Award-winning cartoons close to the heart
Print Edition
THE original animated cartoon “Emmy,” created by the Lef Pocket Studio in the Songjiang District, won first prize in the MIP Junior International Pitch of MIPCOM 2014 in Cannes.
The competition, designed to highlight new children’s television projects, drew 150 entries from 30 countries.
Yu Xin, founder of Left Pocket, has been in great demand since the award was announced in October. Groupe Dargaud, the biggest animation publisher in Europe, approached him for the overseas publishing rights to “Emmy.” Other media giants and publishers are seeking to form collaborative ties with Left Pocket.
New creations
Meanwhile, the Songjiang studio released its cartoon movie “One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes” in January.
Located in Thames Town, Left Pocket Studio was established more than two years ago and has already cooperated with Disneyland and Planet Nemo Animation on some cartoon projects, including “The Dragon’s Big Effort” and “Groove High.”
“Our dream is to become the top brand in Chinese animation,” Yu said.
The target audience of the studio is children 12 years and younger. Its productions aim to integrate both Asian and Western cultures.
“The Chinese elements in cartoons are not just traditional content like martial arts or Han Chinese clothing,” Yu said. “We go beyond that.”
Each of the cartoon characters is revised repeatedly. Yu said the current image of Emmy underwent hundreds of modifications to make her look brave and energetic alongside her adorable charm.
“We are surprised that this Chinese cartoon turned out comparable to the best of any European or American works, and it is even a bigger surprise that all of us can understand what the story tries to tell us,” said foreign judges in a statement issued at the Asian Animation Fair of the Shanghai Television Festival this year.
Best works
“We named our studio Left Pocket because that is the pocket closest to the heart, and only when we use our hearts can we create the best works,” Yu said.
The term “left pocket” is also poker slang for the place where money is kept.
The headquarters of Left Pocket Studio, decorated with kids’ graffiti, toys and colorful logos, aims to inspire creativity. Employees work to the sound of light music, and if they need a nap, there’s a hammock under a “pumpkin tree” in the office.
In a departure from the operations of many other domestic animation companies, employees of Left Pocket never have to work over weekends. They are friends on the job and off, frequently eating out together after work.
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