When I first decided to create a Mat Jenin animation featuring Perky Piung, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. 🤭

In my mind, it sounded simple enough. Generate some pictures, add a few movements, put everything together and voilà—an animation was born. ✨

Well… I was completely wrong. 😂

What started as a small personal project slowly grew into something much bigger. Along the way, I found myself learning about story development, character design, scene planning, image generation, video creation, editing, narration and even sound effects. Looking back, I realise that animation is much more than making pictures move. There is a lot of thinking, planning and problem-solving behind every single scene.

🌱 The Beginning

I chose Mat Jenin because it is a familiar Malaysian folktale that many people know and enjoy. At the same time, I wanted to see how Perky Piung could be used beyond classroom activities and educational materials.

At the beginning, I was excited. I was curious. I was eager to learn something new.

I had no idea that this little project would eventually occupy so much of my free time and mental space. 🤣

🎨 Bringing the Characters to Life

One of the most enjoyable parts of the journey was creating the characters.

There was Mat Jenin 👨🏽, Puteri Melati 👸 and, of course, my beloved Perky Piung 🐢.

I spent many hours generating images, discussing appearances, choosing costumes and refining character designs. Sometimes the AI gave me exactly what I wanted. Other times, it seemed determined to test my patience. 😅

A character’s face would suddenly change.

The clothing would look different.

The hairstyle would disappear.

Or the character would end up looking like a distant relative instead of the original design. 🤣

There were days when I felt excited and couldn’t wait to generate the next scene. There were also days when I felt frustrated because the images refused to cooperate. Yet, whenever the characters finally looked right, I felt a huge sense of satisfaction.

🎬 Discovering the Reality of Animation

As the project progressed, I began to understand how much work goes into animation.

Every scene required planning.

Every scene needed assets.

Every scene needed editing.

And every scene seemed to create a new problem that needed solving. 🤭

I quickly discovered that a few seconds of animation could require hours of preparation. Sometimes I felt completely overwhelmed. There were moments when I stared at my laptop and wondered why I had decided to start this project in the first place. 😂

Still, scene by scene, the story slowly came together.

📁 The Great File Management Crisis

One challenge I never expected was managing the huge number of files created during the project.

Pictures.

Videos.

More pictures.

More videos.

And then even more pictures and videos. 🤣

At one point, I found myself asking the same questions repeatedly.

Should I save everything on my phone?

Should I upload them to Google Drive?

Should I leave them in Canva?

Should I keep them in CapCut?

Honestly, I didn’t know.

Part of me wanted to keep everything because I wasn’t sure whether I would need the files again in future projects. Another part of me worried that I was creating digital clutter everywhere.

This experience taught me that animation is not only about creativity. It is also about organisation.

For future projects, I think I need a proper filing system. Perky Piung definitely deserves a special folder because I know I will continue using him in future stories, lessons and animations. Character poses, expressions, backgrounds and video clips should all have their own organised spaces.

The truth is, many of the images and videos are simply too beautiful to delete. 🥹

Some may never appear in the final animation, but they are still part of the creative journey. Sometimes I find myself scrolling through the folders just to admire them again. They are more than files. They are memories of ideas explored, mistakes made, lessons learned and little victories achieved.

🎥 When I Accidentally Became a One-Woman Film Studio

Somewhere along the way, I became a little too ambitious. 🤭

Instead of simply creating the animation and uploading it, I started imagining what it would be like if Mat Jenin were a real movie production.

Before I knew it, I was creating an official movie poster.

Then I announced the premiere.

Then came the character spotlights.

Then the official trailer.

Then the official soundtrack.

Then the red carpet arrival.

And finally, the grand launch itself.

At that point, I realised I was no longer just making an animation. I had somehow become the director, producer, marketing team, public relations officer, graphic designer and event organiser all rolled into one person. 🤣

Honestly, it was tiring.

It was taxing.

And there were moments when I asked myself, “Who is even going to watch this?”

Sometimes I wondered whether I had gone a bit too far. After all, I was just one person making an animation in my free time.

As Malaysians would say, maybe this was a little bit syok sendiri. 🤣

🌟 More Than Just an Animation

But when I stopped and reflected, I realised something important.

While other people might spend their free time doom-scrolling on social media, I was learning something new. I was challenging myself. I was creating something from nothing. I was developing skills that I never imagined I would have.

So perhaps being a little syok sendiri is not always a bad thing. 🤭

At least I was learning.

At least I was creating.

At least I was growing.

That said, this journey also taught me an important lesson about balance.

There were times when I became so absorbed in the project that I prioritised it over other things, including spending time with my family. Looking back, I realise that creative projects can quietly take over every available moment if we are not careful.

The animation will always be there.

The files will always be there.

But family time cannot always be replaced. ❤️

🎭 Looking Ahead

As I begin planning my next project, Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, I want to approach things a little differently.

No rushing.

No marathon editing sessions.

No pressure to finish everything at once.

Maybe 30 minutes a day.

Maybe one scene a day.

Maybe one scene every few days.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Enjoying the process.

Because the goal is not only to finish the animation. The goal is also to enjoy the journey while maintaining balance in the rest of my life.

Although, knowing myself, there is still a very high possibility that I will end up creating posters, trailers, character spotlights and another red carpet premiere. 🤣

🩷 Final Thoughts

Looking back, the journey was messy.

The folders were messy. 📁🤣

My thoughts were sometimes messy. 🤯

But every minute was worth it.

The Mat Jenin project taught me patience, perseverance, organisation, creativity and confidence. More importantly, it reminded me that learning never stops, no matter our age or experience.

When I started this project, I saw myself mainly as a teacher who created teaching materials.

Today, I think I can also call myself a storyteller. 📚✨

And who knows?

Maybe Mat Jenin was only the beginning. 🐢🎬✨