Papa Zola The Movie: Malaysia’s Best Animated Blockbuster Yet
When the movie first released back in December 2025, it instantly became a hit amongst Malaysians. Towards the end of January, the movie achieved a huge milestone – the highest-grossing animation of all time and became the third highest grossing Malaysian film ever, only behind Mat Kilau and Blood Brothers, with more than RM61 million at the box office.
And Monsta Studios don’t intend for it to stop there.
Not only are they encouraging Malaysian families to watch the film together in cinemas during the Chinese New Year festive period and the one-week school holiday, they have their sights on launching the animated films in other countries throughout the year of 2026.
Towards the end of January, Papa Zola The Movie has already reached the screens of Indonesia, where they managed to be in the top five most-watched films in the country. But Indonesia marks only the beginning of their global release.
Starting in April, they will begin to release their films across various Asian and Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait & Turkey
Monsta Studios has every right to be ambitious with their latest film
I actually watched the film. And I can imagine why the producers want to take this film to the next level. It has the perfect blend of adventure, emotions, humour and family values. I, for one, who mainly watch western films for entertainment, found this movie very entertaining. I left the cinema happy and satisfied – money well spent, especially since going to the cinemas is no longer as affordable as I remember them to be.
The movie will be dubbed when they hit international screens, in Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese, Hindi, Tamil and English to cater to the audiences in the respective countries. But the thought of it means that they won’t get the joke behind my favourite scene of the film. The dialogue just went:
“Garam tak pernah nakal, tapi selalu kena cubit.
Cili tak pernah cari pasal, tapi selalu kena tumbuk.
Santan tak pernah malas, tapi selalu kena perah.
Telur tak pernah ada isu, tapi selalu kena kupas.
Begitulah kehidupan di dunia ini, hari hari penuh dengan ujian.”
But then again, there was no way someone would get it, unless they understand the Malay language. And that’s when the thought hit me. Is that how people in other countries feel when their shows or films get dubbed in other countries? Things get taken out of context, the meaning gets lost in translation, and just like that they miss the point of my favourite part of this film.
And yet, the fact that I could even think about that, gives me a sense of pride. Proud that a local film that I truly enjoyed is getting screened in another country.
An Opportunity For Malaysian Creativity To Take The World Stage
Malaysia has always had the stories. What we’ve sometimes lacked is the confidence to believe the rest of the world would want to watch them.
Michelle Yeoh showed us that a Malaysian can stand on the world’s biggest stage and give them a performance that blew their minds. Now, a homegrown animated film is trying to carry that same flag – not through a single performance, but through an entire world that someone here imagined, built, and brought to life.
If the children in Riyadh and Mumbai and Istanbul start laughing and getting invested in the same characters that made Malaysian kids fall in love with the world Monsta Studios have created, then it just goes to show that Malaysian creativity is ready for the world.
Maybe just like the delicious food we are known for, with the right ingredients, Malaysian animation and film could finally get the recognition it deserves. Hopefully, Papa Zola The Movie will be successful overseas and pave the way for the creative work of future Malaysians.
