The hit webtoon "Yumi's Cells" by Lee Dong-gun has spawned the first series to combine live action and 3D animation and has been sold to 160 countries. Produced by Sidus Animation Studios, the romantic drama explores the life of office worker Yumi through the lens of her brain cells.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Fred Stiehl, manager of the Content Business Team at Sidus Animation Studios.
What was your company's goal in bringing to life "Yumi's Cells" through animation?
Our goal was to bring the world of cells to life as best as possible. This meant filling in some of the details difficult to convey in a static 2D image and bringing them out as a believable and lived-in world inhabited by hundreds of millions of cells. The result of our efforts is the world of the cells as presented on screen, including the village where they live as well as the nearby land, sea and sky.
What did Sidus focus on in transferring the webtoonist's work into animation?
Our major focus in animating the cells was to bring them from 2D to 3D and from static to moving images, all while keeping them true to the source material. Our foremost focus was to retain the cuteness of the cells from the webtoon.
How was the process of bringing the cells to life?
When creating the cells models and animating their expressions, we found ourselves frequently referring to the original webtoon while adding our own creativity and expertise. For instance, we created many versions of the cells walking or running and selected the cutest version. We were also careful to create a performance from the cells that would reflect and resonate with adults.
How was working with the voice actors?
All of the voice actors in "Yumi's Cells" were star-level talent in Korea. Their voices were prerecorded before the main animation production. Each cut was created while referring to the voice recording along with pictures and video of the performance. Thus the timing, physical performance and emotions of a voice actor were all encapsulated within the final footage.
How does it feel to be part of Sidus, which is promoting Korean animation to the world through other works like "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs," the animated edition of "Running Man" and "Running Man: Revengers?"
It is truly an honor to have shared our animated films throughout the world, as we always strive to create animated content enjoyed by a wide and diverse audience. We hope that through our efforts, we can help Korean animation-grow and evolve.
For this reason, one of our main strategies is to adapt popular properties including books, webtoons and internet novels into animation for young adult and older audiences in addition to family-friendly works. Our participation in "Yumi's Cells" was part of this process.
Any final message to Korea.net's readers worldwide?
Apart from the projects I mentioned, we are also planning and producing a wide array of projects. Nowadays, diverse genres of Korean content including film, television, and music are garnering a good deal of attention and popularity throughout the world. Through our work, you can soon experience another appealing genre of Korean content.
*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.
