The widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the design industry and many others, where speed and efficiency have become the norm. But the Hong Kong animated film Another World took a different path. Entirely hand-drawn, the film took seven years to complete and has touched many hearts. It was selected for the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France — often hailed as the “Oscars of the animation world” — and went on to win Best Animated Feature at the Golden Horse Awards, a dazzling showing on both counts.
One of the key animators for the film is Hilary Tang Yin-ting, who graduated from HKMU's Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Animation and Visual Effects in 2020. Reflecting on her creative journey as “gruelling”, she has never thought about quitting. She believes that animators must feel a character's movements in their own bodies by acting them out to bring them to life and stir audiences.
Hilary's love of illustration drew her to HKMU, where she learned animation production from the ground up. During her studies, she interned at the company that would later produce Another World. When she learned that the project was about to begin, she put herself forward despite not having graduated yet and gradually rose to become a key animator.
She explains that once a storyboard is completed, production is divided between the background and animation teams, with key animators responsible for the characters' main actions.
Hilary recalls long days spent drawing for Another World, often working 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.”
The film took seven years to complete, and during this lengthy process, Hilary admits there were moments when she felt lost, but slowly, she found fulfilment through perseverance.
“There is a touch of the 'craftsman's spirit' in this work,” she says. “I carefully check my drawings frame by frame before submitting them. That's something the audience never sees. I stay focused on my work and then hand the audience a surprise. That joy alone pushes me forward.”
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. “A word of advice can solve a deadlock. Sharing and supporting each other leads to solutions,” she reflects.
Hilary has a strong 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.” She act out movements in front of a mirror, even filming herself and checking the replay as a reference for her drawings. She finds that she has a surer hand with the bolder, more physical scenes. “Another World gave me room to stretch myself — the scenes of headlong running, and even the depiction of severed limbs, were all drawn by my hand,” she says.
A scene from Another World in which the character Goran races wildly. (Image courtesy of Point Five Creations)
In Another World, the character Goran flees after her family is torn apart. To capture the frantic, off-balance feeling, Hilary filmed herself racing on a treadmill until she lost her footing and tumbled off. And to bring the scene of a departed soul passing through a waterfall on its way to rebirth, she spent a whole month swimming to study how the human body moves through water.
To animate a character passing through a waterfall, Hilary spent a month swimming to study how the body moves through water. (Image courtesy of Point Five Creations)
As AI hits one industry after another, Hilary remains firmly 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. The character of a piece of work comes from the person who wields the tool, she asserts. “It's a person's eye for beauty and judgment that decides how high a work can stand.” She is glad that her years of study 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,” she explains.
Hilary says HKMU's comprehensive programmes guided her through the entire animation production process, from part to whole and has proved to be a great help in the work she does today. She looks back especially fondly on the course Drawing and Life Drawing, with its hands-on charcoal work. “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. She also enjoyed other courses such as motion graphics design and 2D animation production.
In 2018, she was recommended by her School to take part in the project “Ink Global – Moving Ink”, which turned master ink-painting works into animation. This experience deepened her understanding of the working realities in the trade. Beyond pursuing artistic ideals, she learned the importance of considering other factors, such as clients' needs. She was glad to have the opportunity to have exposure to ideas like these while still a student.
Hilary (second from right) keeps in touch with Mr Mak Shing-fung (far right), Assistant Professor in HKMU's School of Arts and Social Sciences, who taught her. To show support, a group of faculty and students joined her and the production team at the screening of Another World at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France last year.
Although she graduated several years ago, Hilary enjoys returning to her alma mater to share her experience and gain new perspectives from students' questions as she looks at her own work. She hopes Hong Kong animation continues to go from strength to strength, and offers some parting advice for those who hope to enter the field.
“Take care of your health and don't give up easily. There is no denying that audience preferences 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. Don't dwell on wins or losses; instead, follow your heart and keep pushing forward,” she says.
This article is adapted from the “Alumni Story” published in HKMU Alumni Linkage, May 2026.
Find out more about:
HKMU Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Animation and Visual Effects programme
HKMU alumni event — Screening and sharing session of Another World
