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Opportunities for creative arts graduates in Asia and India are increasing.

Animation is one area where Hollywood studios are casting a keen eye.

Lucasfilm, producers of the Star Wars films, is one such studio. Their animation unit, Lucasfilm Animation, has launched its facility in Singapore. The ILM fan website reports that Lucasfilm Animation Singapore is organizing a series of talks with Animation Director Rob Coleman where he will discuss the work of the 3 Star Wars prequels and creating performances like the one for Yoda. He will be April 21 in Beijing, China, April 24 in Singapore, and April 28 in Sydney, Australia.

Nowrunning.com reports that opportunities are also on the rise in India. Hollywood is keen on outsourcing animation work from Indian studios in a big way, says the producer of the blockbuster "Lord Of The Rings".

Barrie M. Osborne, who also produced "The Matrix", said here that he was in touch with some Indian studios working in the field of animation and digital special effects for undertaking specific works.

"We might collaborate with some of the Indian studios in the near future for doing digital visual effects and animation work," Osborne said.

Osborne, who is visiting India for the first time, however, declined to name the animation firms he was in discussion with.

"I think the talent is here. The artistry and rich cultural heritage of India offer a great opportunity for the Indian animation industry to work for Hollywood," Osborne affirmed.

Expressing the hope that full-length three dimensional (3D) animation films would be produced in India, Osborne said with the huge talent pool in the subcontinent it was possible for international productions to take work from them to produce great films.

According to industry estimates, the Indian animation sector has the potential to generate about $1.5 billion annually.

N. Madhusudhanan, the national award winner in the visual effects category for the Tamil film "Alavandan", said the Indian animation sector had the potential to replicate the success of the IT services sector.

"It will not be long before we can start seeing most of the Hollywood work moving to India. We have already started doing some work for Hollywood films," Madhusudhanan said.

Though Indian animation firms have the skill sets for visual or special effects, they lack the right direction.

"We are planning to hold a series of training workshops in digital visual effects to develop the talent pool under the guidance and supervision of Osborne," Madhusudhanan said.