch lives. This will be a great inspiration to launch our Kuris Charity Art Drive later this year as we celebrate the succeess of our friendship and dreams. Better watch out for it!

Hard life

Janiuay, located in the central part of Iloilo, is among the hardest hit with casualties expected to be highest. Mayor Ben Margarico in an interview told Bombo Radyo that at least 19 are confirmed dead and hundreds feared missing. Included in the missing is a family of five whose entire house was carried upstream and personally seen by the mayor to have hit the foundation of the Suage bridge. He recalled seeing numerous others waving for help with frantic looks of desperation. (reported by Florence Hibionada, Ilonggo journalist)

Hard rain

Like life’s circumstances, we we’re struck hard by rain. Even the city of Iloilo, home of the infamous Kuris animators, life is a hard rain lately. But we are not losing hope. We were born to fight and face the torments of life even if takes everything from us. We are gifted like mutants in the pages of the X-men comics who never give up to prove ourselves to those who loath and hate us in this blog. They dream on for our downfall but we knew we have left something to the Ilonggos to fonder. Amen.

We realize that this little cyberspace blog isn’t all about the declaration of our feat, quest or journey. It is also a cyber realm of compassion, public service and little media zone. We wanted to inform current issues, happenings, events and news about the world around us.

News 1: Hard rain in the city
Recently, Iloilo City was strucked hard by rain and storm. From the evening of June 14 until today, June 16, 2008, a cruel typhoon tormented Iloilo City with destructive winds and heavy rain leaving only destruction and loss of lives as well as properties. In Mandurriao and Jaro district alone, they were millions of properties loss and some vulnerable lives were taken away by a gigantic flood. It swept away houses especially those in the riverbanks and subdivisions in Jaro (Alta Tierra, etc.). I was riding home in a jeepney when when I saw children crying in fear, houses were washed away, families eating their breakfast early in the morning along the streets and cattle animals walking freely. The old Mandurriao Iloilo Airport was washed away especially its steel wall and nearby squatter community experienced a worse disaster ever. In Jaro, Janiuay, Cabatuan, Pavia and many other municipalities in Iloilo, there were awful stories of survival from families drowned in flood as told by a police in our neighborhood. Until now, these stoies haunt the city and the province with electricity blackout and loss of water supply. Few days from now, everything will be back to normal and students can go to school as classes resume. But that would wait until the rebuilding is done and every one gets over with the trauma.

News 2: Hard task to follow for Kuris
Amid the typhoon disaster, the Kuris animators are still in contact with each other. The new commercial animated module project that we will start soon and promotes a very popular food product will start few week from now. I entrusted Lyndon to lead this project since I saw the eagerness and determination to fulfill this Task in him. Marx, Bryan, Tatang and Jay will assist him as they continue their special project. I need to prepare the budget proposal needed to be submitted first before anything else. I talked to the promoters of the commercial project and they are very excited to see the animation that will included in the whole module once it is done. But it would take a lot of effort and brainstorming before we can realize the fruit of our sacrifice. Still, the rest of our other big projects are on hold including the NCCA-Lapis proposal, a charity event and DreamTeam shows that we will take part. By August, we might handle the animation visuals in a special event in Amigo Terrace Hotel. We will reveal everything in time… Oh, we might post also the movie review we did for Urduja and Incredible Hulk. Robinsons is really a cool cinema to watch these days , hehe!

Do U have the balls?

Balls of Dragon: The Kuris flick anticipation

Get your anime senses burning again and prepare for a galactic explosion right at the tip of your imaginations। This time, let Kuris animators tease you with an upcoming film adapted from an all-time Japanese anime icon. 20 ^th Century Fox, the film production that brought X-men trilogy and other Marvel superheroes to the big screen is rumored to release the film on April 2009.

