Ejen Ali creators mull legal action after explicit artwork of characters circulate

Primeworks Studios and WAU Animation are mulling legal actions towards a social media account containing extremely explicit artwork(s) of Ejen Ali. A subsidiary of Media Prima, Primeworks Studios is the distributor of Ejen Ali, a Malaysian computer-animated spy-fi action film, while WAU Animation is the studio that animated the series.

In a joint statement on Twitter, both companies said they were aware of the online publication in relation to "extremely explicit artwork(s) on a social media account involving the Ejen Ali characters and trademark which was trending on Twitter". They added that the explicit artwork(s) were not created by either of them.

https://twitter.com/ejen_ali/status/1480453450458550272/photo/1

"Whilst we believe in creative freedom, we do not condone the creation of, publication, and circulation of the explicit artwork(s)," explained Primeworks Studios and WAU Animation. Since the discovery, both companies have taken steps to report the matter to the relevant authorities. They are also currently in the midst of discussing and exploring the potential legal courses of action against the owner of the social media account or artist of the explicit artwork(s).

This development came after the studios tweeted on 22 November last year that they received concerns over extremely explicit fan arts of Ejen Ali circulating in the community. The tweet added that the studios have since reached out to and addressed the individuals directly. 

https://twitter.com/ejen_ali/status/1462693677076152320

"We welcome fan arts, fan fiction and fan theories as well as speculation. The fandom is a wonderful place to explore and we love giving you free rein to play in the Ejen Ali universe. However, we ask that fans would respect the characters and create art that is inspiring and suitable for everyone in the fandom," the tweet added.

Ejen Ali debuted in 2016 and tells the story of an elementary school student who was accidentally dragged into the world of intelligence. The series is set in the fictional town of Cyberaya, purportedly drawing inspiration from Cyberjaya. It is currently available on Netflix under the kids segment. The animated series was also launched as a movie in 2019 titled Ejen Ali: The Movie. In October 2020, Primeworks Studios and WAU Animation used Ejen Ali to brighten up the spirits of Malaysians as part of its own #KitaJagaKita campaign.

According to The Star, the Ejen Ali Misi: Bootcamp by Syarikat Permainan Malaysia was launched, comprising three board games called Squad Race, Ejen Vs Droids, and Gadget Assembly. A set of collectible trading cards were also launched and new merchandise were also made available on eCommerce platforms as well as in convenience stores and bookstores. In 2019, Ejen Ali also partnered with AirAsia to launch its products on the airline's eCommerce platform OURSHOP. 

Meanwhile, netizens also expressed their displeasure at the creation of the explicit artworks, especially with most of the characters in the film being underaged. One user said that he was sick of "seeing NSFW art of cartoon characters that are supposed to be kid-friendly". The user added that other channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon should take the same course of action when it comes to explicit artworks. Meanwhile, another user praised WAU Animation for how it handled the issue, while another pointed out that parents should also "know and be educated on children in social media". A+M has reached out to Primeworks Studios and WAU Animation for a comment. 

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