smooth wombat's Journal: U.S. cartoons drawn in North Korea

In what can only be considered something only to be discussed in the dark, smoke-filled rooms of some far off country, several cartoons which were run in the U.S. had parts of them made in North Korea, including The Lion King.

Jing Kim, based out of Singapore, has acted, and apparently still acts, as a middleman between North Korea and companies looking for cheap labor or who want to do business with the North. From the article:

When asked whether the US film companies involved actually knew that their cartoons had been made by North Koreans, Kim said: "They don't want to know. If they knew, it wouldn't be fun. After they make contracts with the South Koreans, they just assume that it is made there. They only care about the delivery [of the products] and their quality. It is too much for them to ask where they were actually made. We don't have the obligation to tell them, either. The only thing they claim is the copyright."

Context

[Shadow Wrought]

I wonder how odd it would be creating cells for something like The Lion King without any context as to what American culture is really like. Must be an interesting experience for the cartoonists...

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[nizo]

Any stranger than some chinese guy inspecting the endless crappy cheap things headed here in cargo containers, destined for the dollar store? I don't know, but it might create an atmosphere for some pretty bitter resentment if nothing else.

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[Shadow Wrought]

I don't know, but it might create an atmosphere for some pretty bitter resentment if nothing else.

Judging by how fugly so many of the cheap things are, I always thought it would promote their sense of superiority. After all, they may be forced to make it, but we're dumb enough to actually buy it!

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[stoolpigeon]

my son has a set of toy fighter jets - they are all made in china. i think about these chinese people in a factory cranking out little american military toys. same with the stuff they get in their happy meals at fast food places. what would a chinese factory worker think about sponge bob or something like that?

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[smooth wombat]

what would a chinese factory worker think about sponge bob or something like that?

Thanks to the tubes of these internets, now we know [theonion.com]!

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[stoolpigeon]

very funny - thanks.

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[smooth wombat]

One doesn't necessarily need context to be able to draw something. All you are told is that you need to draw some grass or trees according to X standards.

However, now that you've brought this up, I had a similar question years ago. My parents and I had gone to the newest Cabella's in the nation (about an hour from us) just to see what it was all about.

While there, we looked at the african diorama they had set up. In addition to us, there were other people, some of whom were Amish. We live not too far fr