Fly high as Balls of Dragon invades Hollywood soon…

Dragonball is a colorful anime full of interesting characters. The movie is no exception. Many of your favorite anime characters will appear in the movie: Goku, Piccolo, Bulma, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Grandpa Gohan, Chi-Chi, Mai, and more. There has been some controversy over the absence of some characters (such as Krillin), but it’s not known if the movie will remove them entirely or just make them have short cameos or rename them. For the time being, however, here is what we know.

- Goku (Justin Chatwin)
- Bulma (Emmy Rossum)
- Yamcha (Joon Park)
- Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat)
- Lord Piccolo (James Marsters)
- Mai (Eriko Tamura)
- Chi-Chi (Jamie Chung)
- Grandpa Gohan (Randall Duk Kim)
- Other Characters

Please see the About page if you have questions that you want answered about the movie.

Goku
Goku is the hero of Dragonball. Goku is pure of heart and unusually gifted in martial arts. For more information on the anime version of Goku, click here.

[GOKU] 18 years old, Goku is considered uncool and unpopular at school, but he is in fact an extremely talented martial arts fighter who gets rigorous training from his grandfather, Gohan. After the death of his grandfather by the evil Lord Piccolo, Goku finds his destiny in his grandfather’s dying request that he find Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls (of which he has one) in order to prevent Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the dragonballs to take over the world. Trained by Master Roshi, aided by Bulma and Yamcha, friends he meets along the way, Goku proves himself a formidable, almost undefeatable fighter. On many dangerous adventures to find the remaining Dragon Balls and thus save the world, Goku conquers physical and emotional challenges, ultimately saving the world but clearly impelled to spend his life searching for the Dragon Balls with his trusty companions…LEAD

Justin Chatwin is a 25-year-old Canadian who has starred in “The Invisible,” and “War of the Worlds.” Visit his filmography here.

Bulma
Bulma is a blue-haired techno wiz who encounters Goku while searching for the Dragonballs. Though Bulma’s intentions are selfish at first, she slowly becomes an integral part of the series. For more information on the anime version of Bulma, click here.

[BULMA] 20s, female, pretty, with great intelligence behind her gleaming eyes, Bulma is a determined, competitive young woman whose father’s five star Dragon Ball was stolen by Lord Piccolo, and who believes that she can harness their unlimited energy and change the world like Edison or Einstein. Bulma, who has a DBE (a Dragon Ball locator device), teams up with Goku, and with him meets up with Master Roshi and Yamcha as they attempt to collect the missing Dragon Balls before Piccolo can destroy the world. A resourceful and courageous young woman who’s also a weapons expert, she overcomes many obstacles with her colleagues, only to find the seven Dragon Balls ultimately snatched from their grasp–but it’s clear she’s going to continue searching for them with Goku and Yamcha…LEAD

Emmy Rossum is a 22-year-old American actor, who has starred in “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Poseidon.” Visit her filmography here.

Yamcha
Yamcha is a desert bandit who later befriends Goku and Bulma. Yamcha also becomes romantically involved with Bulma, though it’s a confusing relationship to say the least. For more information on the anime version of Yamcha, click here.

[YAMCHA] 20s, “the bad boy who has no trouble attracting women,” he taunts Goku, Bulma and Master Yoshi, who are trapped in a sand cave, rather than helping them with his rope ladder. However, after overhearing Master Roshi’s tale of Piccolo once nearly destroyed the Earth and are preparing to do so again, Yamcha has a change of heart and not only helps the three in the desert, but becomes a valuable part of the team. An ingenious young man whose utililty truck is the Swiss Army Knife of trucks–every tool and gear imaginable sprouts from its body–Yamcha joins Goku, Bulma (with whom he becomes romantically involved) and Master Yoshi on their quest to find the seven Dragon Balls before Piccolo…LEAD

Joon Park is an up-and-coming actor who will appear in “Speed Racer” later this year. He is 39 years old and is also a popular Korean singer. Visit his filmography here.

Master Roshi
Master Roshi is a turtle hermit, and despite his unusual lifestyle and perverted attitude, he is an extremely gifted martial artist, who has trained Goku’s grandfather, Gohan. For more information on the anime version of Master Roshi, click here.

