The creative team behind Indonesia's box office sensation Jumbo has reunited at Visinema Studios to produce Na Willa, a live-action adaptation of Reda Gaudiamo's beloved children's novel set in 1960s Surabaya, with director Ryan Adriandhy and producers Anggia Kharisma and Novia Puspa Sari returning to capture the same emotional warmth that made their animated debut a Southeast Asian record-breaker.
According to Herry Salim, group president of Visinema and CEO of Visinema Studios, Na Willa goes beyond simply adapting a story and carries forward the spirit that made Jumbo so special, with the goal of delivering a film that not only moves people but also offers a rich visual and emotional experience that truly delights from start to finish.
Director Ryan Adriandhy revealed that he fell in love with Na Willa the moment he read the novel, describing its honesty and simplicity as extraordinary, and has spent years imagining how the world could come alive on screen through a child's perspective, with the 1960s era serving not merely as background but as an artistic interpretation viewed through young Na Willa's eyes.
Author Reda Gaudiamo expressed confidence that Na Willa is in the right hands of those who truly love the story, stating that warmth can be felt in every detail of the adaptation, while producers emphasized their commitment to staying loyal to the source material despite inevitable differences between book and film formats.
The film is currently in production and scheduled for theatrical release in 2026, riding the momentum of Jumbo's historic success as Southeast Asia's highest-grossing animated film that surpassed Frozen 2 and Moana 2 to become Indonesia's most-watched animated feature of all time, produced with a budget under three million U.S. dollars and involving over 420 local creatives.
