Is it possible to reimagine an ancient epic in an animation form? Anirban Ray, a popular multimedia journalist, award-winning independent filmmaker and storyteller, makes the near-impossible possible with The Voyage.
Discerning viewers have termed this four-episode series as “an animated film with a human soul.”. The beauty of this movie, which is released under Ray’s signature Video Haiku umbrella, is that he has reimagined it “within a beautifully crafted miniature world”.
Ray has managed to translate a complex, mythological subject like The Ramayana into a scaled-down universe where a brave ant crosses an expansive ocean to rescue his beloved, aided by a wise turtle, a vulture and determined crabs forming a living bridge. Viewers says that what makes The Voyage an incredibly compelling, highly original visual dynamic “is the stark contrast between the tiny protagonists and the huge monstrous antagonist” – a ruthless, ten-eyed lizard king on a mighty vessel called LANKA.
“In the generic layer it might look like another hero-meets-heroine story with love, separation, reunion but deep in the sensitive layer it is the basic lessons from The Ramayana: morality, leadership and virtue,” Anirban Ray told the Black & White.
Ray’s first-ever animation movie
The Voyage is Ray’s first-ever animation movie and this effort has opened his eyes to many possibilities before him. “I am thrilled with the possibilities of the new medium and I love to make more movies. And now I know why Walt Disney was in love with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,” Ray said.
The movie is available in all formats including mobile devices and big screens including Digital Cinema Package (DCP). Ray, who believes in storyboards perfectly mapped out 123 frames as per the story, establishing a strong visual roadmap for his project. The team’s photographer gathered images from Sur, Bousher sands, Qantab, Thailand and also took many snaps of ants and green turtles, which were later animated into videos. “The main challenge was to get the expressions in the eyes and there were times when we had real actors play out those emotions,” Ray said, adding that they worked closely with their VFX editor, Arixus and the Muse Studio from India.
The story is written by Pearl, a writer for a children ‘s magazine and also a good friend of Ray. “This is my first collaboration with her and she convinced me to use The Ramayana as the theme. It was indeed refreshing to get the story from a female’s perspective,” he noted.
Catalog of films
Ray has built a catalog of short films, visual poetry and video haikus like Mr Cupid is Cruel (2025), Video Haiku-6 (2025), After 30 Years (2022), Veronica Decides to Live (2019), Muscat 5pm (2011) and others. His most recent short film was The Search, which poignantly portrays the aftermath of a war on its victims. The film’s main cast included Kabeer Yousuf, Anitha Rajan, Muhammad Rafeeq, Bilal Zanoof, Indu Baburaj and Ray himself. Subash Krishnan was the narrator in the movie.
Ray’s foray into journalism began nearly two decades back and he ventured into filmmaking 15 years ago. Being a journalist has helped him immensely in his other creative journeys. After his day job, he swings by to meet his team who come from diverse backgrounds. Ray’s main cast for most movies include the popular journalists Kabeer Yousuf and Vinod Raghavan. Together, the trio make a dynamic team.
Alluding to the messages in The Voyage, which is likely to be released by this month end, Ray said aspects like loyalty, not just to partners, but friends and forgiveness were central to the film. “But the main lesson is determination and focus. When that is there, we will find the means to overcome any challenges.
“DD in The Voyage is a tiny ant, but his determination and love for PP (his beloved) makes him cross the mighty ocean and fight a deadly giant!”
Asked about his personal voyage, Ray said everyone undergo challenges, but the biggest remedy is acceptance. Sometimes we win, and other times we lose. Losing does not mean that it is the end. “Sometimes, we need to lose the battle to win the war,” he said.
Excerpts:
Please give us an idea about your latest release, the animated movie, The Voyage?
The Voyage is the first-ever animated film from our team. Over the years we have been making short films for festivals around the world. But now I decided to give it a new try. There is a misconception that animation is only for children but grownups love it too. We wanted to go beyond that. We were experimenting for a long time with the idea of animation and were looking for a good story: a story that must be common and appeal to all. Finally we came upon the grand epic The Ramayana, a story that has been told and retold through ages and across cultures. From India to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the epic has been retold in several formats and styles. It has been told and retold in dramas, literature, poems, sculptures, architecture, music, TV dramas and now it takes a rebirth as an animated short film in Oman.
The Voyage is inspired from the epic though we took the artistic liberty to change a few incidents. I have always loved comparative in literature and cinema and this interest helped me with the storytelling.
The animated film follows the voyage of an ant couple and their fight, loyalty and faith during tough times. In the generic layer it might look like another hero-meets-heroine story with love, separation, reunion but deep in the sensitive layer it is the basic lessons from The Ramayana: morality, leadership and virtue. We plan to release the film by month end. In between we are having private screenings for a diverse range of people from various cultures and nationalities.
Is the movie in all formats? Is it available for viewers – where and how? How was the animation movie made? Was the production done in a local studio?