[MASTER ROSHI] This older man is a good friend of Goku’s grandfather, Gohan, and Goku comes to enlist his help after his grandfather is killed. Although he looks like a beggar, Roshi is one of the world’s most fearsome fighters. Master Roshi begins Goku’s rigorous training to prepare him for the adventure of finding and fighting for the seven Dragon Balls to save the world from Piccolo’s destructive plan. A wise, somewhat wry man who knows as much about human nature as he does about martial arts, Master Roshi is impressed with Goku’s fighting but reminds him of his failings as well. Ultimately, Master Roshi sacrifices his own life in order to destroy Piccolo…LEAD

Chow Yun-Fat is a 53-year-old asian actor who has wowed audiences with movies such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and just recently “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” View his filmography here.

Piccolo
Lord Piccolo is the evil half of the god of earth, Kami. Piccolo wants the dragonballs to wish for immortality to conquer the planet. For more information on the anime version of Piccolo, click here.

[LORD PICCOLO] An ancient being who despite his humanoid appearance, is from an alien race determined to take over the world. Piccolo is the cursed ruler of a demonic race who nearly destroyed Earth 2000 years ago, and with the coming of the eclipse and the possession of all seven Dragon Balls, he’s prepared to free himself and do the job right this time. Crafty and smart, Piccolo has some disturbing news for Goku, namely that the boy is actually a Saiyan who’s destined to join Piccolo as his right hand in destroying and enslaving the planet…LEAD

James Marsters is a 46-year-old American actor who has starred in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” as the villainous Spike. Visit his filmography here.

Mai
In the anime, Mai is one of Pilaf’s henchmen, though in the movie this has been changed. For more information on the anime version of Mai, click here.

[MAI] Late 20s, female, her features exotic, sexy but deadly, dressed in gleaming black, with weapons strapped all over her body, she’s a martial arts expert and Lord Piccolo’s chief enforcer. Crafty and quick thinking, Mai uses her ability to shapeshift near the climax of the movie and takes on the form of Chi Chi, a young martial arts expert who’s romantically involved with Goku and later saves Piccolo from Master Roshi’s curse; once she is revealed she ends up in the fight of her life.

Eriko Tamura is a 35-year-old Japanese actress who appears in “Heroes” (TV series) and other Japanese films and TV shows. View her filmography here.

Chi-Chi
Chi-Chi is Goku’s love interest and the daughter of the Ox King. For more information on the anime version of Chi-Chi, click here.

[CHI CHI] Goku’s lifelong love interest, Chi Chi is an attractive, tom boy-ish young woman who has grown up with Goku. She has studied martial arts and has always suspected that Goku possesses talents that are unusual and extraordinary. After Goku embarks on his journey to redeem his grandfather’s death, Chi Chi meets up with Goku and his crew at a tournament of champions where their mutual attraction finally heats up during a training session.

Jamie Chung is a 25-year-old actress who appeared in “The Real World” and some other minor roles. View her filmography here.

Grandfather Gohan
Gohan found Goku in the wilderness by a space pod. He raised Goku as his own, even though Goku is not from this planet. For more information on the anime version of Gohan, click here.

[GOHAN] Goku’s kindly, wise grandfather, he looks like he’s in his 70s but moves like Jet Li. An accomplished martial artist who trains Goku on the bow staff, he loves his grandson and is happy to prepare a special feast for him on his 18th birthday, as well as a special gift: a 3 star Dragon Ball. Tragically, Gohan is struck down by the high ninjas of the Namek-Jins, and as he dies he sends his grandson out to do face his destiny and do battle against them…

Randull Duk Kim is a 65-year-old actor who appeared in “The Matrix: Reloaded” as The Key-Maker, and has recently voiced a character in the animated movie “Kung Fu Panda.” View his fimography here.

