Animation images such as Ding Ding, Smurfs, Sanmao, Old Master, and Hulu Baby, which have strong resonance with the post-80s and post-90s, recently collectively "landed" at the Guangdong Museum of Art and appeared in the "Chinese School of World Animation - Chinese and Foreign Animation Art Exhibition". Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, which can be called the "Disney" of China's animation industry, is one of the organizers of the exhibition.

It is understood that the classic anime image of Shanghai Meiying Studio, Sheriff Black Cat, will appear on the big screen on August 7, and another well-known anime character, Avanti, will meet the public in the cinema next summer.

Why do China's classic animation images seem to be "short-lived"? Why is ink animation, which is a characteristic of Chinese animation, difficult to sustain? In the seminars of the recent exhibition, there may be an answer.

Q: "Sheriff Black Cat" is so popular, why is it only 5 episodes?

Answer: It is determined by the system of the planned economy.

"The big movie of 'Sheriff Black Cat', which tells a brand new story, will be released nationwide on August 7." Zhu Yuping, deputy director of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, revealed in an interview with a reporter from the New Express that this is the second big movie about the black cat sheriff since the black cat sheriff entered the cinema in 2010, and the production plan for the third part has also been launched.

This cartoon was produced and broadcast in 1984, and the original cartoon only had 5 episodes, but in the past 30 years, as long as the theme song "Aha, Aha, Sheriff Black Cat" sounds, the post-80s and post-90s generations will laugh heartily. Zhu Yuping introduced that in 2010, the movie version of "Sheriff Black Cat" was released, and fans praised it with a box office of more than 10 million yuan, "The box office exceeded our expectations." ”

Why is such a beloved "Sheriff Black Cat" only produced 5 episodes? Chang Guangxi, the former director of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, revealed in an interview with a reporter from the New Express that the animation at that time did not consider the market, and one project was completed and then the next, "In terms of system, the films we make are sold to the state, and they have nothing to do with the market, and each animation is created as a work of art." ”

Q: Why are there so few ink cartoons so beautiful?

A: The first is that the investment is too big to afford, and the second is that there is no box office.

In this exhibition, ink animation occupies an important place. The 20-minute cartoon won the gold medal at the 3rd Odense Fairy Tale Film Festival in Denmark, which was the highest award for Chinese animation at that time. When visiting the exhibition, the public can watch the full cartoon of "The Shepherd's Flute" on the spot.

As an important genre of animation in China, why do ink cartoons rarely appear now? Sun Lijun, dean of the Animation School of Beijing Film Academy, said bluntly, "If there is really that kind of emotional movie, if there is really a company that riskes death to make an ink cartoon, first, it can't afford it, and second, it must have no box office, and its direction is wrong." ”

However, Zhu Yuping revealed that Shanghai Meiying Studio is "adventurous", "We are also preparing an ink animation, and Mr. Chang (Chang Guangxi) is our animation consultant, and it really takes a lot of investment to make ink animation to have a big return." If it's really market-oriented, I'm personally worried. ”

Q: There are so many classic anime images, how to redevelop them?

A: It's an important part of the work, making brand new feature films.

Founded in 1957, Shanghai Meiying Studio has produced zuò cartoons that have supported the childhood of several generations, and the manuscripts behind the production of zuò such as "Havoc in Heaven", "Hulu Brothers" and "Baolian Lantern" are all exhibited in the exhibition.

"For us, we have a lot of anime images, and we are envious of them on the outside, but we ourselves are trapped, and the problem of intangible assets has never been solved." Zhu Yuping revealed that a large number of classic animation images were born in the era of planned economy, and the production of cartoons was a work of art rather than a commodity, and the success rate of the works was relatively high.

However, the redevelopment of classic animation images has always been an important part of the Shanghai Meiying Studio project, Zhu Yuping revealed that in addition to "Sheriff Black Cat", next year's "Avanti" movie will be launched in the summer, and the Flaming Mountain animation is in preparation. "Old anime characters, new stories for today's children." Zhu Yuping said that there will be nostalgic elements in the new cartoons, such as the "Black Cat Sheriff" movie, which will invite Shen Xiaocen, the original singer of the theme song, to sing the theme song again.

Domestic anti-Japanese dramas mix and match elements of "Saint Seiya" and "One Piece".

