Beijing (CNS) -- China produced 385 animations in 2010, totaling 220,529 minutes and surpassing Japan as the biggest animation producer in the world, according to the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), October 10.
The current young generation has grown up with and has been entertained by domestic animations.
However, the Chinese animation industry didn't start to form until 2004, when the SARFT released an official paper on the development of Chinese animation, followed by a supportive financial budget of 7 million yuan specifically for the animation industry by the central government and a series of endorsement policies by the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Finance.
From 2004 to 2010, the productivity of the Chinese animation industry has grown by ten times, with several excellent works that have received positive market response. One example of a well-promoted and successful animated series is Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.
The number of state recognized animation companies has increased from 35 to 200 in the five years up to 2010. The annual production value has also ascended from less than 2 billion yuan to 8 billion yuan in the same period.
However, experts still do not give high scores to China's domestic animation industry.
Dean Sun Lijun at the Animation School of the Beijing Film Academy raised a comparison to illustrate the gap between home-made and foreign animations: Japan has taken up a 65% share of the world animation market and the U.S. achieves yearly revenues of around 200 billion USD.
While on the Chinese side, frequent frustrations at the box office and disregard from the audience continues to embarrass the highly-productive ambition of the industry.
Zhong Luming analyzed that the Chinese animation industry is not desperate for creativity, funds, or techniques and talents, but for commercial emphasis. This means a modification from only creating to both creating and marketing is needed.
Director Kevin Geiger at the Disney Company stressed that quality over quantity is best in his experience of animation production.
Song Qihui, an official at the Ministry of Culture, mentioned the notion of "grand animation," which refers to an industrial circle from creation to retail. In terms of profit models, she insists on a combination of foreign experience and domestic cultural background.
