My Idol for Drawing

Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid a.k.a. Lat (born 5 March 1951) is a Malaysian cartoonist, notable for his autobiographical work and editorial cartoons in the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times.Lat was born in Kota Baru, Perak .

He had a wonderful talent for drawing as a child and drew excellent comics. He was famous cartoonist in Malaysia and the most-read cartoonist Southeast Asia. At the age of nine, his talent began to yield his family income, with cartoons and illustrations published in Majallah Filem and Movie News. In 1970, Lat moved to Kuala Lumpur. Offered a position to join the New Straits Times as a crime reporter, he chose instead to become a cartoonist. Lat started with an editorial comic strip called Scenes of Malaysian Life, then was known in 1968 for the weekly comic strip Keluarga Si Mamat, published in Berita Harian.

His first book, Kampung Boy, an autobiography, was published in 1979 and sold thousands of copies within three months. Kampung Boy has since been translated into French, English, German, and Japanese. In 1984, Lat left the New Straits Times to focus on being a full-time cartoonist and author. Mat Som was published in 1989. It is a story about a young teenager's discovery of the new world of capitalism.

Although detailed insight of life on the Malayan peninsula is required to fully appreciate the work, Lat can be recommended as an invaluable primer for the visitor and new resident alike.

Lat's unique way of drawing noses for his characters was copied as a tribute to him in an issue of Groo by Spanish cartoonist Sergio Aragones. Thanks Datuk, I am proud having a person like you.

Below these information, I made a movie maker of Datuk Lat.

Film Review : Howl's Moving Castle

I love watch movie especially animation from Japan or Korea. I love their style of stories even it was a fairy tales story and just an imagination from the narrator, but they can delivered it with interesting. Before this I was already watched several animation like ‘Appleseed’, ‘Innocence’, ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’, and many more. I exposed to this movie when my brother bought and tell me the stories from Japan and Korea. He also wants me to learn how to learn drawing style in these types of movies.

Here I wrote down the film review or summary from the most favorite movie of mine: ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.

This film is about a young beautiful girl Sopie being cursed by a witch and is turned into a ninety-year-old woman. Forced to leave home, Sopie enters Howl’s moving castle by chance. Then she met scarecrow, a little fire named Casifa and fall in love with Howl. Howl was the best witch that can curse and use magic for helps; he also can change his identity until he got an invitation from the king to against the war. Howl have a college where ugly and not disciplined in using the magic. She used the magic to curse any innocent people and she already abandoned by the king. Little is known about the film, but from the few images available it should be another high quality animation film from the master. Already scheduled to complete for the Golden Lion in 2005 Venice film festival, one of the most prestigious awards in the world, it certainly seems that this is another masterpiece ready to be unleashed.

I hope our animator from Malaysia can learn from them that making every film with the whole soul they have to make sure the movie are very interested and the best story of the year. Good luck and this is the challenge for the animation company like Les Copaque and Animasia Studio.