The anti-Japanese war drama "Burning", which will be broadcast on the "First Theater" of Jiangsu City Channel on the 29th, is really "hot-blooded". The post-80s screenwriters boldly added anime elements such as "One Piece" and "Saint Seiya" to the show, turning the heroes of the Anti-Japanese War into cool "all-round" fighters. Is this reliable, will it become a thunder drama? was questioned by the show's producer Tang Jing. But Feng Ji said that the addition of animation and hot blood elements in the play is to meet the modern aesthetics of the post-80s and 90s audiences, and it is too earthy to be read!

Add the elements of "One Piece" to meet the audience's aesthetics

Feng Ji, a post-80s screenwriter, was born in the military and is known for writing works on military themes. Previously, TV series such as "Fire Blue Blade", which tells the story of the modern navy, and "Amazing Dog", which tells the story of military dogs, have received high ratings. He has also won several Best Screenplay awards in the television production industry for these works.

In addition, Feng Ji is an out-and-out anime fan. In the creation of the new drama "Burning", he made the characters in the play mix and match the exaggerated styling of "One Piece" and the fighting skills of "Saint Seiya". The protagonist is on the south side of the road is a typical Saint Seiya. He has big round eyes, his mental state is full of enthusiasm all the time, and he suffers from "painlessness", even if he is injured, he does not feel pain. In addition, he is still a chatter, like "One Piece" Luffy. Feng Ji introduced: "I myself am an anime fan and grew up watching 'Saint Seiya'. There are a lot of hot-blooded elements in the anime and it is a favorite among teenagers. The addition of animation and hot blood elements to the play is to satisfy their modern aesthetics, and the post-80s and post-90s audiences have been whetted by anime and American dramas, and the writing is too earthy for anyone to watch. ”

In addition to anime being a favorite of young audiences, online games are an essential part of their lives, and Feng Ji himself loves to play games. On **, he will exchange game battle results with actor He Ziming, who plays the villain, and this daily communication is also written into the TV series. In a canyon breakout scene in the play, several characters compete with each other to report that they have killed a few devils, and even fight because their bounty on the wanted notice is not high. Feng Ji said: "This drama can be analyzed into a game, and the Saint Seiya broke into the Zodiac Palace to save Athena, and the Tang monk and apprentice in Journey to the West (**) went through nine hundred and eighty-one difficult to obtain the true scriptures. The characters in the play start with the task of escorting the codebook, and each level is more difficult than the other. It enhances the audience's sense of substitution in watching the drama. ”

The animated anti-Japanese war drama was questioned by the "Thunder Drama", and the protagonist Zhang Tong came forward to support it

In the face of Feng Ji's bold innovation in the script, Tang Jing, the chief producer who has worked with him many times, is very worried. The two have worked together on hit dramas such as "Fire Blue Blade" and "Highland". Tang Jing admitted frankly that when creating "Burning", she had a disagreement with Feng Ji because of whether to add animation elements. Tang Jing said: "Can animation elements be incorporated into anti-Japanese war dramas? I'm very worried that it will end up being a thunder drama. Feng Ji is the generation that grew up watching anime, and I understand that he has a love for anime, but I have always been skeptical. Later, it was my son who became my teacher, and when he was young, he liked to read the stories in One Piece, and he told them to me after reading them. After receiving my son's 'education', I was also very moved by these bloody stories and decided to support Feng Ji. ”

And the male number one in the play plays Zhang Tong, and he is very confident in playing the corner of the south side of the road. He said: "I have a lot of treasures about the characters in One Piece, and I am confident that I can interpret this character that is very similar to Luffy, and even surpass the 'Monk Wei' I once portrayed in 'Bright Sword'. Zhang Tong and Feng Ji are the same age, and they are also anime fans, and he is very supportive of Feng Ji's inclusion of "One Piece" elements in the Anti-Japanese War drama.

"Sheriff Black Cat" will make a series of movies and transform into an all-round hero

On August 2, the premiere of the domestic animation "Black Cat Sheriff: Jade Star" was held, and the director of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, the chief producer of the film, Qian Jianping, the chief director, the popular Chinese and Korean group Timez, and the theme song singer Shen Xiaocen and other main creators gathered at the scene to build momentum for the film, and the chief director Yu Shengjun revealed that he had planned a series of development for "Black Cat Sheriff".

