MYTHIC TALES FOR A DIGITAL AGE

by Hassan Abd. Muthalib

Myth is alive and well. And it has been making a comeback in the last half of the
20th century and moving full steam ahead in the 21st century. The stories of ancient
heroes, kings, demons and sorcerers have never been depicted more eloquently than in
cinema in the digital age. Technological developments have brought mythological stories
to the silver screen in a way never imagined by the earliest storytellers or even by the
founding fathers of cinema for that matter. The ancient storytellers created wonderous,
imaginary worlds that were culled from myriad legends, fables and folktales. These tales
were, in turn, inspired by the myths that were a part of the religious beliefs of the people
that the storytellers enthralled. They conjured up fantastic worlds that were inhabited by
sacred and semi-divine beings that possessed magical powers, able to take to the sky and
disappear or transform into bird or beast at will. Then there were the demons and
monsters, fearsome in demeanour and terrifying in their conduct. Landscapes were vast
and surreal and pregnant with possibilities. And the reciting of these tales of yore on a
dark night in front of a flickering fire added even more to the unfolding drama.

Fast-forward to the digital age. A rapt audience sits, engrossed with the moving
images on a giant screen in a darkened theatre. Those very same mythical heroes and
demons are now alive, pitting their magical powers against each other, now on the ground,
the next moment in the air moving at breathtaking speed, defying gravity. These mythical
beings are hyperrealistic and are in full blazing colour! With 3D glasses added, the
audience is totally enveloped and engulfed by the action. With the addition of THX
Surround sound, they are right in the middle of the action. And the accompanying stories
are even more fantastic than any ever found in the annals of mythology. Welcome to the
digital era and the handiwork of the tradigital filmmakers that have transformed cinema
into a form never before seen in the history of man - creating an astounding new artform
in the process. Not even in their wildest fantasies could the pioneers of visual effects and
stop-frame animation suc h as Willis O’Brien, George Pal and Ray Harryhausen have ever
envisaged where technology and imagination would take cinematic storytelling in the 21st
century. If in the 1960s Marshall McLuhan observed that the machine had ‘turned Nature
into an Art form’, then today the digital age and the tradigital filmmakers have turned
mythology into a unique art form whose parameters are nowhere yet in sight. And this
new art – while giving us pleasure – is playing a very important role in our lives in a
chaotic postmodern world where the only thing certain is uncertainty. Today, mytho-
logical stories – and the deep and subtle truths that they carry – have become all the more
relevant. They give us a guide, in the words of Aristotle, of ‘how to live our lives.’

Both Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade saw myth as having some sort of
religious and/or universal truth. J.R.R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame believed in
myth's claim to express truth, that legends and myths are largely made of 'truth', that
present aspects of truth which can be received through myth. Marshall McLuhan
described the electronic age as mythic, that is, in the sense of myth that conveys infor-
mation on a deeper level. Campbell explored the question of why mythology was every-
where the same, beneath varieties of peoples, nations and costumes. This universality has,
in fact, been discovered and long milked by Hollywood mainstream cinema and this
accounts for its popularity all over the world. The elements and structure of mythic
storytelling is tellingly found in such films as Star Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings,
Narnia and the Harry Potter series. These films have captured the imagination of peoples
of the world due to the inherent psychological truths that somehow resonate with their
contemporary lifestyle. All these films hinge on the story structure dubbed by Joseph
Campbell as ‘The Hero’s Journey’ where the main character embarks on a journey to
bring back something of value for his society and is himself transformed in the process.

What is not generally known, however, is that such mythic storytelling has been
part of the culture and traditions of Asian countries from time immemorial. Nowhere is
this more evident than in the performance of the shadow play. Called wayang kulit in the
Nusantara region (wayang = theatre; kulit = leather puppets), shadow play has been
recognised as the precursor of cinema due to the similar apparatus that employed a screen,
moving images and sound in the form of dialogue for the puppets that is accompanied by
music. With the puppets’ movable arms and mouths, wayang kulit could also be
designated as the first ‘animated cartoons’ as the puppet characters’ limbs and mouth
were made to move through manipulation of the articulating parts as in the technique of
cutout animation. In 1926, the shadow play literally moved to the cinema screen. Lotte
Reiniger, the German animator, was inspired by Chinese shadow play (pi ying xi) and
created her animated feature, The Adventures of Prince Achmed using the technique of
silhouette animation.

Thailand’s shadow play (nang yai. Nang talung in the south), has influenced Thai
animator, Payut Ngaokrachang, who made the country’s first cel-animated feature film,
The Adventure of Sud Sakorn (1979), based on an epic story written by Thailand’s best-
known poet, Sunthorn Phu. It tells the story of Sud Sakorn, the son of a mermaid and a
minstrel prince, who goes on a journey and fights with an elephant, shark, and dragon
horse armed with only a magic cane. Defeating them all, he meets up with the classic
archetypes of the king, a hermit, a yogi and ghosts. Sud Sakorn was a feast of rich colours
with its design elements inspired by the decorative arts of Thailand. More than two
decades later, a computer-animated animation feature appeared based on an elephant.
Khan Kluay (Kompin Kemgumnerd, 2006), Thailand’s first 3D animated movie with a
theme referring to the ancient way of life. Khan Kluay, a fatherless elephant, who
wanders away from his mother, is captured by humans. He becomes a war elephant and
in a climactic battle, defeats the Burmese elephant that killed his father. He gains his
freedom and returns to live in the jungle. Though digitally- made, Khan Kluay had
character designs and backgrounds that are distinctly Thai in look (even if Khan Kluay
appears painted in blue!).

