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Looking for China's very own 'Kung Fu Panda'
By Pan Zheng |
April 28, 2009, Tuesday
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THE 5th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival opens today in Hangzhou as thousands of creative folks and fans get together. Who knows? There might be China's own "Kung Fu Panda." Pan Zheng reports.
Last year's "Kung Fu Panda," an American animation comedy blockbuster, stirred vigorous discussion in China about the state of its own animation industry. Where is China's own international cartoon hit? That's the question.
Top Chinese cartoonists, animators and industry experts will likely address that topic at a major animation festival opening today in Hangzhou. International animators will join in and the best works of the past year will be screened.
There will be exhibitions, shop talk, business deals, performances, cosplay and honors at the 5th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival running through May 3.
The venue is the spectacular Hangzhou World Leisure Expo Garden, around 10 kilometers from the city center, in the Xianghe Lake Vacation Area south of Qiantang River.
The festival is sponsored by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Zhejiang provincial government, Hangzhou municipal government, Zhejiang Province Administration of Radio and Television and the Zhejiang Radio and Television Group.
The animation festival is one of the biggest such festivals and trade fairs in China and internationally. The first CICAF was held in Hangzhou in June 2005, representing the city's efforts to brand "A Moving City and a Better Life." Hangzhou aims to become an internationally recognized center for creative industries, including the professional animation and cartoon industry.
Chinese animators have long lamented the fact that US, Japanese and South Korean animation dominates the industry and wins the most fans. Efforts are underway to develop a successful indigenous Chinese animation industry with distinctive Chinese characters with worldwide appeal.
The phenomenon of "Kung Fu Panda," last year's American animated comedy blockbuster, is expected to be discussed. It aroused heated debate at the time about why China, home of the panda, hadn't come up with an equally brilliant animation to appeal to global audiences. Some said the panda was China's "icon" and should not be exploited by Westerners.
At today's opening ceremony, the Monkey King Award will be given to China's most creative animation of the year. China's most important animation award, it is named after the famed "The Monkey King" animation of 1961 in China's golden age of animation that ended with the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976).
The opening will display many Chinese animations and feature star creators of cartoons and animations.
The core of the festival will be the exhibitions of the cartoon and animation industry, both Chinese and foreign. It will feature areas for domestic works, foreign works, trade and communication and a conference hall.
The 2009 International Cartoon Trade Conference is a new feature this year, responding to the big increase in domestic cartoons. Companies will screen their latest works for prospective distributors, such as TV stations and cinemas.
Ordinary animation fans can also have fun beyond the exhibits. In the China Cosplay Super Show, the world's best players will stage performances. The grand cartoon float will cruise around the nearby lake every day. The Kumai Street brand will hold its own fair in Gubaoqiao Plaza.
The 3.5 billion yuan (US$513 million) facility covers more than 2 square kilometers and offers leisure, tourism, conference and residential facilities and opportunities. Its eight zones feature a water city, beach, lakeside and entertainment area, including stages on the water, a grand theater and conference center.
It was the site of the World Leisure Expo in 2006.
Last year's "Kung Fu Panda," an American animation comedy blockbuster, stirred vigorous discussion in China about the state of its own animation industry. Where is China's own international cartoon hit? That's the question.
Top Chinese cartoonists, animators and industry experts will likely address that topic at a major animation festival opening today in Hangzhou. International animators will join in and the best works of the past year will be screened.
There will be exhibitions, shop talk, business deals, performances, cosplay and honors at the 5th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival running through May 3.
The venue is the spectacular Hangzhou World Leisure Expo Garden, around 10 kilometers from the city center, in the Xianghe Lake Vacation Area south of Qiantang River.
The festival is sponsored by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Zhejiang provincial government, Hangzhou municipal government, Zhejiang Province Administration of Radio and Television and the Zhejiang Radio and Television Group.
The animation festival is one of the biggest such festivals and trade fairs in China and internationally. The first CICAF was held in Hangzhou in June 2005, representing the city's efforts to brand "A Moving City and a Better Life." Hangzhou aims to become an internationally recognized center for creative industries, including the professional animation and cartoon industry.
Chinese animators have long lamented the fact that US, Japanese and South Korean animation dominates the industry and wins the most fans. Efforts are underway to develop a successful indigenous Chinese animation industry with distinctive Chinese characters with worldwide appeal.
The phenomenon of "Kung Fu Panda," last year's American animated comedy blockbuster, is expected to be discussed. It aroused heated debate at the time about why China, home of the panda, hadn't come up with an equally brilliant animation to appeal to global audiences. Some said the panda was China's "icon" and should not be exploited by Westerners.
At today's opening ceremony, the Monkey King Award will be given to China's most creative animation of the year. China's most important animation award, it is named after the famed "The Monkey King" animation of 1961 in China's golden age of animation that ended with the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976).
The opening will display many Chinese animations and feature star creators of cartoons and animations.
The core of the festival will be the exhibitions of the cartoon and animation industry, both Chinese and foreign. It will feature areas for domestic works, foreign works, trade and communication and a conference hall.
The 2009 International Cartoon Trade Conference is a new feature this year, responding to the big increase in domestic cartoons. Companies will screen their latest works for prospective distributors, such as TV stations and cinemas.
Ordinary animation fans can also have fun beyond the exhibits. In the China Cosplay Super Show, the world's best players will stage performances. The grand cartoon float will cruise around the nearby lake every day. The Kumai Street brand will hold its own fair in Gubaoqiao Plaza.
The 3.5 billion yuan (US$513 million) facility covers more than 2 square kilometers and offers leisure, tourism, conference and residential facilities and opportunities. Its eight zones feature a water city, beach, lakeside and entertainment area, including stages on the water, a grand theater and conference center.
It was the site of the World Leisure Expo in 2006.
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