Robot Playground Media (RPM) has recruited a team of global animation companies to produce animated horror anthology series “A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts.”
The 10-episode series is based on Chinese-American author Ying Chang Compestine’s bestselling 2016 YA book. Episode 1 of the anthology, titled “Egg Fried Rice,” is currently in production as a pilot order from Singapore’s national media network Mediacorp, and is due an early 2024 release.
The project was one of the winning pitches at Mediacorp’s Content Development Pitch 2022 competition, which was part of Creatives Assembly, the company’s annual call for content ideas.
RPM will be the lead producer for the anthology and has assembled a lineup of animation studios that will each create its unique horror short, including Igloo Studio (Thailand), Studio Climb (Malaysia), Something Big (France), Disnosc (France), Werlen Meyer (France) and Xanthus Animation (Taiwan) with more studios to be revealed imminently. RPM will produce two episodes itself, including the pilot.
The series comprises 10 self-contained ghost stories laid out as a 10-course banquet, complete with appetizers, main courses and dessert. Each different dish represents a tale of horror and takes place during the Hungry Ghost Festival – a Chinese and Southeast Asian custom where food offerings are made to appease ghosts roaming the earthly realm during the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
The episodes, set in different cities around the world, will be between 13 and 24 minutes long. The episodes will be titled: “Egg Fried Rice,” “Steamed Dumplings,” “Sweet and Sour Pork,” “Hot Pot,” “Kung Pao Chicken,” “Peking Duck,” “Cold Platter,” “Glutinous Rice Balls,” “Dim Sum” and “Long Life Noodles.”
The production will be executive produced by Justin Deimen, Ying Compestine and Abhi Rastogi for 108 Media and Ervin Han, Bernard Toh and Raul Garcia for RPM.
RPM CEO and co-founder Ervin Han said: “The combination of Chinese food and the afterlife is an irresistible pairing for what we envision to be a groundbreaking animated series for a modern audience. Ten deliciously macabre tales created by some of the most exciting indie studios from Asia and around the world. Horror is a genre that has been underserved in animation for too long. With ‘Banquet,’ we aim to create a long-running horror series that will satisfy the appetite of a global audience hungry for bold, fun and imaginative adult animation. Let the feast begin.”
Angeline Poh, chief customer and corporate development officer of Mediacorp, added: “Robot Playground Media wowed us with their pitch for ‘A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts’ at our Content Development Pitch competition. We are thrilled to be working with them to produce ‘Egg Fried Rice.’ This collaboration underlines Mediacorp’s commitment to invest in the development of good stories, as well as our dedication to nurturing and supporting creative talents. This exciting and innovative concept promises a spine-chilling viewing experience for the global audience, and we can’t wait to delve into this unique culinary journey of terror.”