"Black Cat Sheriff: Emerald Star" will be officially released on August 7. At the same time, the official also released the promotional trailer of "Black Cat Sheriff: Emerald Star" again. In this trailer, the plot is more complete and there are more characters on the stage. As for the box office expectations of the first big movie of "Sheriff Black Cat", director Yu Shengjun jokingly said: It is probably 100 million to 1 billion.

As the chief director of "Black Cat Sheriff: Jade Star", Yu Shengjun said that the pressure is very high, "because Black Cat Sheriff is the most perfect childhood memory in the hearts of every post-70s and post-80s generation." At the same time, he is also worried that the children of today will still like the black cat sheriff back then. However, he said that he will dedicate a new and different black cat sheriff to the audience, "The former black cat sheriff was a forest guard, and today's black cat sheriff is an all-round hero."

At the same time, he also revealed that although the entire story pattern of "Black Cat Sheriff: Emerald Star" has changed a lot, it still retains the main clue of the previous 5 episodes - the black cat did not catch an ear. Yu Shengjun also mentioned that "Sheriff Black Cat" will be made into a series of movies next, "In this episode, One Ear is still an opponent of Sheriff Black Cat, but because its own ability is not enough, it moved out of a big boss, and finally let it escape." In each of the next episodes, one ear may run away, and then that boss will be caught by Sheriff Black Cat. That's what we're going to do next, the whole set. ”

"Sheriff Black Cat" is an out-and-out well-known big IP, the animated series has accumulated over the years, has a natural mass base, on the 30th anniversary of the birth of "Sheriff Black Cat", this "childhood hero" rooted in the minds of generations of Chinese finally came to the next episode. Qian Jianping, director of Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, said that "Sheriff Black Cat" is not only a hero of Guoman, but also a contemporary hero, although there are many cartoons now, but we only lack contemporary heroes. He said that this classic brand of Shanghai Meiying Studio will not only be built into a series of big movies, but also will be developed for mobile games and a variety of derivatives, which can be said to be integrated into the current Internet genes and open a new model of Internet + movies. In the face of today's super IP development boom, Meiying Studio will also gradually redevelop a series of its classic Chinese animations in a planned manner.

Industry insiders reveal the inside story: domestic animation must be done from the heart

Recently, the author of the well-known main theme animation "What Happened to the Rabbit That Year" flew against the light to express his views on the "main theme" cartoon, and bluntly said in the article: Most domestic animations are just tools for leaders to make money.

As the author of the main theme cartoon "What Happened to the Rabbit That Year", I am very pleased that this film has been well received by the audience. The evaluation of domestic cartoons, especially the main theme cartoons, has not been very good among domestic audiences, but I always think that the main theme cartoons can also be both good-looking and marketable.

A good cartoon is only one that is able to hit the actor himself in the first place. So how did the film "Rabbit" move myself and the wider audience? In fact, what is really touching is not the rabbit, but the dedication and struggle of the older generation under the image of the rabbit. Think about it, what is the force that sustains them to starve for days on end, but still hold the steel gun to launch a mortal assault on the superior enemy army? And what is the force that supports them to build roads in the wind and sand? I think it's a spirit of wanting to live a good life for myself and the whole country. Now, this is also a bit of a "Chinese dream".

With the touching factor in mind, how exactly do you tell this history? First of all, don't preach in form. When domestic cartoons promote positive energy and patriotism, they are accustomed to narrating in the way that teachers teach children, and always want to create a tall and complete image, which is easy for people to reject.

The domestic animation audience has seen Japanese, Korean, American and European animation, and it is not easy to "deceive". Therefore, domestic animation producers, including the main theme, must put away the flickering and turn to treat every audience you want to face with meticulousness and sincerity. When I created "Rabbit", I combined the heroic themes of American animation with the delicate interpretation of Japanese animation to create a hero that I personally liked first. This kind of hero is not tall and complete, he has shortcomings, losses, but also rises, and the key factors to become a hero - faith, and persistence in the country and society.

The form and method are correct, and then there are technical issues such as the picture, which requires the producer to effectively control the time and cost. At present, the production of domestic cartoons is basically following the methods or models that will not make mistakes in the past, and as a result, it has fallen into a lifeless situation with few bright spots.

