Vince Chong (right) has a new series for kids, 'The Eggies'. Photos: YouTube/The Star
Many of us know Vince Chong as a performing artiste.
He came in the public eye through Akademi Fantasia 2003, emerging as the winner of the series’ first season.
Fast-forward almost 20 years – during which he recorded albums, wrote songs, acted, hosted, became a vocal coach, directed, etc – Chong is now entering the world of animation.
He’s co-founded Eggcell Studios with partner Jerryson Abraham Doss, and has been developing the studio’s first series titled The Eggies since 2020.
“Our tagline is Cracking Ideas,” shared Chong, who turns 43 this September.
“This is a very different venture for me, but it still doesn’t stray far from what I love doing, which is content, music and you know, entertainment. But this is meant for kids,” said the father of two.
“I came up with this animation IP (Intellectual property) three years ago.
“And like many other businesses that decided to launch during the Covid-19 lockdown, we decided to pursue this animation idea because, when you work online nothing is impossible.”
Vince Chong co-founded Eggcell Studios with partner Jerryson Abraham Doss (right). Photos: Handout
Nonetheless, he described it as a “tough journey”.
“At first, we wanted to do stop motion... only to realise it takes a long time. And, you know, I don’t want to end up in a wheelchair trying to do it.
“After approaching a lot of different animation companies, we decided to go with 3D animation.
“And we found a consultant, Naim Azhari, to help us form a team (of freelance animators).
“From the start of the pandemic until today, we managed to finish our first season, comprising 10 episodes, with each episode about seven minutes long.”
“What’s unique about The Eggies is, in every episode, there is an original soundtrack and it talks about moral values. The subjects include being patient and thankful, and following instructions.
“It’s for kids between the ages of three and seven. So far, we’ve done like test markets with certain schools and kindergartens and they love it.”
Chong further revealed that he is in talks with channels such as Muslim Kids TV, Media Prima, Nickelodeon and Universal Kids that have shown interest in acquiring the series.
According to Chong, the series was influenced by his family members.
“My mum used to tell us stories and really, she’s the one who actually heightened our imagination as kids.
"She inspired me to write an episode and my sister Vanessa wrote a couple of episodes. My daughter Eva, she’s seven years old, and my cousin Lucie also sang on the tracks.
"I consider Eva as my co-producer to sort of QC the lines, to see whether the sounds match (the characters)."
“A reason why I came up with The Eggies is because I felt there was a void when it came to kids’ content. There’s nothing about moral values... it’s just like quick-paced, silly and just very random stuff,” he said.
Told in narration format with no dialogue, The Eggies centres on three main characters that are in the shape of an egg – Eggy Chicken, Eggy Cat and Eggy Bear.
“Each of them has different characteristics. The chicken is more like the mother figure in the house and she’s a bit OCD.
“The cat is pretty much like the new generation, into TikTok and is tech-savvy. And the bear is like me, likes to eat, sleep, take pictures and loves nature.
“They each have their own personalities, but they complement each other.”
What these characters have in common is that all the little noises they make in the show are provided by Chong, a skill he described as “a hidden talent that a lot of people don’t know”.
He shared that he recently performed Lady Gaga’s Shallow on stage in 15 different cartoon characters’ voices including Elmo, Kermit The Frog, Mickey Mouse and Shrek’s Donkey.
“I used to play pranks on my friends at school with this ability.
“In those days you called the landline so they had no idea who's calling. I would call and pretend to be someone else... a bit like a Bart Simpson.”
Of course, it goes without saying that Chong also wrote and sang all the 12 songs featured in the 10 episodes, aided by his daughter and cousin.
“My daughter not only sang on most of the tracks, she and I did a duet on the song Football Superstar, in anticipation of the World Cup for an episode.
“And the songs will be on all (streaming) platforms like Spotify. We’re hoping that people will use it for (Instagram) Reels and TikTok videos. These are very relatable songs that people can use, and not just for kids.”
The Keranamu Kekasih singer said: “Basically, my job was to oversee the whole thing – taking care of the music by ensuring the music is of quality, and then also making sure the direction of the animation is spot on.”
Although going into animation was a steep learning curve, Chong said he had a lot of fun in the process.
“It was such a joy and I think what is more rewarding is seeing the outcome of it.
“I’m most egg-cited about seeing children enjoying the cartoon and singing along to all the songs.
“Parents putting them on their song lists, driving everywhere listening to them. It’s something that I’m excited to see.”
Chong said he will continue with his other pursuits like directing and being a vocal coach, but he also has big plans with Eggcell Studios.
“Our dream is to have our own team of animators. That’ll be so great.
“I know it’s a big dream, but we want to be like the next animation powerhouse in Asia. That’s what we aspire to be.”