The film is available in all formats including mobile devices and big screens including Digital Cinema Package (DCP). The production was an interesting one. I believe in storyboards and developed almost 123 frames as per the story. We devised the locations based in Oman and its beaches. Our photographer gathered images from Sur, Bousher sands, Qantab, Thailand, and also of ants and green turtles among many. Then we animated them into videos. The main challenge was to get the expressions in the eyes; and there were times when we had real actors play those emotions (mainly closeups) and then we used Motion Capture to animate them as per the characters.
We worked closely with our VFX editor Arixus and Muse Studio from India.
What is the story of The Voyage? Who wrote the story? Were the voiceovers of the characters done by you and your team?
The Voyage follows the story of an ant couple DD and PP who are on an anniversary trip to an island resort, VedANT. One evening, as DD goes to get her a golden flower, PP is kidnapped by the lizard king RV1 and is taken to his ship named Lanka. DD gets help from an old turtle, JSR, and an old vulture, JTU and they form an alliance to rescue PP.
The story is written by Pearl, a writer for a children ‘s magazine and also a good friend of mine. This is my first collaboration with her and she convinced me to use The Ramayana as the theme. It was indeed refreshing to get the story from a female’s perspective. Interestingly there was a shortage of time so I couldn’t hire any voice over artists and so most of the voices were given by Pearl, Arixus and me. Then we manipulated them into heavy bass and lowpass in software to give the ant world an aura.
What was the inspiration behind The Voyage? Does The Voyage have a special message for anyone – children, for example?
I found the story of The Ramayana very cinematic and dramatic. There was love, separation, action and lots of emotional tempests; and they indeed are the ingredients for a good movie. I have always loved old epics and mythologies and always wanted to remake them in the modern context.
There are a few messages in The Voyage. Some of them are loyal not only to partners but also friends. These days, friendship is taken for granted. It is a blessing to have good friends and we must treasure them with respect.
Forgiveness is another lesson. As it is said, let’s hate the sin and not the sinner.
The main lesson is that no matter what our state or situation, if we have determination and focus, help comes in mysterious ways. DD is small in size as an ant but his determination and love for PP makes him cross the ocean and fight giants.
How many animation movies have you made so far?
This is my first-ever animation but I am thrilled with the possibilities of the new medium and I love to make more. And now I know why Walt Disney was in love with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
What are the other movies you have made?
I have made several movies; my latest one being The Search, which tells the tale of an aftermath of a war.
You are a journalist, filmmaker, writer, actor, all rolled into one: How has the journey been in these last many years and where is your passion mostly directed at? And how and where do you find the time to devote your attention to these many subjects? How many hours do you work every day?
Being a journalist helps me to find stories easily. It also gives me access to a diverse range of people. I live many lives in a week…an outgoing ambassador, a Barcelona footballer, car dealer, Mexican chef, oil and gas engineer, an Islamic preacher, an astronaut, a blue-collar worker, doctors and so many others. Their stories open my eyes and heart to life. I also love to read (mostly magazines related to science, paintings, old history and AI).
After my day job I immediately meet my team who also come from diverse backgrounds and professionals and we then plan our next film. There are doctors, bloggers, hoteliers, gym owners, businessmen and even journalists. Interestingly my main cast for all the movies are two journalists Kabeer Yousuf and Vinod Raghavan. We share a strong love and healthy criticism over films and journalism. They are equally dynamic as I am. We normally shoot on Fridays and Saturdays. Planning is very important. It is a challenge to balance family, work, personal time but we manage. Just like DD, if one has the passion, help comes randomly.
I work for almost 10 hours as a journalist and then put in a few more hours for shooting and editing. All of this pushes my sleep time way past midnight.
How many years have you been a journalist, filmmaker, writer and actor?
I have been a journalist for almost two decades. The journey to filmmaking started almost 15 years ago.
Was it in Oman where the creative spark first flew out? What about Muscat/Oman helps inspire and drive your creativity?
It was in Oman where the spark was ignited and I owe this to my ex-editor Rahul Das who pushed me to take part at the Muscat International Film Festival. I was in extreme inhibition as I did not have much technical knowhow but my Omani friend Sultan Khalfan helped me shoot my first film, She and Sea. He was my teacher, mentor and shawarma pal throughout. Luck came soon and my first cast was with a beauty pageant winner (Sruthi), film festival exhibit (Sudha Sha) and sports editor (Ashok Purohit). Till this date, I owe my gratitude and bow to them for their trust in me.
What are the biggest lessons that you have learnt in your personal voyage?
We all undergo challenges in life…personal and professional. Just keep moving. Sometimes we do not get what we think that we must or that we deserve. But acceptance is the best remedy. There are laws that are beyond our human capacities and we need to bow down to that universal decision. This is not losing the battle but making peace with the self. Sometimes we need to lose the battle to win the war.
Do not get carried away with motivational videos; we have our own destinies.
Finally, let us give the best (in whatever profession or commitment) we are in and leave the rest to the cosmos. There is an action and reaction to all of our thoughts and deeds (even Newton said that); so nothing is wasted. The Universe is vast and our thoughts bounce back. Keep creating. Keep doing your Karma. That is the best devotion one can have.
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