Chinese Animation Film Industry is at the Initial Stage

Chinese animation films don't have a great record at the box office. Some complain that the stories and characters in these films are not very appealing. At the same time, experts point out that the fledgling industry still has a long way to go before it can catch up with its overseas counterparts. Our reporter Chen Zhe brings more.

China's first animation film dates back to 1926, when "Studio Scene" was produced by the Wan brothers. In the 1960s, with the release of "Uproar in Heaven," a Chinese animation film went international, hitting screen in dozens of countries.

But things are different today. Liu Zhenhua is manager of Beijing's Jacky Chan Yaolai International Cinema,

"It seems that foreign animation films on our screen are more popular, because they suit people of all ages.Domestic animated films mainly target children and have relatively low box office returns."

Statistics show that the profits of animated films screened in China have risen to 17 percent of the film industry's total box office revenue this year. That's up from 7 percent in 2006. But 80 percent of that is claimed by foreign animated films.

Li Yizhong, from the American Film Research Center at Shanghai Jiaotong University, says Chinese animated films need better stories.

"The story itself and the characters in it are what attract audiences most. Talking about a successful animation, the characters come to mind first. In the meantime, audience surveys are necessary before the story is born. In foreign countries, it usually takes years or even dozens of years' preparation for an animation film to come out."

At present, the production of Chinese animation films is high, with more than 300 made last year, the most in the world. However, as Fan Madi, director of the Animation and Cartoon School at the Jilin Animation Institute, points out, the Chinese animated film industry is still at an early stage.

"Animation films became an industry here only after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Their production used to be planned. Now it is market-oriented. But our industry chain hasn't been shaped and it needs time to grow up. At the same time, although we have plenty of people engaging in this industry, we are short of top talents. "

It's estimated that for the first eight months of this year, China's domestic animated films made a box office revenue of 160 million Yuan. In the meantime, foreign animated films screened in China claimed some 1.8 billion Yuan at the box office.

For CRI, this is Chen Zhe.