Unknown
Ernie Hudson has recently been cast in the film as a sort of “altar boy” who helps Goku and friends in their journey. It’s very likely he will be cast as Kami, the good half of Piccolo and the guardian of earth, or Mr. Popo, Kami’s assistant.

There is also a very good chance that he has been cast as “Sifu Norris,” which could be a codename for Kami (or they might have changed Kami’s name).

[SIFU NORRIS] (incomplete summary) Male, late 50s - early 70s, noble and intelligent man. regardless of race or nationality.

Ernie Hudson is a 63-year-old actor who has starred in “Ghostbusters,” “The Crow,” and more. View his filmography here.

MOVIE-MADE CHARACTERS OR CODE-NAMES

Weaver (Luis Arretia) is Goku’s school friend. It has been said his role is very short in the movie, though could be more important if there are sequels. There is a likely possibility that Weaver is the code name or replacement for Krillin, Goku’s martial arts friend.

Texas Battle (Carey Fuller), Shavon Kirksey (Emi), and Richard Blake (Agundus) will have very short roles in the film। Shavon will be Chi-Chi’s school friend, Texas will be a school bully, and Richard will be a jock. That’s all we really know about these casting additions so far.

All U need is positivity

Lyndon and Marx did a great job with the posters, hehe!

Bryan gets done with the in-betweens for the exhibit

Kuris posters ready for exhibit

Kuris guys on the go!

Better in Time

God, this is it. The answer that we have been waiting for finally arrive today. The sleepless nights finally paid us some emotional reward, the reward of feeling appreciated and understood by what we do best.

9:30am: THE LETTER

I woke up late. My head's on the internet thinking about friendster, yahoo news and this lovely little blog. Urduja is gonna be shown by wednesday and the Kurisans are anticipating the animated film. We are so curious what would it be like to watch an all-Filipino production animated film for more than one and half decade since Ibong Adarna. After having a glimpse of the internet stuff, I was surprised to find a letter addressed for Kuris in our kitchen. It's from NCCA (National Commission for Culture and Arts). They responded in our project proposal a month ago. As I read it silently, my heart skip a beat when they mentioned great interest in our concept and aspiration to make LAPIS into a full-length film. But what left a piece of sadness inside me was when they said that our proposal would be hold back until the end of the year as soon as we complete our requirements including SEC registration, complete full script, comprehensive storyboard and many other legal papers needed to process the project. So they send back the proposal along with a promise that once we are ready with everything, we may soon have our dream project. I know that my proposal was written with sincerity, dynamic thoughts and creative visions from a group of amatuer animators hoping to get close to their dream one step at a time.So I have faith that we have convinced them that our proposal has outmost relevance with their objectives to highlight the real talent of Filipino artists, for Ilonggo animators in particular.The future is coming and we know that we have the chance to fulfill another chapter of our quest, our destiny.Thank God for the good sign, this is all we need for now.

4:30pm: THE CONFIRMATION

There's no room for blame and regrets.We knew what we've been through since we finished The BEQUEST a few months ago. If we let failures pull us down, our last grasp for hope is gone. I brought the letter with me and hoping I could meet the group to show them personally about the letter. Though I texted them earlier about the news, I think it's better that I'll meet the group. We accidentally met outside Robinson Mall. Marx, Lyndon and Elson just finished their mall-strolling while I was going inside to buy some blank CDs. Instantly, I showed them the letter and Marx grabbed it with excitement. He said he's keeping it for a while. At that very moment, they finally believe that what we are doing with our passion has outmost importance and purpose. We never wasted our talents and sacrifice for nothing. But we need more time and effort to prepare for everything if we really need to get closer to our dream. We have each other and our talents that could save us from the possible despair and failures. We were never a failure after all, we have showed them what we can do best as Ilonggo animators. With such great hope that inginited inside us through this letter, Marx, Bryan and Jay left me promise that they are ready to manage their time between the special project and the possible work for LAPIS once our proposal is officially approved. Likewise, Lyndon is leading another important project for a commercial module wherein we will insert animated scenes. I entrusted him with this project since everybody is doing their own thing. I will reveal more of this commercial project in the coming posts. Well, our day ended with hope for each of us... the best is yet to come and we need to work hard for a dream as we get better in time.

10:30pm: THE EXIT
We're tired from a long day. The rest of the gang are taking a nap at Marx's room. I have to get home now.

Scratching soundtrack

special project freaks!

Cut, cut, cut… stick it up!

Tatang and Bryan checking up the in-between frames to be posted for the exhibit

Sleeping pills isn’t gonna work for Kurisans when it comes to insomiatic nights

Lyndon and Marx scratching up the old Kuris posters to make a good collage piece

Kuris guys waiting for me at La Paz Plaza

Amado’s finest Kuris Styrofoam logo for the team

Potential Breakout Song

Marx's room was so empty except for a few sleepless people hollering around. Guys, music please and get on with the beat.

Bryan should have played the guitar. He's good in doing that aside from his artistic stroke. Brynh isn't here to grab the imaginary mic and do the vocals. No way, Marx and Jay could do the vocals professionally. They should stick in keeping up the beat of the drums and doing the artistic graphics. Lyndon knows best what would be the good sound to rock the room tonight. I'll be contented in listening and laughing out to your craziness with music (or supposed-to-be-music). Cut the crap... this is what you get when you're in a team of artistically-active artists and part-time gifted music-makers. When your friends have the guts, you could possibly compose and create a "potential breakout song" that shows artists can make music and drop-dead graphics all at the same time.

This is a part of the nonsense potential breakout song…

pick up your pencil and unleash your reveries

in a piece of paper cloaked in empty spaces

fill it up with your guts, premonitions and attitude

reveal the fullness of your artistic magnitude

rock your senses every time you present your life's canvas

cover it up with hardbound shading and imaginary clash

trace the rugged lines and clean it up in a lightbox

your artistic stroke is as powerful as pandora's box

animate your inhibitions

believe in your intuitions

tonight...

Life-today summary: I caught up with Jay, Bryan, Tatang, Marx and Lyndon at La Paz Plaza while planning to go Gaisano. But instead, I treat them with a lunch in a nearby carinderia. They consumed 10 plates of rice and three plates of main courses (sud-an). I got home to get our materials for the exhibit. When I get back at Marx's house by 3pm, I started cutting our posters and artworks to make an art collage in a 20X30 illustration board. Amado's newly-made Kuris styro logo was drop-dead gorgeous for us. Tatang assembled the selected in-between drawings from BEQUEST for the other 20X30 board. Two hours later, we submit it to our animation instructor for an upcoming exhibit on June 23-27 (I think). He was trilled we made it on time for his deadline. From the way he disclosed the conversation, we may be the last one team standing for the cause of our craft and passion these days. The rest, they just disappear like X-men's Nighcrawler teleporting exit. Finally, we sing and made a great little song last night with this crappy guitar. It was a potential breakout song for us...

Storytelling- end.

Guess what-- there' no P.S. in this post today. But I might spill the guts of Shrek animator next time!

Funky inspirations

We love to do another animation exhibit like Dinagyamation, I hope this is it again, hehe!

Songbird Regine V. is the voice behind Urduja.

A scene from Urduja, the 2^nd Pinoy animated film set for nationwide release on June 18!

First centerfold spread page of X-men#2 comics…rocking cool art!

X-men#2 Cover, Jim Lee rocked comicdom in the 90s.

This is JIM LEE, my all-time favorite artist—Hex

Let’s forget about Ang Lee’s less popular Hulk coz here comes a better one—see it, June 13 worldwide!

Kuris hotshot artists—Elson and Hex are ready for the special project challenge!

Seven Stuff

Why are we inspired to chase our dream? for me, the answer remains heartfelt. It started within us and we have the choice to follow it with hope.