In addition, the cost of animation is very high, and one minute of frame-by-frame animation costs 20,000 or 30,000 yuan. Although the money given by investors or government support funds may seem like a lot, it is still a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of high-quality animation. The problem is that some domestic animation companies still want to make some money in the face of this limited capital. I have been in contact with such an animation company, which said that it wants to create a new animation brand image, and it is expected to have about 40 episodes, because overreporting the number of episodes can get more government support funds; After the project is established, it also gets a free site in the high-tech industrial park, and enjoys tax exemption for 3~5 years in policy. But in practice, the company only recruits 15-20 initial employees at a very low salary, and the monthly cost is less than 50,000 yuan after adding computers and other equipment. After receiving a government grant (usually 150,000-250,000 yuan), the company produced the trailer within a month or two, and then began to lay off employees to maintain only the bare minimum, in fact, its ability to produce zuò has been lost at this time.

The next step is to run exhibitions, policies, and awards with trailers and leaflets. As long as you go back and win an award or participate in some exhibition, then blow it on the report. As long as this thing blows through, the next thing is round after round of investment support from the government, year after year of running exhibitions, awards and writing reports, and so on. And what it really does is only the short trailer before, and the animation itself has been reduced to a tool for rubbing oil, not to mention quality.

Generally, animation companies will cooperate with schools to provide internship opportunities or something. Interns are basically coolies who don't have any money, as long as you prepare the tools, it's basically a profitable business. Of course, there is another way, cooperate with some teachers in the animation department, maybe a meal or stuff tens of thousands of dollars, the graduation work of this batch of graduates is the project of the animation company, and if you don't do it, you won't get credits. In this way, the cost can also be close to zero.

Finally, there are some institutional problems, you want so much money in the cultural industry this year, you can't spend it, don't want so much money next year. This money always has to be spent, it depends on who has the ability and who has the relationship to get such a sum of money. Maybe go out and have a few drinks with the leader. It's so easy that as long as they have enough time, they have political achievements, and they can go out to blow it, and they don't care who earns the rest of the money (they don't understand it anyway).

In fact, there is no shortage of good themes and good directors in China, but only by being loyal to their own ideals and expressions can they make good works. This is especially true for works with a main theme or positive energy. Only people who like this country from the bottom of their hearts and like to make contributions to this country can succeed, otherwise no matter how well they cover it up, they will still be seen through by the audience at a glance.

The Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee praised "The Great Return of Christmas" for embodying the Chinese spirit and style

At the time when the box office of the domestic animated film "The Return of the Great Sage" advanced to 800 million yuan, the Literature and Art Bureau of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television jointly held a seminar on the film on the 4th. Nearly 50 experts and scholars from government departments, film producers, academia, critics, and the media had a heated discussion on this phenomenal film.

Jing Junhai, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, stressed that it is necessary to increase support, improve safeguard measures, and create good conditions for the development of domestic animated films.

Tong Gang, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, pointed out that "The Return of the Great Sage" draws inspiration from the classical masterpiece "Journey to the West", boldly creates zào, reasonable imagination, does not spoof, is full of respect for the classics, and reflects the Chinese spirit and Chinese style.

Liu Zhijiang, the producer of the film, introduced the production and creation process of the film, saying that filmmakers must endure loneliness and keep the bottom line. Tian Xiaopeng, the director of the film, said that he has been trying to explore the emotional expression and aesthetic style of animated films that are different from those of European, American and Japanese animations. It is understood that the film is being distributed internationally and is preparing to produce a sequel. The encouragement from the industry and the audience made the filmmakers and creative team full of confidence.

Experts and scholars generally believe that "The Return of the Great Sage" is a milestone in the development of domestic animated films. It began to change the sluggish state of domestic animation, so that investors, creators and audiences of domestic animation have regained hope and expectation. Zhong Chengxiang, chairman of the China Literature and Art Critics Association, said that it shows a correct path for the development of domestic animation. Jia Leilei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Arts, believes that this film has made a successful attempt to exploit the modernity of China's traditional cultural resources.

In response to the shortcomings of the film, the experts at the meeting mentioned that there are still flaws in the character design of the film, flaws in technical details, and a hasty ending. But as a film that reverses the quality of domestic animation and the audience's cognition, it still pins on and conveys everyone's high hopes for domestic animation. "The Return of the Great Sage" is a clarion call for Chinese animated films to move into the future.