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April 27, 2015

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Putting festival highlights in the frame

By Wu Huixin | April 27, 2015, Monday | Print Edition

The 11th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival (CICAF) — China’s biggest gathering for cartoon and animation fans and industry insiders — starts tomorrow in Hangzhou.

Main venue Baima Lake Cartoon and Animation Square, and 13 secondary venues will host the six-day festival in what organizers are calling a “travel trail.”

This year, the festival is comprised of 43 events, divided into five areas — namely exhibition, business convention, forum, activity and competition.

In addition to perennial favorites such as cosplay shows, a seiyu voice acting competition and the Golden Monkey King Awards, the CICAF is including many new highlights.

Festival app

Anime fans who cannot come to the festival can participate in events through an app called “国漫通,” say organizers.

It is designed as an online exhibition hall where users can post and browse information, socialize and conduct business.

The CICAF is working with Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant Taobao to launch an online cartoon and animation festival. Web users can book festival tickets, download venue maps, preview information and purchase festival-related goods.

This year, the CICAF is launching an online talent fair, where job hunters and enterprises can communicate.

Meanwhile, the China International Child Comic Exhibition is holding an online auction. Bidders can scan a QR code to participate.

Business activities

Hangzhou was recently given the green light by the State Council to establish the China (Hangzhou) Cross-border E-commerce Pilot Zone to encourage foreign trade and industrial restructuring, which in return provides the CICAF with advantages to expand oversea channels for cartoon and animation trade.

The Cartoon and Animation Trade Conference is one of the most important business activities of the CICAF. It is the first time that the festival has invited traditional enterprises, such as clothing and stationery manufacturers, to join the cartoon and animation industry, to boost the transformation and upgrading of the industry.

The Golden Monkey King Awards will be connected with the trade conference. A purchasing meeting for prize-winning cartoons will be held at the site.

World-famous figures

As the CICAF has become well-known overseas over the past 10 years, it has attracted more and more companies from other countries and regions.

This year, South Africa is represented at the festival for the first time, while Canada and South Korea have already had a presence in the past years.

World-famous cartoon and animation leaders — including Brad Lewis, director of “Cars 2,” and Laurent Witz, director of “Mr Hublot” — have been invited.

Representatives from big-name companies, such as Japan’s Shueisha, France’s Dargaud, and New Zealand’s Weta Workshop, a special effects company, are coming.

Hugely successful cartoon films featuring Hello Kitty and Naruto, and “Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants,” a French-Belgian hit animated film, will be screened.

Disney will launch trailers of 14 movies that are to be released later this year.

The cosplay show for this year will gather cosplayers from nine countries and regions to establish a World Cosplay Alliance.

Takings doubled

Last year, the box office of domestic cartoon and animation had reached 1.2 billion yuan (US$194 million) — double the amount of 2013 — with last year’s festival recommendations “The Legend of Qin” and “Seer 4” both taking more than 1 million yuan.

This year, representatives of domestic cinemas will be invited to sit on the jury of the Golden Monkey King Awards.

‘Magic Train’

Unlike opening ceremonies at the previous festivals that were characterized by movie stars and glitz, this year the curtain up features premiere of animation movie “Magic Train”, created by Hangzhou local academic institutions, including the China Art Academy, Zhejiang University of Technology and Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

Characterized by Chinese and Hangzhou elements and traditional Chinese culture, it tells the story of a Chinese girl who grows up overseas, and returns to China and experiences a series of magic things on a train.

Mark Osborne, director of “Kungfu Panda”, will appear at this year’s CICAF and give a talk on how to tell Chinese stories in cartoons and be competitive in the international market.

Museum showcase

After several years of planning work began on the China Cartoon and Animation Museum last year. The museum strives to be another Hangzhou cultural landmark and a world-class cartoon exhibition hall.

At the festival, the museum’s theme, construction process and exhibits will be showcased. Zhao Zexiu, founding father of Taiwan cartoon and animation, is donating rare Mickey Mouse celluloid sheets made in 1920s to the museum.

Baby cosplay

This year the CICAF will hold a baby cosplay show that has attracted hundreds of entrants. So expect to see plenty of little ones dressed as cute monsters, princesses and elves!

The winners will be featured in a video publicizing Hangzhou.

Snoopy exhibition

This year is the 65th anniversary of the creation of Snoopy, and Chao Mountain in Yuhang District is holding a Snoopy sculpture and culture exhibition during the CICAF. T-shirt doodles, comic creations and other activities are included in the exhibition.

Other secondary CICAF venues include the Hangzhou Teenage Activity Center, Zhejiang University of Media and Communication and Zhongshan Road N. will also hold fascinating events.

Cartoon train

Hangzhou government has been focusing on forging the city into an animation and e-commerce city in recent years. To publicize the 11th CICAF, city Metro trains have been given cartoon-themed paint schemes. They also feature QR codes that passengers can scan to participate in the festival and get details on events.

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