Teenage cartoon buff Sarviin Ageelan, 14, proved that watching too much cartoon does not hamper success.
The habit instead inspired him in his prize-winning short animation The Shocking Truth! in the 2010 Toon Creator Awards, organised by Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Cartoon Network.
The Form Three student from SMK Taman Inderawasih (SMKTI) here was named Malaysia's winner in the individual category.
He took home the grand prize, a HP Touchsmart 600 personal computer.
His animation, which featured his favourite Cartoon Network characters such as Ben 10, impressed the jury and the public who voted for his work online.
Sarviin, who also won limited edition items from the Ben 10 and Powerpuff Girls collections such as a quad bike, watch, speakers, and walkie-talkie, said he never expected to win the competition.
"This success is not mine alone. It also belongs to my friends T. Arvinthran, S. Ugeesh and Thomas, who helped me with the animation clip, and my school," he said.
He said he took 45 days to complete the production of the animation.
He had to spend a lot of time watching animated films, as well as getting his friends to contribute their ideas.
"I managed to get it done with the help of my friends, using the online interactive programme on HP's website," he said.
SMKTI also won three HP TouchSmart 600 personal computers for being the school with the highest number of participants in the nationwide online animation competition.
The Toon Creator Awards is organised for schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 across the Asia Paafic region.
The competition encouraged children to show their creativity by directing their short animation clips featuring characters from Cartoon Network's popular series such as Ben 10: Alien Force, Chowder and The Powerpuff Girls.
HP marketing and communication manager Kenneth Low, who presented the prizes, said the response from schools in Malaysia was very encouraging, with over 3,000 participants.
He said the competition is expected to continue this year due to the great response from schools and young creators.
Source http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17pg3tun-2/Article/
