Southeast Asia Animation: Box Office Success & New Storytelling

Indonesian animated film Jumbo has become the highest-grossing animated feature in Southeast Asian history, earning over $8 million at the Indonesian box office since its release on March 31, 2025. The film, produced by Jakarta-based Visinema Studios, surpassed the previous record held by Malaysia’s Mechamato Movie, which grossed approximately $7.68 million in 2022.

Jumbo’s success is particularly notable as it quickly amassed over 3.2 million admissions, including nearly one million tickets sold over the weekend of April 12-13, 2025. This performance allowed it to overtake the Hollywood film Moana 2 to become Indonesia’s second highest-grossing animated film trailing only Frozen 2 in total admissions. Jumbo reached this milestone in just two weeks, outpacing Moana 2’s cumulative 3.1 million admissions since its November 2024 release.

The film centers on Don, an orphan nicknamed “Jumbo” due to his size, who discovers a magical storybook left by his parents and encounters Meri, a fairy seeking to reunite with her family. Directed by Ryan Adriandhy, who co-wrote the screenplay with Widya Arifianti, Jumbo features an Indonesian voice cast including singer Ariel, Prince Poetiray, Muhammad Adhiyat, Graciella Abigail, Yusuf Ozkan and Quinn Salman.

The success of Jumbo comes as Southeast Asian animators are achieving significant box office success and redefining local storytelling. In Malaysia, Papa Zola The Movie has earned over RM65 million (US$16.6 million) as of February 17, 2026. A Singaporean moviegoer, Muhammad Latif Mathan, noted the film’s quality was comparable to Disney/Pixar productions and praised its relatable dialogue in colloquial Malay, as well as its depiction of parental sacrifice.

Visinema Studios is now preparing for the international rollout of Jumbo, with distribution rights for key territories, including Mainland China, North America, Western Europe and Australia, currently available. Angga Dwimas Sasongko, founder and group CEO of Visinema, described the film as “a labor of love for my child, and for all Indonesian children who deserve to have their own choices at the cinema’s ticket box.”