A crew of animation rookies decided to flex their creative muscles and unleashed Bakunawa, the legendary Bicolano sea serpent, and netizens are straight-up shookt! They’re saying that local networks might just get some stiff competition.
Their TikTok masterpiece felt like a scene straight out of the Hollywood monster blockbuster, Godzilla. The colossal moon-eating serpent went on a rampage, tearing through a building on the Pasig River—pure CGI magic!
Then, Haliya, the fierce masked Bicolano goddess and moonlight protector, emerged to take on this incredibly well-animated beast, drawing its powers as they got ready for an epic showdown.
“Always wondered what it would look like if it were in the movies,” said the video’s director Rizza Santiago, who couldn’t contain her excitement and spilled the tea on a Facebook post.
She admitted that while their creation was inspired by Bicolano mythology, it wasn’t all spot-on (Haliya went maskless) because they were working on a shoestring budget.
But netizens still gave them virtual high fives, with some claiming their animation skills put the characters in local fantaseryes to shame.
“Sana makita ko un buong katawan ni Bakunawa, curious ako ng sobra. Ganda ng gawa nyo, thumbs up!!!” one commenter praised.
While another cheekily suggested, “Yung office bldg din namin pakiwasak thanks hahaha.”
Others couldn’t resist the comparison and the mic-drop moments just kept coming:
“Nahiya CGI ng GMA at ABSCBN,” one netizen said.
“mas Magaling pa mag edit to keysa sa dragon Ng darna hahahaha,” another chimed in.
“Mas maganda pa effect nyo kaysa Victor magtangol
,” said a commenter, referring to GMA’s fantasy series starring Alden Richards.
But this animation squad isn’t just out there to wow netizens. They’ve got their eyes on a bigger prize—to snag some cash in the Young Creatives Challenge, an online contest recently launched by the Department of Trade and Industry.
The grand winner walks away with a cool Php1 million. And for the runners-up, there are cash prizes ranging from Php100,000 to Php500,000.
The team behind the Bakunawa animation also includes Ida Marie Buen, Paul Christian Catoera, Jose Paulo Dela Cruz, Abel Gonzaga Malonzo, Carl Guinto, and Dave Morallos.
@riz.delphinus Bakunawa VS Haliya at pasig river 😮 Our entry for the @youngcreativeschallenge #WeAreTheCreativesPH #iamCreativePH #iamDTIph #PhilippineCreativeIndustriesMonth #PCIM2023 #TheFutureisCreative #YoungCreativesChallenge #YC2 #filipino #vfx #cgi #pinoyvfx ♬ Paint The Town Red – Doja Cat
