Animal crackers: The animated film Chiec Cau Xoay (A Bridge's Story) received a lot of attention online but has no commercial future since the studio that made it has been dissolved. — File Photo

HA NOI (VNS)— A 3D cartoon produced in 2011 and uploaded on YouTube recently has become a hit with 4 million views.

There were a lot of good comments for Chiec Cau Xoay (A Bridge's Story) whose producer, Bamboo Animation, has been dissolved.

It's a modest story of tolerance of residents in a forest where naughty Rabbit tries to poke other animals, especially Green Tortoise, who is carrying wood to build a bridge. Rabbit interferes with the bridge's construction but when he falls into the river by accident other animals help him to safety.

The colourful 3D scenes, entertaining characters and concise story are what attracts the audience. Most have left positive comments, saying it was one of only a few animated films from Viet Nam they found interesting.

One viewer, David Hoang, said: "This is one of the best 3D animation films made in Viet Nam so far, even though the script isn't the best. The animation is topnotch."

Because the film studio where the cartoon was made no longer exists, the film can't be broadcast or be shown at film festivals. It can only be seen on social networks.

Leader of the film crew that made the film Nguyen Tan Hung, 36, now works for Virtuous Sparx, an animation company which co-operates with Disney and Dreamworks.

He said Bamboo Animation was founded in 2010 with the desire to produce Vietnamese fairy tales and historical cartoons. A group of nine filmmakers spent six months "and a lot of passion" to complete The Bridge's Story, to popularise the company and implement their goals, Hung said.

"But the market for cartoons was poor. We didn't have enough money to produce."

Many of the Vietnamese 3D cartoon makers who worked on the project had been trained in the US and Europe, but that was not enough, Hung said.

"To build a future for Vietnamese 3D animation we need to set up professional institutes to train filmmakers at home. I know many Vietnamese technicians who now work for foreign film studios who won't participate in the domestic industry because of the low salary, low profits and poor equipment."

Hung said some countries such as France and Malaysia give cartoon makers tax remissions and create good conditions to work.

He gave an example of a Vietnamese children's fairytale To Hoai's De Men Phieu Luu Ky (Adventures of a Cricket), which he wanted to make into a film.

"Vietnamese children are familiar with foreign animated films. I want to produce more cartoons inspired by Vietnamese legends, stories and history. In the near future, I plan to make these kinds of films." — VNS