Having an online diary like this little blog in the vast realm of cyberspace, we have the freedom and outlet to express our sentiments day after day

or chronicle our journey every step of the way. As a team of born artists and creative souls, we realize that being bonded together has relevent responsiblities

and commitment to follow. We are not just a group of people, we are friends as well. In friendship, we've got to learn to trust each other and open our heart

to everybody in the team who wanted to express themselves.

So what inspired us to dream? for us, we just love what we do and understand each other in an unconditional way. I know we're not perfect and no friendship is perfect but we are willing to

take the chance until we get closer to our dream.

Right now, there are seven things that makes Kuris Animators inspired to live, to dream and enjoy each other's company:

SEVEN Racil Kenshin invited the group to take a trip to Aklan and visit her in their fiesta on June 23. We wish we could be there to be with our precious little girl in the group

who is a wise budget officer, hehe. Marx and the rest of the gang missed her little blabbering during those tough times we've been through. I'll text you girl if we are sure to come, okay!

SIX Everybody agreed: we love to watch the new Incredible Hulk Marvel movie this week (June 13-showing date worldwide). Everybody wishes me to have lots of money or could have my

allowance so that I could afford to treat the whole group to watch the film at SM Cinema. Bryan and Jay can't wait to see how the new Hulk smash tall buildings and comes out in mean-green-face.

FIVE Marx and Lyndon enjoyed reading my new X-men comicbooks which was bought by my brother as a gift. They go crazy over Jim Lee's dynamic artworks in X-men#2. In fact, they would love to copy his artistic style

and stroke as well. Relax guys, you'll get it better if you have patience to practice, hehe.

FOUR The Kurisans love to open the blog every time they are free from work. Yes, they are overwhelmed to the positive and encouraging response to the interviews, artworks and other stuff in this blog.

I think we don't need to have our own website soon since this blog gave us a lot of inspiration. But then, the plan to have a website isn't going to be shelved soon because we will have it in no time. I swear.

It's going to be much better than most people are expecting even the nega peeps who reads this blog. They won't sleep until this space is shut down. Well, nega peeps your dream isn't gonna happen soon, hehe!

THREE One of our former mentor invited us to showcase our artworks and animated projects again for a special exhibit which he didn't mention yet where or when. But he gave us a deadline until Saturday, June 14 to submit the requirements. Sometimes, we are a bit frustrated with exhibits because we're not always getting the reward for our artwork and expectations. Some of our members really need a stable job or steady project to continue their living. It would be better for them if their source of income would be related to animation or just any art-related work as long as the whole team sticks together. But we have to deal with the realities of life. Iloilo is not yet a haven for animators and good opportunities is not much available here. But God has its own way to keep us together... we can make it.

TWO Urduja fever is here to stay (nationwide film release-June 18). Yes, the Kuris guys are excited to watch the film. Why can't we resist the excitement and applause? Why not, it's another milestone for Filipino animators who wanted to show the world what they can really do with their gifts. We don't care if others are clamouring as Walt Disney copycat... who knows there might be unrecognized Filipino animators involved in those films done by Disney in the past. This is our time to have our very own Filipino animated movie and we will surely watch it at SM Cinema.

ONE The Kuris project boys are waiting for their project salary this week. Knowing that they have risked and did their best, we are inspired by their optimism and perseverance to prove their talent further. As for the selected few members who were asked to join the expanding special project (Tatang, Lyndon, Elson and Amado), we are hoping to experience the pressure and fun being together. We are open to improve our skills and learn new things through the upcoming project. We know that we are somehow ready to go to the next level. But behind all of these project excitement, the rest of us are asking Jay, Bryan and Marx not to forget their promise to treat us after getting their pay. We wont' rest until they fulfill it, hehe!

P.S: If you don't like what you read here-- don't open our blog, you'll gonna get migraines if you internalize our bloggings. At least we can "walk straight" without traces of angst in our faces and could tell ourselves that we don't need to hide in anonymity while eaten deep inside by envy. Take it easy and embrace reality.