Monsta Studios' Nizam Abd Razak discusses 'Papa Zola' success and Malaysia's animation boom

Malaysia's animation sector has been thriving over the last year—achieving major box office successes locally and making waves in the huge neighbouring market of Indonesia.

Papa Zola The Movie, created by Monsta Studios and Astro Shaw and launched in Malaysia last December, has earned $16.3M (RM64M) domestically, becoming the country's top animated film ever and the third highest-grossing local movie, following historical drama Mat Kilau and action thriller Blood Brothers.

Interestingly, the film has also found great success in Indonesia, attracting nearly 517,000 viewers, ranking as the fourth biggest film of the year behind three local horror movies.

Papa Zola wasn’t the sole record-breaking local cartoon at Malaysia's box office last year—it took the top spot from WAU Animation and Komet Productions’ Ejen Ali The Movie 2, which made $12M earlier. 

Both Papa Zola and Ejen Ali are familiar brands—Papa Zola is an original IP, recognised from Monsta Studios’ BoBoiBoy series, while Ejen Ali, featuring a boy who turns into a superhero, is part of a franchise that includes a TV series and two films.

Monsta Studios CEO Nizam Abd Razak, the director of the Papa Zola movie, attributes its success to the story and main character resonating deeply with audiences at home. 

The plot follows an ex-agent, now a delivery driver, who leaps into action when aliens strike Earth to save his daughter.

“In the past, we created shōnen-style [Japanese anime targeting teens] series like BoBoiBoy and Mechamato, where heroes are often youngsters,” Nizam explains.

“With Papa Zola, however, the protagonist is a father, an everyday man striving for his family. This new angle made a significant impact.

“Many viewers remarked that it's uncommon for animated stories to focus on a father's sacrifices. The emotional core, showing the challenges, love, and quiet resilience of a father, touched various age groups.”

Nizam shares that these themes helped the film extend to Indonesia, where people were already familiar with the BoBoiBoy franchise and could culturally connect to the narrative and character: "Delivery riders or 'ojol' (online service drivers) are integral to urban life there."

He believes these themes have wider regional relevance and that the film may reach even more places. 

Monsta has already sold the film to distributors in South Korea and parts of the Middle East and is now seeking partners across Southeast Asia and beyond.