Payut Ngaokrachang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Payut Ngaokrachang
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| ปยุต เงากระจ่าง | |
Payut at the Cherd Songsri Retrospective in September 2007 in Bangkok
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| Born | 1 April 1929 Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand
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| Died | 27 May 2010 (aged 81) Bangkok, Thailand
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| Known for | |
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Notable work
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The Adventure of Sudsakorn |
Payut Ngaokrachang (Thai: ปยุต เงากระจ่าง, born April 1, 1929 – died May 27, 2010) was a famous Thai cartoonist and animator. He is best known for creating Thailand's first full-length animated movie, The Adventure of Sudsakorn. This film was made using a special technique called cel-animated film.
Contents
Payut's Amazing Journey
Early Life and Art Beginnings
Payut was born in a village called Klong Warl, in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. When he was a child, he loved watching shadow puppet shows (called nang drama). He also enjoyed cartoons like Felix the Cat.
In 1944, when Payut was 14, he started taking classes to become an art teacher. He learned a lot by writing letters back and forth with a famous illustrator named Hem Vejakorn. Hem's drawings were often seen on the covers of popular storybooks. Payut said that Hem taught him many things through their letters, like how to draw people and make paintings look real.
When Payut was 17, he got his first job. He traveled around Thailand with theater groups, painting backgrounds for their plays. He also worked as a printer, making special pictures called etchings. Later, he worked at an advertising company.
Becoming an Animator
Another artist, Sanae Klaikluen, greatly inspired Payut. Sanae was interested in animation and wanted Payut to work with him. In 1945, Sanae was asked to make a short animated film for the Thai government. It was about encouraging people to wear hats and farmers to wear boots. Sanae sadly passed away a year later. After this, Payut decided he wanted to become an animator himself.
In 1955, while recovering from an illness, Payut started animating a cartoon he had drawn for a newspaper. This 12-minute short film was called Miracle Happens (Het Mahatsachan). It showed a policeman directing traffic like a Thai classical dancer. The film first showed on July 5, 1955, at the Sala Chalermthai Theater.
Working for USIS
Payut's animated short film was very popular. It even caught the attention of the US embassy in Bangkok. This led to him being hired by the United States Information Service (USIS), where he worked for nearly 33 years as an artist.
For his training, USIS offered Payut a choice: he could spend time with Disney in Hollywood or go to Japan. He chose Japan, but he later said that animation wasn't very developed there at the time.
Payut made one animated film for USIS, working with a new company called Toei Animation. This 20-minute film, made in 1957, was called Hanuman in Danger (Hanuman Phachoen Phai). It told a story about Hanuman, the white monkey from the classic Ramayana.
In 1960, he created another short cartoon called A Boy and A Bear (Dek Kap Mi). This film was made for an organization that encouraged countries to work together for peace. Payut also worked part-time making animated commercials.
Creating The Adventure of Sudsakorn
While still working at USIS, Payut began making The Adventure of Sudsakorn in 1976. This movie featured a character from one of Thailand's most famous stories, Phra Aphai Mani, written by the poet Sunthorn Phu. Sudsakorn is a young hero, the son of a mermaid and a prince. His adventures include fighting an elephant, a shark, and a dragon horse. He also meets a king, a hermit, and a yogi, and uses a magic wand to fight ghosts.
This 82-minute movie was released on Songkran Day, April 13, 1979.
Making Sudsakorn was very difficult. There wasn't enough money, people, or equipment. At first, the team had 100 workers, but after a year, only nine were left. Payut had to build much of his equipment himself. He used parts from old World War II military junk, like screws and cranks. He even adapted a combat camera to use for filming.
The detailed work on Sudsakorn affected Payut's eyesight. He did most of the important drawings and designs himself. He later said that the film almost made him blind because of all the tiny, detailed work.
Later Years and Legacy
After Sudsakorn, Payut tried to make more animated movies, but they were too expensive. So, his next animated film, called My Way, wasn't made until 1992. This film was supported by the Japanese government and was made to educate girls. Payut also taught animation as a guest lecturer at many universities before he passed away in Bangkok on May 27, 2010.
The Adventure of Sudsakorn is still shown sometimes at film and animation festivals around the world.
The Thai Short Film & Video Festival has a special award for animation called the Payut Ngaokrachang prize. The award is a medal designed by Payut himself.
Even though full-length animated movies are rare in Thailand since The Adventure of Sudsakorn, animation is widely used in Thai TV shows and commercials. A 3D animated Sudsakorn TV series is one example.
In 2006, Thailand released its first computer-animated movie, Khan Kluay. This film was about King Naresuan the Great's war elephant. The director, Kompin Kemgunerd, had worked on famous Disney films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Tarzan. He also worked on Ice Age for Blue Sky Studios. Even with new computer technology, Kompin faced many of the same challenges Payut did with funding and finding enough people.
Another traditionally animated movie, The Life of Buddha, was released on December 5, 2007.
In 2017, Payut was honored with a Google Doodle on what would have been his 88th birthday.
