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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the design industry, where speed and efficiency have become the norm. But the Hong Kong animated film Another World took a different path. Entirely hand-drawn over seven years, it was selected for the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France — hailed as the “Oscars of the animation world” — and won Best Animated Feature at the Golden Horse Awards last year.
One of the film's key animators is Hilary Tang Yin-ting, a graduate in fine arts with a focus in animation and visual effects from Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) in 2020. She believes animators must feel a character's movements in their own bodies to bring them to life.
“The work is gruelling,” she says, “But I stay focused, and then hand audiences a surprise — That joy keeps me moving forward.”
A bold first step into the industry
Hilary's love of illustration drew her to HKMU. During her studies, she interned at the company that later produced Another World. When the project was about to begin, she put herself forward before graduating and rose to become a key animator.
Once a storyboard is completed, production is divided between background and animation teams, with key animators responsible for the characters' main actions.
Hilary recalls long days drawing for Another World, often until nightfall. “Animation takes an enormous amount of time,” she says. “A piece I spend weeks — sometimes a month — drawing is often just a blink on the screen.”
During the seven-year process, Hilary admits there were moments when she felt lost, but found fulfilment through perseverance.
Discover HKMUers – Hilary Tang, key animator of Another World
“There is a touch of the ‘craftsman's spirit’ in this work,” she says. “I check my drawings frame by frame before submitting them. That's something the audience never sees.”
A craftman's spirit
Creating animation demands not only creativity but also mental, physical and emotional resilience. Drawing day after day took a toll on Hilary's wrists. “You need your 'three treasures' — eye drops, painkilling patches and a wrist brace — and proper self-care,” she says. There was a weight on the mind as well. Early on, seeing colleagues’ refined work, she felt pressure to deliver, fearing she might otherwise hold everyone else back.
Luckily, teamwork eased the burden. After hours, the team would trade ideas to solve problems and improve efficiency, and mealtimes sometimes became a chance to air their frustrations. This deepened her appreciation of collaboration.
Acting it out
Hilary has a preference for 2D animation, though she admits it is far from easy. “Think about how to draw a strand of hair floating in the air,” she says. To make a character come to life, Hilary boils the secret down to one rule: “Do it yourself.” She adds, “Animation, after all, springs from life.” Many times, she acted out movements in front of a mirror, filming herself as a reference for her drawings.
In Another World, Goran flees after her family is torn apart. To capture the frantic, off-balance feeling, Hilary filmed herself racing on a treadmill until she tumbled off. For a scene of a soul passing through a waterfall on its way to rebirth, she spent a month swimming to study how the body moves through water.
As AI hits one industry after another, Hilary remains convinced that the human hand still holds value. “At this stage, AI is only a tool. The fine work of tuning a character's movements still has to be done by humans,” she says. “It's a person's eye for beauty and judgment that decides how high a work can stand.”
Her studies at HKMU built a strong foundation for her career. “Our lecturers walked us through so many of the fundamental principles — the logic of cinematic storytelling, the language of the camera, and the like — which helps you tell the good from the bad and choose the most fitting shots.”
Practice beyond the classroom
Hilary says her programme at HKMU guided her through the animation production process and have proved helpful in her work. She looks back fondly on Drawing and Life Drawing. “Sketching from life, with the model changing poses every five minutes, is a real test of your ability to capture movement and set it down on the spot,” she recalls.
Hilary enjoys returning to her alma mater to share her experience and gain perspectives from students' questions. She hopes Hong Kong animation goes from strength to strength.
“Don't give up easily,” she offers some advice for those who hope to enter the field. “There is no denying that audiences often decide how far an animation can go, but that is not the whole story. You will accumulate experience and become better at what you do. Follow your heart and keep pushing forward,” she says.