The Controversy Surrounding the Animated Film Merah Putih One For All

3 hours ago 1

August 12, 2025 | 08:52 am

The animated film Merah Putih One For All has garnered both praise and criticism ahead of its release in cinemas on Thursday, August 14, 2025. Rather than being welcomed with enthusiasm, the film intended to celebrate the 80th Independence Day of Indonesia has instead been the subject of much criticism from netizens following the release of its official poster and trailer.

Produced by Perfiki Kreasindo, this film marks their debut in the animation industry. Toto Soegriwo is the producer, accompanied by Sonny Pudjisasono as the executive producer. Claiming to be the first animated film with a national theme, the film directed by Endiarto and Bintang Takari has received support from the H. Usmar Ismail Film Center Foundation.

So who is Toto Soegriwo, the figure behind Merah Putih One For All that has been a topic of discussion among Indonesian netizens? Find out more about him below.

Profile of Toto Soegriwo

Toto Soegriwo is a senior figure in the Indonesian film industry. According to his Facebook account, this graduate of SMA Negeri 1 Purwodadi began his career in the film industry while working at the production house PT Djohar Mandiri Jaya. He has also been a member of the Indonesian Film Artist Association (PARFI).

Not limited to the film industry, Toto ventured into the media world by working at Radio S1079FM. His journey continued into the publishing world where he served as the Managing Editor of DeFilm magazine, a media outlet focused on national film issues.

He has also been part of the National Film Council, and worked at the H. Usmar Ismail Film Center (PPHUI), an institution that serves as the center for activities and preservation of Indonesian film history.

In the production sector, Toto has served as a Creative Director at PT Foromoko Matoa Indah Film. Currently, he is the General Secretary of the Indonesian Cinema Entrepreneurs Association (GPBSI) and plays a role as an Aggregator & Curator at Lokalfilm.id.

Through his personal Instagram profile, it is known that Toto oversees several film companies, including PT Cycloop Entertainment Studio, PT Edar Nuansa Cinema, PT Foromoko Matoa Indah Film, and PT Naura Syifa Production.

Prior to producing Merah Putih One For All, Toto has been involved in various film projects, such as Selasih Ireng, BASEMENT: Jangan Turun ke Bawah, Lantai 4, and Pocong Merah. Currently, he is preparing his latest work titled Ala Alladin.

There have been circulating rumors on social media that the animated film Merah Putih One For All was produced with a budget of Rp 6.7 billion. In a now-deleted post, Toto admitted that the production time for this animated film was relatively short, less than a month since June 2025.

Criticism of the Film Merah Putih One For All

Netizens have been discussing Merah Putih One For All, mostly with negative comments. They have criticized the visuals presented by the animated film, deeming them unsuitable for the big screen. Some have also been bothered by certain scenes, such as the parrot with a monkey's voice and the presence of weapons stored in the village warehouse.

"The characters in the film Merah Putih One For All are so scary, it's like a brainrot anomaly. What do you think?" wrote @bear***. "So this is the animated film Merah Putih One For All. Buying 3D assets and making minor tweaks," said @dav1***. "Sorry, is this a village warehouse or a cartel warehouse with an M4 weapon in a green box," wrote @tamad***. "Distracted by the poster, it looks like a pirated CD cover that I often saw when I was in elementary school," wrote @guram***.

In addition, Merah Putih One For All has been compared to the animated film Jumbo which has reached 10 million viewers, and the anime Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Infinity Castle which also premiered in cinemas on Thursday, August 14, 2025. "I thought after Jumbo, there would be impressive Indonesian animations but it turns out that there's an animation worthy of criticism," wrote @akuz***.

Marvela contributed to the writing of this article.

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