On my 80th birthday, I am happy to note that I have to revise my previous concerns and views about the end of Hungarian cartoon production. Hungarian animation managed to draw new strength from its dead state - Gábor Tóth, a staff member of the Vasarnap.hu portal, talked to Béla Ternovszky about his life and the production of cartoons in Hungary.
I am most proud of my three daughters. said the director. In addition, if I look at my professional works, it would be difficult not to mention Macskafogót first. Perhaps it was really the crowning glory of my professional success. The weight of this cannot necessarily be measured in awards or official recognitions, but rather in the response of the audience and its afterlife. I have already told the readers of Vasarnap.hu about all of this. In addition to these, I am also proud of the Pumukli and Tüskeböki series.
In the 70s and 80s, Pannónia Filmstúdio, the stronghold of cartoons, had a good two decades. We managed to work our way into the Big Five, i.e. the five best animation film studios in the world. At the time of the system change, not only the state subsidy began to shrink, but also previous foreign orders fell behind. Hard times were experienced not only by cartoon makers, but also by the entire country. In the second half of the 1990s, when commercial television started in Hungary, it seemed for a short time that domestic cartoon production was facing new opportunities.
We thought at the time that there would be ways and opportunities to produce more and more films or series on multiple channels. We were very wrong.
Commercial broadcasters have decided not to invest money in production. It was also an important point on their part that the production of an animated series could take years, and they did not want to wait for that. Rather, they bought series from abroad. This trend remains unchanged to this day.
Gábor Tóth: However, animated films are being made today. Just think of Toldi, or the latest full-length work entitled Four Souls of the Coyote. How is this then?
A huge technical transition took place in the 2010s, which was not visible before. Nowadays, it is possible to make a quality cartoon even without a large number of studios, even from home with a computer! The new programs and methods brought about a huge turnaround, in which the Hungarian specialists found their calculations again. It is now possible to create films much cheaper. State support has also been restarted through the Patronage program, and tender opportunities have become available.
That is, on my 80th birthday, I am happy to state that I have to revise my previous concerns and views about the end of Hungarian cartoon production.
Hungarian animation managed to revive itself from its dead state and gain new strength. I am confident that now an upward era can begin again. - the Kossuth award-winning director voiced his conviction.
Source and full interview: Vasarnap.hu
Featured image: filmarchiv.hu
