Animation in South Asia

Until recently, South Asian animation has lagged far behind that of other parts of Asia for lack of the technological, financial, and personnel infrastructure. This is still the situation in most of the region, with India an exception. What has happened in the development of Indian animation since the mid- 1990s is phenomenal. By 2007, India had about 300 animation studios, and by 2010, the country's animation industry was expected to hover around US$ one billion. Increasingly, Bollywood has taken a keen interest in Indian animation, as have foreign studios, including Disney. Based on interviews and a thorough review of secondary sources, this article traces the history of Indian filmic cartoons from 1915 to the present, discussing reasons for the lag in development previously and the tremendous surge in the 21^st Century. The limited amount of animation production in Nepal and Sri Lanka is also discussed.