Maslina Yusoff, a UiTM Shah Alam alumni, said that her own daughter inspired the story and it has always been her dream to write and illustrate her own children’s books.
“I’m really excited to see ‘Mila’ come to ‘life’ through the animation series and I’m humbled that my character has garnered attention from an international studio.
“I believe it will be well received by everyone and hope it will go far,” said the Johor Bahru native.
Mila, currently a nine-series book which is at the top 50 in Amazon, follows the adventure of Mila, a little girl with big curly hair just like Maslina’s own daughter.
The animation series is expected to expand Mila’s character and her world and Maslina is set to be the scriptwriter and will supervise the characters’ development while an animation director will direct the animation process.
H Culture president and animation director Sukhwa Hong said he fell in love with the character of Mila as she was unique and also heart-warming.
“The character will resonate well with the audience. No doubt producing a high-quality animation series will take time, but I believe with a great team and passion, we will have a great story to tell,” he said.
The animation series is set to debut in September this year. Currently, a two-minute trailer is being done to pitch it to potential buyers in France, United Kingdom and Poland, which have expressed their interest for the animation series that targets children three to nine years old.
“The development is set to take two years to complete and the series will be in English for the international market.
“In addition to developing the animation, H Culture will also be the sole agency to market the animation series globally,” said Hong.
The book “Mila” was first published in China and was translated and published in Malaysia by Fazamas Books and Buku Prima as well as Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.