From Chinese Press

Make animation a true industry

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-23 09:02

China has produced more animation films and TV series than Japan. But the quality of such films needs great improvement, says an article in Jiefang Daily. Excerpts:

Companies producing cartoon films and TV series and universities running courses for majoring in animation have been using China's policy to support the domestic animation industry to make money.

As a result, domestic cartoon films and TV series are mushrooming both in number and length. But these cartoon films are not made for the audience; they are only games to make money. The quality of domestic animation films, to say the least, is poor.

A look at the financial statements of domestic animation companies will surprise anyone, because their first and second greatest sources of income are government funds and revenue earned from training students, while income earned from animation productions is very small.

Though animation industry officials and experts are calling for China's version of Kungfu Panda, it is impossible for China's animation industry, which has depended and flourished on government funds, to make such classics. The lack of quality in Chinese animation films is not because of dearth of talents but because they run counter to the basic principle of animation production.

In Japan, the creation of an animation film is decided by production teams such as artists and scriptwriters according to audience demand, but in China investors count the most, which makes Chinese animated productions ignore their targeted audience.