In no other Asian country has mythology become a fixture of society, custom,

religion and nation than India. The epic tale of the Ramayana has appeared in every form
of the performing and visual arts that includes cinema - and not only in India but in
almost every Asian country in some form or other. An award-winning animated feature
film, Prince of Light: The Legend of Ramayana, was made in 1992 by Japanese producer
and director, Yugo Sako. Sako saw the story on a deeper level; that it was not just a story
of good triumphing over evil but about a whole philosophy of life that was relevant for all
time. He did painstaking research to make the costumes and architectural details as
authentic as possib le collaborating with the well-known Indian animator, Ram Mohan.
The immense amount of detail and careful animation can be seen in the completed film.
The final result, especially in the action scenes, is as magnificent as that of the Osamu
Tezuka-conceived animated epic, 1001 Nights (1969), another classic legendary tale.

The Ramayana was written by the sage, Valmiki. It is a classic tale of a hero (Sri
Rama), who has to save the heroine (his wife, Sita Devi), aided by his brother, Lakshman
and the Monkey king (Hanuman), from the clutches of the villain (Ravana). As can be
easily deduced, the plot of Star Wars echoes that of the Ramayana, a tale for all time and
with relevance for all ages. Mahatma Gandhi echoed its timeless message when he said
that the Ramanaya was for ‘the pure in heart and for those who want to attain purity and
remain pure.’ Joseph Campbell’s thesis is thus proven right: that the reference of myth is,
in fact, within ourselves. In the Ramayana, the Hindu god, Brahma says, ‘As long as the
mountains and the rivers exist on earth, the story of Rama will also be preached in the
world’. The characters of Rama, Sita Devi, Ravana and Hanuman have captured the
imagination of people from Japan to Bali and from Thailand to Iran. Whether in live
action or animated form, the archetypal characters and situations in the Ramayana have
led audiences of many countries to contemplate and find meaning in their own lives.
Early efforts to bring the Ramayana to the screen left much to be desired but with the
present-day technology, the mythic characters of the Ramayana have been made to come
alive in such 3D animated films as Hanuman (2005), and Ramayana The Epic which is
currently in production. An interesting development is American cartoonist and animator,
Nina Paley’s, Sita Sings the Blues, a PC-animated musical feature based on the Ramaya-
na. It is a humourous retelling but Paley believes that the Ramayana can be made
acceptable for a contemporary audience.

In China, another monkey god surfaces in the epic, Journey to the West, which
dates back to the 16th century. It is based on a legend from 600 A.D about a monk who
travels to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures. The monkey king, Sun Wu Kong is the
main character in the story. Like Hanuman, Sun Wu Kong is a powerful monkey but
unlike Hanuman, Sun Wu Kong is an unruly god who rebels against the Emperor of
Heaven, defeating all the forces sent against him. Havoc in Heaven (Wan Laiming, 1961),
the most ambitious and highly-acclaimed animated feature based on Sun Wu Kong was a
remarkable film. The battle scenes are influenced by the Beijing Opera’s military style of
performance and are very reflective of Chinese acrobatics. The influence of Chinese
opera is also evident in its rich and colourful backgrounds and character styling. Other
animation films based on the characters in Journey to the West were Nezha Conquers the
Dragon King (Yan Dingxian/Wan Shuchen/A Da,1979) and Monkey King Conquers the
Demon (Te Wei, 1985).
.
Hayao Miyazaki’s body of works is suffused with a childlike innocence and
beauty. Many of his anime refer to Japan’s history, legends and landscape. Landscape,
and especially nature, play a very important role in his narratives. My Neighbour Totoro
(1988) was a fantasy presented as ancient mythology. Two little girls and their father
move to the countryside to be near the girls’ mother who is in a hospital. The girls
discover a fantasy world beneath a large tree. The hidden aspects of nature can only be
discovered by children and only they are destined to confront the creatures called totoros.
These creatures do not exist in Japanese mythology but the success of the film has placed
them into the collective memory of the Japanese and transformed them into modern myth.
Miyazaki went on to again explore nature in his Academy-award winning, Princess
Mononoke, an epic adventure of gods and men and of their place in nature. A young man,
Ashitaka, sets out to find a cure to a strange curse that afflicts him after he unintention-
ally kills a boar god. He meets up with a wild gir l, San, who lives in the forest. She runs
with wolf gods and fights humans who have encroached on their territory. In a complex
world, man comes into conflict with nature. Changes are set into motion and the spiritual
forces that have been disturbed must be appeased. In the midst of it all, Ashitaka and San
find love, proving that it can transcend change and complexity. Princess Mononoke was
the first film where Miyazaki used digital technology to speed up work and enhance some
scenes with effects. But he has maintained the same control to express his unique artistic
vision and personally retouched and corrected the vast majority of the animation cels.

