Google Doodle honours animator Kamn Ismail, creator of MY's first superhero cartoon

Google launched an animate Doodle yesterday in commemoration of famed Malaysian animator, Kamn Ismail on his 67 birthday. Ismail made significant contributions to the animation world, having created Malaysia’s first superhero cartoon series, Keluang Man, which gained immense popularity. The artwork for the Google Doodle was done up with Ismail working on his artwork with the second ‘o’ of the Google logo being animated on the computer.

Google Doodle is often used to celebrate local culture with Malaysian staples such as Teh Tarik and legendary figures, freedom fighter and nurse, Sybil Kathigasu and film director Yasmin Ahmad to name a couple. It has now turned into a popular phenomenon. 

Born in 1956, Kamn Ismail grew to love drawing and wanted to create picture books. He was then employed by MacLean Films & Co as a teenager, in charge of the artistic components of the film Paper Tiger. He then took a job at Malaysia’s rail operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), and remained at the job for the following 17 years while secretly learning computer animation techniques in the hopes of pursuing this career one day.

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Soon after he garnered the attention of Kharisma Pictures where he was tasked with training animators and even got the opportunity to direct Malaysia’s first animated series, Usop Sontorian, in 1996. After Kharisma, he went on to become a director at UAS Animation Studios, where he developed the aforementioned hit series, Keluang Man.

Ismail’s daughter, Dalila Kamarudin said that the Google Doodle is a good platform to pay tribute to Malaysian achievers who have contributed so much to the country. “This project is inspirational and to include Kamn Ismail is very big and special,” she added.

Last December, Google Doodle commemorated monumental repeal of Section 377A with a special pride flag doodle. The repeal of section 377a has been in a long time coming, after numerous parliamentary debates and activist movements in the form of ‘Ready4Repeal’ and Pinkdot, making this a historic event.

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