Hanung Bramantyo Says the Film 'MERAH PUTIH ONE FOR ALL' Is Not Ready for Cinema Release

Kapanlagi.com - Renowned director Hanung Bramantyo did not hesitate to voice his opinion after watching the animated film MERAH PUTIH ONE FOR ALL. According to him, the work is not yet worthy of being presented to audiences on the big screen like in cinemas. The husband of Zaskia Adya Mecca even mentioned that there are other platforms more suitable for the film.

"From the story perspective, it might be suitable for children to watch, but not in cinemas. YouTube is a good fit, but not in cinemas," said Hanung Bramantyo when met in the Kemang area, South Jakarta, Thursday (14/8/2025).

For him, a film that has already been shown in major cinema chains should be a final product that is well-prepared. He is also confused as to why a film he considers still raw could get a screening slot. The director of the film AYAT-AYAT CINTA suspects there is something odd in the process.

"There are things that if you call anomalies, how should I put it, I'm just really confused about why it could be screened, while when we were making the film La Tahzan, we thought about how the audience would feel, what it would be like. Then there are creators who seem like they don’t think about that, just let the audience handle it," he said.

Specifically, Hanung mentioned that the visuals of this film are still at a very early stage or pre-visualization. According to him, materials like this should be internal resources for animators, not for public consumption. The man born in Yogyakarta emphasized that what is displayed is still very raw.

"It looks like this is still very early, the animation process is still very early and hasn't been worked on. So it's really just pre-visual," he explained.

He even agreed with the term mock up to describe the visual quality of the film MERAH PUTIH. According to him, although viewers can recognize the shape of the objects displayed, the execution is far from the standards of a cinema film. This father of five feels that what is presented on the big screen should not be like that.

"Yes, mock up, more like a mock up. We who watch know that it's a monkey but it's not like that, what is shown in cinemas is not like that," he said.

1. Untidy Details Will Be Visible to the Audience on the Big Screen

Hanung then compared it to his experience working on ADIT SOPO JARWO, which he felt was not perfect for the cinema screen despite having a larger budget. He explained that shortcomings in animation would be very noticeable on the big screen. According to him, small details that are not tidy will be immediately seen by the audience.

"I felt that way when working on Adit Sopo Jarwo; I still felt it was not perfect, but it cost 12-13 billion, and for me, that was not perfect," he said.

"Fortunately, at that time it was not shown in cinemas but on OTT, so it wasn't on the big screen but could be viewed on a mobile phone, allowing the shortcomings to be addressed. But once it hits the big screen, it seems very obvious, like the tail, the fur on the monkey looks still very raw," he continued.

Because he feels the quality is not yet finished, Hanung cannot give a rating for this film. For him, it is impossible to evaluate a product whose process is not even complete. This veteran director firmly stated that the film is not finished.

"I said this is not finished; if I have to give a rate, then it is not finished," he clarified.

2. Needs Time

Furthermore, he estimates that this film still requires a very long working time to mature. He mentioned that it would take at least two to three more years to perfect the film according to industry standards. According to him, the process of making an animated film indeed takes years.

"Oh, it can definitely be refined further; this film still needs 2-3 more years, that's just how it is (making animated films) takes 4 years. Two months to create something like this, and then after that, lighting will be added, good blocking, details on the leaves; that phase takes one year to do location plotting and character development. In the second year, we start animating, one by one, to see if the hair can flow, and then there’s a scene of diving into the river; that diving scene will be visible in the second year," he said.

"Then in the third year, it will be edited, music will be added, sound effects like thuds, falling trees, monkey sounds; that’s the third year. Then in the fourth year, it usually starts to be marketed, so it’s not just two months or three months," he concluded.

Check out other news about the film MERAH PUTIH ONE FOR ALL at Liputan6.com

(kpl/far/ums)