Robot Playground Media Reveals New Horror Anthology Series ‘A Banquet For Hungry Ghosts’
Singapore’s Robot Playground Media (RPM) has recruited animation companies from Asia-Pacific and Europe to work on a new animated horror anthology series titled A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts.
Adapted from Ying Chang Compestine’s eponymous novel, the 10-part series won backing at last year’s Mediacorp Content Development Pitch event. The pilot episode Egg Fried Rice will release in early 2024. It was commissioned and will be financed by Mediacorp with 108 Media co-financing on a series order.
A Banquet For Hungry Ghosts’ ten episodes were conceptualized as a ten-course banquet, with each representing a different dish to be served during the Hungry Ghost Festival, a Chinese custom where food offerings are made to appease ghosts that wander the earth during the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
The ten episodes will be titled:
- Egg Fried Rice
- Steamed Dumplings
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Hot Pot
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Peking Duck
- Cold Platter
- Glutinous Rice Balls
- Dim Sum
- Long Life Noodles
RPM also shared some exciting early concept art:
Aligning with the show’s focus on the Chinese diaspora and its cultural influences – particularly its cuisine – the global studios that will be involved with production include Igloo Studio (Thailand), Studio Climb (Malaysia), Something Big (France), Disnosc (France), Werlen Meyer (France), Xanthus Animation (Taiwan), and RPM will produce two episodes. More studios will be announced soon.
The show will be executive produced by Justin Deimen, Ying Compestine, and Abhi Rastogi for 108 Media and Ervin Han, Bernard Toh, and former Disney animator Raul Garcia for Robot Playground Media.
In a release, Ervin Han, CEO and co-founder of Robot Playground Media, said:
The combination of Chinese food and the afterlife is an irresistible pairing for what we envision to be a groundbreaking animated series for a modern audience. Ten deliciously macabre tales created by some of the most exciting indie studios from Asia and around the world. Horror is a genre that has been underserved in animation for too long. With Banquet, we aim to create a long-running horror series that will satisfy the appetite of a global audience hungry for bold, fun, and imaginative adult animation. Let the feast begin!
Angeline Poh, chief customer and corporate development officer at Mediacorp, added:
Robot Playground Media wowed us with their pitch for A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts at our Content Development Pitch competition. We are thrilled to be working with them to produce ‘Egg Fried Rice’. This collaboration underlines Mediacorp’s commitment to invest in the development of good stories, as well as our dedication to nurturing and supporting creative talents. This exciting and innovative concept promises a spine-chilling viewing experience for the global audience, and we can’t wait to delve into this unique culinary journey of terror!”