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The Philippines presents a unique case in animation. Even as one of the world’s leading producers of animation, this island-state has only collected around a dozen domestically-directed features in the last century. While journal articles often accuse local talent and limited resources, outsourcing is also to blame. In the US alone, up to 90% of all American TV animation is produced in Asia; in the Philippines, the fourth largest producer of global animation in the 1980s, this translated to as much as $25 billion Usd in revenue at its peak. Production may stay at home, but ownership ships overseas.

As a result, local auteur Avid Liongoren makes a point to direct his own films. His second feature, “Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story” recently hit Netflix headlines as the streaming site’s first Filipino animated feature. This brightly-colored drama follows the plight of Nimfa Dimaano (Angelica Panganiban), a working-class cat who can never quite settle.

Three years in production, "You Animal!" (aka "Hayop Ka!"), the first adult animated Netflix feature from the Philippines is directed by Avid Liongoren, starring Angelica Panganiban, Robin Padilla and Sam Milby, streaming October 29, 2020 on Netflix:

"...in this refreshing look at societal expectations, personal aspirations and a classic love triangle, 'Nimfa Dimaano' is a pretty pussycat, perfume sales kitty at a department store.

"Her boyfriend, 'Roger' a macho mongrel is a janitor. One day Nimfa meets 'Iñigo Villanueva', a bourgeoisie business dog and their chemistry ignites.

"Will Nimfa and Roger's love for cheap street food prevail or will Iñigo’s high society charms tear their relationship apart...?"

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One fateful Valentine's night, virginal Majoy (Angelica Panganiban), whose time-bound ovaries are severely in need of a suitable sperm donor lest they never be used again, meets Leo (Piolo Pascual), a bigshot real estate broker whose skill in wooing women can only be matched by his aversion to serious relationships, in the restaurant where she was supposed to meet her Valentine's date. Majoy's absentee date is Ji-soon (Ryan Bang), a hopelessly romantic Korean man whose long-awaited and probably well-deserved opportunity to prove his love to Majoy was foiled when on the night of their first date, his car crashes into another car, which just so happens to be driven by the eldest brother (Smokey Manoloto) of Leo's latest scorned sexual conquest (Wendy Valdez), who,...

All it took was a solar eclipse and five-car collision atop the Magnetic Hill for the souls of five individuals --- the virginal bride-to-be (Angelica Panganiban), her histrionically litigious godmother (Eugene Domingo), her ringbearer's destitute nanny (Tuesday Vargas), her husband-to-be's amorous grandfather (Jaime Fabregas), and her gay beautician (John Lapuz) --- to switch bodies. With the bride-to-be's soul transferring to the godmother's body; the godmother's soul transferring to the nanny's body; the nanny's soul transferring to the grandfather's body; the grandfather's soul transferring to the beautician's body; and the beautician's soul transferring to the bride-to-be's body, the dream beach wedding turns into a hilarious riot, where long-dormant passions are awakened, sexual fantasies are fulfilled, economic alleviation is achieved, and a chance at love is obtained.

 

Let us get it out of the way. Chris Martinez's Here Comes the Bride is top-notch entertainment. Martinez was able to come up with...

Carlo Caparas‘ Ang Panday, a special effects-laden fantasy-adventure starring actor-politician Bong Revilla, remains the biggest box-office hit at the 35th Metro Manila Film Festival up to Jan. 2, according to a Manila Bulletin report. Ang Panday has earned P80.8 million (Us$1.75m) since Dec. 25. The runners-up are the vampire comedy Ang Darling Kong Aswang, starring Vic Sotto and Cristine Reyes as a sort of female Robert Pattinson, with P76m (Us$1.65m), and Laurice Guillen’s romantic melodrama I Love You Goodbye, starring Derek Ramsay, Gabby Concepcion, and Angelica Panganiban, with P69.8m (Us$1.51m). Of the festival’s seven films, the one box-office disaster has been boxer Manny Pacquiao’s fantasy flick Wapakman, which has grossed a paltry P2 million (Us$43,000). Throughout the two-week Metro Manila Film Festival, [...]...