Animation festival draws international focus

Event aims to foster collaboration in content development, awards prizes, provides intensive education forums, Zhuan Ti reports.

The ongoing 13th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, has reported outstanding progress in internationalization.

The six-day event, which started on Wednesday and ends on Monday, attracted participants from 82 countries and regions, including Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, this year. This is a record high turnout since its establishment in 2005, according to Zhuo Chao, deputy director of the communication department of Hangzhou.

"The event attracted not only major animation businesses such as Disney and DreamWorks, but also leading internet businesses such as Google, Facebook and Alibaba," Zhuo said.

Many famous foreign animation experts are participating in the festival, including Andrew Richard Jones, a noted visual effects animator and director known for his work on Avatar and The Jungle Book. Business heads from Disney China and BBC Children are also attending various forums to share opinions on how to promote film creation and operation, and animation.

The international cartoon and animation festival has become an important products demonstration platform for global animation brands. An increasing number of bigger brand owners are keen on bringing their latest products and concepts to the event, according to its organizers.

This year, a total of 78 famous cartoon, animation and film brand names came to Hangzhou, including Japan's Doraemon and the US' Star Wars. The number of foreign brands increased 24 percent year-on-year, according to Zhuo.

March International des Programmes de Communication - or MIPCOM, one of the world's largest trade events for entertainment content - also joined hands with the festival to promote its MIP China Hangzhou International Content Summit in late May.

The first ever MIP in China, it is designed to foster content development between Chinese and international production companies, as well as provide an intensive educational forum for Chinese media professionals to learn more about international TV markets and trends.

Competitions and awards

The Golden Monkey King Award, which was suspended in 2016, is heading back to the festival this year. Zhuo said that the jury panel received more than 1,000 animation works, including some animation films that reported more than 50 million yuan ($7.26 million) in box office takings.

Having developed over nearly 30 years, the award plays an important role for businesses that are tapping the talent pool and exploring the values of the emerging industry. It also sets the direction of the structural transformation and upgrading of the cartoon and animation industry in China, according to insiders.

The China Cosplay Super Show, an annual professional cosplay competition that began in 2005, remains a highlight of the festival. The final competition was staged from Thursday to Sunday in Hangzhou.

The event is the only Chinese cosplay competition that has successfully built awareness in the global market.

More highlights

The 2017 festival attracted many renowned cartoonists including Zhu Deyong and Ao Youxiang. Zhu launched an exhibition named Humor City-Hangzhou during the festival to mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of his works.

Similar to previous years, organizers arranged a series of supporting programs such as forums and trading fairs during the festival period, aiming to strengthen communication and cooperation in the animation industry.

Leading domestic and international professionals and researchers were invited to share their latest findings, and to analyze bottlenecks and new trends to support animation industry growth. Trading promotion events also took place.

The festival serves as a platform for participants to experience the convenience of online shopping. During the event, visitors who made purchases by scanning exhibitors' QR codes enjoyed immediate delivery services.

Online broadcasting services were available for animation fans who could not physically attend the festival.

The only national-level animation and cartoon festival in China, the event was organized by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and Zhejiang government.

In 2016, the festival attracted 2,531 domestic and international companies, as well as 5,300 exhibitors and professionals. Official figures show that 1.38 million people from 80 countries and regions participated in online and offline activities related to the event.

Contact the writer at zhuanti@chinadailiy.com.cn