• Source: Adarna: The Mythical Bird

Adarna: The Mythical Bird is a 1997 Philippine animated musical fantasy film directed by Geraldo A. Garcia, who is known for creating his first-ever Philippine animated series Panday in 1986. It was based on the 19th century corrido commonly titled Ibong Adarna (lit. 'Adarna Bird').
The film was released on December 25, 1997, as part of the Metro Manila Film Festival, where it won a special achievement award for its pioneering achievement in Philippine animation, although it received negative reviews over the similarities of Disney Renaissance films and despite having the recognition as a pioneer in Philippine animated films over Nonoy Marcelo's Tadhana (1979), who still have not recognized as the first.
In later years, the film fell into obscurity and is considered a lost film like many Philippine animated films. Film producer Tony Tuviera accidentally claiming his own animated film Urduja to be the country's first in 2008.




Cast


Jolina Magdangal as Princess Carmina
Regine Velasquez provides Princess Carmina's singing voice
Marvin Agustin as Ramir
Martin Nievera provides Ramir's singing voice
Izza Ignacio as Elmira
Renzo Cruz as Gustavo
Boots Anson-Roa as the narrator/Ibong Adarna




Production


Animator Geirry A. Garccia was living in the United States when he was convinced of the idea to create an animated film based on the Ibong Adarna corrido. He returned to the Philippines with medical physicist Simon C. P. Lam of New Jersey to establish Guiding Light Productions and begin producing the film.
Post-production of Adarna: The Mythical Bird was done in the United States, as was done with Garccia's previous film, the live-action/animated hybrid Isko: Adventures in Animasia (1995). One key sponsor of Adarna that enabled the production to be financed was Mister Donut. The animation took two years to finish, with producer Rose L. Flaminiano, head of FLT Films International, later bought the rights to the film's release when it was nearing completion, with a new nine-minute segment soon added to the film that had the additional cost of $50,000.




= Music

=
In mid-1997, months prior to the film's release, PolyCosmic Records (now UMG Philippines) released the soundtrack album Songs from Adarna: The Mythical Bird, which featured songs performed for the film by Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, and The Youth.




Release


Adarna was declared an entry to the 1997 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) on December 3, 1997, with a release date of December 25. The sole award that the film received from the festival was a special citation for being the "first ever animated movie in Philippine cinema" (Filipino: Kauna-unahang animated Movie sa Philippine Cinema).




= Reception

=
In assessing each of the MMFF entries, Isah V. Red of the Manila Standard gave the film his lowest rating ("a TV set", which means "very bad, go and watch TV, instead"), expressing disappointment in its screenplay and lack of "dynamism" when compared with the animated films produced by Disney. He stated that "[f]or a first effort in full-length animated feature, Garccia should be commended. But it shouldn't give him the false notion that he had done something as pretty as the Lion King or Little Mermaid."




Legacy


In October 2006, United Animation Inc. and United Staffing Registry Inc. organized the 1st Filipino Animation Awards, where Geirry Garccia was awarded for his pioneering contributions to Philippine animation, which included Adarna: The Mythical Bird; others were awarded more specifically for their involvement in the film's production: Ramon Chuaying, Simon C.P. Lam, Levi Celerio and Lav Diaz.




References






External links


Adarna: The Mythical Bird at IMDb

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Adarna: The Mythical Bird
• Ibong Adarna
• Adarna
• Levi Celerio
• 1997 Metro Manila Film Festival
• Filipino cartoon and animation
• Cinema of the Philippines
• Marvin Agustin
• Mister Donut
• Jolina Magdangal