Malaysian mythology made its way into classical Malay literature and much of it
became mixed up with history. This can be seen in The Legend of Merong Mahawangsa,
the tale of how the Prince of Rum (India?) journeys by ship to marry the Princess of
China. He is accompanied by Merong Mahawangsa, a king with magical powers. The
gigantic mythical bird, Garuda, attacks them but is driven away by the king’s magic
arrows. The Garuda snatches the Princess and hides her in a cave in Langkawi. Seeing
the Prince leaving the king to take on supplies, Garuda attacks the Prince’s ship, killing
the crew. However, the Prince, who has fallen overboard, is washed up on Langkawi and
is united with the Princess. Merong Maha-wangsa, thinking that the Prince was dead,
sailed on to Malaya and became the king of the state now known as Kedah. Malaysia’s
first Prime Minister who hails from Kedah, traced his lineage to this king. The Legend of
Merong Mahawangsa has all the ingredients for a spectacular animated film, totally
suited to a digital environment. So are other stories like The Legend of Indraputera that is
replete with heroines being changed into lotus-blooms and their pursuers into swine; of
magic arrows that return to their archers, and mechanical fish and flying wooden
peacocks.

Malaysia’s first animated feature, Silat Legenda (Legendary Silat Warriors.

Hassan Muthalib, 1998) was based on old Malacca and the internal turmoil prior to its
fall to the Portugese. The story took the well-known tale of Hang Tuah, the legendary
warriors of Malacca and his four friends as inspiration to impart the theme of unity. The
film begins with a prologue set in 15th century Malacca to set the stage for the conflict
between two martial arts students, Seleman and Mona. It then leaps 500 years into the
future. In the 21st century, five schoolboys discover the magical weapons of the warriors
and take on their powers. They are inevitably confronted by the evil Mona who has come
out of suspended animation. In a climactic battle, Mona is only able to be defeated when
the schoolboys’ come together to activate the ancient mystic power within the magical
weapons. Silat Legenda was cel-animated and finished digitally. Puteh (The Girl, Puteh.
Rashid Sibir, 2001), the second feature, also took a legend, Bawang Puteh, Bawang
Merah (The Sisters, Bawang Puteh and Bawang Merah). It had a similarity to the story of
Cinderella and was about two sisters, Puteh and her step-sister, Merah. Due to jealousy,
Merah and her mother cause the death of Puteh’s mother by drowning her. Puteh’s
mother reappears as a fish and consoles Puteh. Discovering this, Merah’s mother captures
the fish and cooks it. Puteh sings a sad song and her voice captivates a passing Prince. He
searches for her but Merah’s mother tries to convince the Prince that it was actually
Merah who was singing. The film has a happy ending when the truth finally comes out.

There are many legends associated with Singapore. One of them, Badang, is the
tale of a man who acquires immense strength after agreeing to swallow the vomit of a jin
(the story was filmed as a live action feature by Cathay-Keris Studios in 1962).
Singapore Overrun by Swordfish is a 14th century tale found in the Malay Annals.
Fishermen are unable to go out to sea because of an attack by swordfish. A young boy,
Hang Nadim, tells them to plant banana stems at the beach so that the swordfish will get
stuck in them. The idea works and the village is saved. But the Sultan’s men decide that a
clever boy such as Nadim would pose a danger to them when he grows up. The Sultan
approves of the plan to kill the boy. Alan Aziz Shamsuddin, a Malaysian student studying
animation in Poland decided to animate the story for his final year project in the year
2000. For background design elements, Shamsuddin referred to traditional Malay textiles
and batik. For the characters, Shamsuddin’s inspiration was Malay shadow play. Though
using limited animation, the storytelling was cinematic both in narrative and technique in
a manner never seen before in student works.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have demonstrated that ‘the logic, the heroes, and
the deeds of myth survive into modern times.’ Over centuries, these valorous deeds have
become imbued with moral messages and become teaching stories that expound truth to
those able to understand them. With the new technologies, imagination and skills,
contemporary animation filmmakers ‘themselves become mythmakers as they create new
myths, new truths for the 21st century.’

This chapter was written for the book, TRADIGITAL MYTHMAKING edited by Hannes
Rall, Associate Prof of Media and the Arts, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore. The book will be published in May 2009.

REFERENCES

Campbell, Joseph (1968): The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton

University Press, USA
Kumar, Ravi: www. hindu-tva.com-a.googlepages.com/ramayana
Lent, John A, (2001): Animation in Asia and the Pacific. John Libbey
Publishing
Levinson, Paul (1999): Digital McLuhan, Routledge. New York
Mark, Margaret Mark & S Pearson, Carol (2001): The Hero & the Outlaw.
McGraw-Hill, USA
(This article was written for the book Tradigital Mythmaking, edited by Hannes Rall of
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore & will be on the market in June 2009).