Usop Sontorian

Usop Sontorian is created by Malaysian cartoonist, Ibrahim Anon or Ujang as he affectionately known, where the concepts, storyline and script all done by him.[4] In an exclusive interview with New Straits Times in December 1993, Ujang describes the anticipated production as a Malaysianised version of The Simpsons, stating that: "It is basically about a Malay family and their culture".[4] Together with series director Kamn Ismail, he took charge of the technical aspects. By March 1993, Ujang teamed up with a group of layout artists and animators to worked on the series. Usop Sontorian was made as a comic strip within the Ujang magazine and later as a standalone magazine before its TV series was produced. Malaysian public broadcaster, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) acquire the broadcast rights of the series with Eurofine handling the distribution.

Usop Sontorian tells the story of the village life of Malaysian boy, Usop and his friends Abu, Dol, Ah Kim, Vellu, and Singh. Usop is the third and youngest child in his family. He has two elder siblings: a sister, Kak Kiah, and a jobless brother named Abang Budin. The story is set in Kampung Parit Sonto, not far from the town of Ayer Hitam, Johor; hence the name "Sontorian". The theme of the series was to promote unity and harmonious relationships between all races in multi-ethnic Malaysia.[8][9]

Although Usop Sontorian started airing in 1996, actually all episodes were produced between 1993 and 1996. During its run, the series spanned 3 seasons and 50 episodes.

Usop Sontorian originally set to be aired in 1994,[10] but it postponed for over 2 years due to uncertain reasons.[11][12] The series was officially launched by the then-Minister of Information, Datuk Seri Mohamed Rahmat on 20 January 1996 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC)[13] and debuted on RTM TV1 from March 4, 1996 and ended on April 14, 1997.[14]

In 1995, Usop Sontorian received recognition as the "Malaysia's First Animated Series" by The Malaysia Book of Records.[15][16]

It also well-received in Japan when it was screened at the Asian Animation Festival held in Hiroshima, Japan in June 1996. The series was distributed in Malaysia by Eurofine and for international release, it is distributed by Arief International where it retitled as Adventures Of Usop and Usop & Geng.[17][18] It also dubbed in English and Spanish.[8]

• Hassan Abdullah Muthalib (June 2007). "From Mousedeer to Mouse: Malaysian Animation at the Crossroads". Inter-Asia Cultural Studies: Southeast Asian Cinema. Hong Kong: Dow Jones & Company. 8 (2): 288–297. doi:10.1080/14649370701238755. ISSN 1464-9373. S2CID 54991062. IDNumber: 512199.
• Faryna Mohd Khalis (2020). "The Evolution of Malaysian Cartoon Animation" (PDF). Voice of Academia (VoA). Kedah: Universiti Teknologi MARA. 16 (2): 1–25. ISSN 2682-7840.