The Chinese film industry has made no secret of the fact that it hopes the success of last year’s Chang’an will herald a new era for the country’s animation studios.
It’s certainly a theory that is playing out front and center inside the China Film Pavilion at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Run by the China Film Administration and the China Film Co-production Corporation (CFCC), there are more than 20 Chinese film studios represented and hoping to catch the attention of international filmmakers who might be pondering possible co-productions, or even global distribution deals for Chinese animation. Industry heavyweights have also made the trip to France for the event, including Fu Ruoqing, chairman and CEO of China Film Group Corporation.
“The overseas participation of Chinese animation companies and their films has strengthened the collaboration between Chinese and foreign filmmakers, and conveyed to international counterparts and audiences the Chinese filmmakers’ expectations to jointly achieve a win-win future,” is how a CFCC spokesperson put it. “The China Film Pavilion will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign film industries and promote Chinese films to go global.”
Chang’an took an estimated $250 million globally and while the lion’s share of that take was domestic, it raised eyebrows due to both its subject matter and its look. The Light Chaser Animation Studios-led production — which struck deals for international distribution with Niu Vision Media — tells the story of the friendship between two Tang Dynasty (618 to 907) poets and came after what the studio claims was a significant investment in the technology needed to match the standards of animation audiences have come to expect, given the global success of the likes of Pixar.
“The past decade has seen fast and significant growth in the Chinese animation industry,” explains Light Chaser Animation Studio’s co-founder and president, Yu Zhou. “Two-D animation had been the traditional form of Chinese animation and there were good works occasionally. CG animation has become mainstream in the past decade with the production quality being continuously improved.”
But it’s not just the technology that has developed — storytelling has advanced as well.
“Chinese creators have broadened their scope and horizon, moving from the focus on mythology and fairy tales, such as Monkey King, Nezha, to epics and history, and even modern social life,” says Yu. “Chang’an was a breakthrough as it opened a vast creation or re-creation space to explore Chinese history and cultural classics.”
The Chinese pavilion has been showcasing more than 30 animated films, including, alongside Chang an, the soon-to-be-released White Snake 3, which continues the epic tale of love and reincarnation, and Boonie Bears: Time Twist, the 10th installment in the family focused blockbuster franchise about two eco-warrior bears which has across the past decade collected more than $1 billion from the global box office.
“The promotional videos of the showcased animated films attracted attention from overseas industry professionals at the exhibition stand, leading to inquiries and consultations. In the discussion area, Chinese and foreign animation filmmakers engaged in continuous exchanges and discussions,” the CFCC said via a statement.
Also showcased at the pavilion — while screening as part of Annecy’s main competition — has been the Yang Zhigang-directed The Storm, a CMC Pictures China production that’s been picked up by Play Big–Ahaverse and tells the story of a century-old sunken ship from which “mysterious theater troupes come to life again.”
The CFCC focus on animation comes as the 20th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival drew to close in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, after being themed as marking “The Golden Age of Chinese Animation.” There’s been big noise also from industry leaders in China, with domestic media reporting claims that animation was worth an estimated $41 billion in 2023, and now accounting for close to 10 percent of the country’s theatrical box office.
“In recent years, the production level of Chinese animation films has steadily improved, and the quality of films has been continuously upgraded,” the CFCC says. “Chinese animation companies have also accelerated their efforts to expand into international markets. Chinese and foreign collaborations continue to thrive, and an increasing number of Chinese animation filmmakers are gaining recognition in the international arena, garnering attention from overseas peers and audiences.”
While the noise has been generated by the fact that the success of Chinese animation is a relatively new phenomenon, animated hits have actually been appearing in China — periodically, it must be stressed — since Princess Iron Fan was released in 1941 and quickly became vastly influential across Asia with its tale drawn from the pages of the 16th-century Chinese epic Journey to the West.
More recently, Light Chaser’s White Snake featured in Annecy’s main competition back in 2019, while China’s I Am What I Am featured at the Animation is Film Festival in LA in 2021, and both Art College 1994 and Deep Sea screened in competition at last year’s 73rd Berlin Film Festival.
Looking ahead, Light Chaser’s Yu remains suitably upbeat about the Chinese animation industry’s overall prospects, and he sees his own company doubling in size and output by 2026.
“The industry has significant potential with demand short of supply — now and likely also in the coming years,” he says. “We can anticipate new investment and new players, but on the other hand, the expectations of the audience have been raised. The industry needs to maintain quality and some investment failure will not be surprising. But, in summary, it will be a more exciting decade in front of all of us.”