‘Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story’ is a whimsical approach to reality

Avid Liongoren‘s Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story presents a whimsical approach to the world’s harsh reality. Just in case you didn’t know, the movie captures the story of a perfume sales pussycat Nimfa (Angelica Panganiban) as she gets torn between two lovers: her janitor boyfriend Roger (Robin Padilla), and the bourgeoisie business dog Iñigo (Sam Milby). Nimfa hopes to live in a romantic-comedy fantasy. Then, chaos ensues as she finds herself in a haughty and litter-filled mess. Available on Netflix, Hayop Ka is a definite must-watch for all the malandis out there.

Hayop Ka: The Nimfa Dimaano Story is a whimsical approach to reality

Voice acting.

The voices behind the characters in Hayop Ka remains perfectly tailored to their characters. Angelica lends her voice to the film’s protagonist, Nimfa. Of course, this made her respect voice actors even more as she didn’t even expect how strenuous the work can be. In a roundtable interview with media on Monday, Panganiban and Liongoren revealed some details behind Hayop Ka.

Although it was difficult for Angelica to convey her emotions without any facial expressions, she admitted that it wasn’t hard for her to relate with her character. Making a series of questionable decisions, Nimfa remains a relatable character as she makes it a goal to improve her life as much as she can.

“Kasi lahat naman tayo may mga pangarap na ‘Gusto ko rin naman ng ganito’ o ‘Gusto ko rin ng ganyan.’ Naiintindihan ko yung character niya and yung proseso na para matuto siya. Ganun naman talaga sa life, diba? You learn the hard way. I’m sure ganun ako nung kabataan ko.”

“I’m sure ang dami ko ring ginawang kalokohan para maabot ko kung nasaan ako ngayon, and I’m sure marami pa akong kailangan ding matutunan sa life. Hindi naman ako perpekto. Very relatable si Nimfa, naka-relate ako sakanya kaya di ako nahirapan.”

Casting.

Partnering up with Spring Films for casting, Liongoren shared that selecting the voice actors wasn’t such a complicated process. He also noted that the tropes and archetypes they already had made it easier to choose. Aside from Panganiban, the ensemble also includes Robin Padilla, Sam Milby, Arci Muñoz, Empoy Marquez, and Piolo Pascual.

Eugene Domingo and director Joyce Bernal even played cameo roles in the film. When asked whether or not the movie was based on true events, Direk Avid chuckled and described where they got the inspiration for the movie.

“Inspired by radio dramas… And, ang pinaka-main inspiration niya, actually… Alam mo yung kapag sumasakay ka ng taxi at 11PM na? Tapos may mga tao na tatawag sa radyo para ikwento yung mga problema nila in life. Tapos papagalitan lang sila ng DJ? ‘Yan, ‘yan yung pinaka-inspiration niya.”

Hayop Ka breaks the misconceptions that animated movies are only for children.

Parents, just a reminder. This movie is not for children as it consists of literal catfights, violent swearing, and animalistic sexual explorations. Hayop Ka breaks the misconceptions that animated movies are only for children. With animator Jether Amar came up with the look, he worked alongside Stephanie Atento, Geri Cruz, Kevin Makasiar, Ariel Mantaring, Joshua Panelo, and Anne May Sy.

Animation.

The animation team peppered this movie with pun-filled backgrounds. Thankfully, viewers can watch this movie on Netflix. That way, they can keep replaying a scene to find something in the background. Production took three to four years as they spend two weeks to finish one background painting.

“Since these things take so long to make, pang-aliw na rin ‘yun ng mga gumagawa. Tingnan natin, sana mabasa nila. So, it’s really great that our film is on Netflix. That way, you could actually pause. Para ‘yung effort namin, kahit papano, makikita ng mga tao… Usually, ang isang background painting takes about two weeks to make and it’s onscreen for only three seconds. So, it’s nice na it’s pausable.”

When asked for any advice to aspiring animators, Direk Avid noted that they should learn about the ‘boring’ stuff first.

“Learn about the boring stuff. If you’re an animator, you’re most likely to be working freelance. So, the first thing you need to know is everything about taxes. The boring stuff! Mag-sign up ka sa SSS, mag-Philhealth ka. Kasi, these are the things na once you start working, ‘yan yung parating nago-gloss over. Atsaka, you should know your rights as a worker… Animators are very passion-driven.”

“And, most likely you don’t even know how to negotiate how much you’re gonna get paid. You’re just excited to do the work. So, maraming evil na mga kumpanya who knows how to take advantage of that. The sooner you learn more about your rights as a worker, the better you are equipped at entering the business. I’m sure that animators are very passionate, they’ve got the art side done. But, very few animators know about their rights as a worker.”

Watch Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story on Netflix! Here’s the trailer: