Best Chinese animation in 2015: Monkey king comes back
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Hamartia Antidote
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Monkey King animated film a surprising success
By Zhang Rui
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back," directed by Tian Xiaopeng, has grossed more than 100 million yuan (US$16.11 million) in just three days. This success was hard-earned, since the film’s screenings were scheduled alongside two teen-targeted blockbusters, "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young," which raked in 360 million yuan (US$57.99 million) and 255 million yuan (US$41 million), respectively, over the weekend.
On its opening day, “Monkey King: Hero is Back” only claimed six percent of the total screenings of all films in China. But the word-of-mouth effect worked, and as more and more fans flocked to screenings of the animated film, cinema managers rushed to add showings. On Monday, the nationwide percentage of showings for "Monkey King" had grown to 14 percent, though this is still less than the proportion of screenings given to "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" is based on the extremely well-known legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese fantasy classic "Journey to the West," but the film tells a not-so-familiar story with new plots and designs. Though there are still many flaws in the film, and though some critics have criticized its simplicity and thin plot lines, it has already generated enthusiastic responses from audiences, especially from cartoon fan communities.
The animation took eight years and cost more than US$10 million to make, and the film eventually came up short of money for further production polishing and promotional events before its opening. Now it is relying heavily on its own quality and moviegoers' rave reviews on the Internet for promotion. As of Monday, there were already 470 million tweets about the film on Chinese Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo.com. On the movie rating website Douban.com, the film has a very positive score of 8.8 out of 10, the best of all the Chinese films screened in 2015.
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" has also become the third Chinese animated film to gross 100 million yuan on its opening weekend, following the two "Boonie Bears" series films. Observers have estimated that the animated feature will eventually gross 300 million to 500 million yuan (US$48.33 million to US$80.55 million), a new milestone in the Chinese animation industry. The current top-grossing Chinese animation is "Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter," which grossed 295 million yuan (US$47.52 million).
Unlike the "Boonie Bears" series, which was mainly targeted at young children, "Monkey King" is targeted at audiences of all ages who have grown up with the fictional superhero. The delicate scenes, smooth pace, inspiring plots and emotional storyline have touched many viewers’ hearts while many critics and celebrities have lavished the film with praise.
Director Tian said in an interview with Mtime.com that the one thing he wanted to prove through this film is that the Chinese are capable of producing good animation, which will change people's misconceptions and prejudices about Chinese-produced animation.
Fans of the film volunteered to recommend the film everywhere on China’s social networks since the studio has very little funding left for further promotion. Some fans have even created original artwork and made heartfelt unofficial music videos in appreciation of the movie, fueling the film’s ascension to cultural phenomenon status.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"This is the best Chinese animation of the last two decades," one fan wrote on his blog. The quality, the sentiment, nostalgia, and wide fan base for the Monkey King have combined to make history.
Another factor in the movie’s success is its ability to stand out in the midst of a Chinese animation market that is saturated with crass and low-quality animation targeted to children. Chinese audiences have grown tired of these products. The Chinese animation industry has tried to find a way out of its slump, but efforts by many animation filmmakers have failed. For example, the "Kuiba" animated feature franchise, a Japanese anime-style series with more mature plots, was hailed as a new landmark for the Chinese animation industry, but it failed miserably at the box office, and its producers have cut short future plans for big screen releases.
The Chinese animation industry is also plagued by copycatting. Just as "Monkey King" was being released, another newly-released Chinese animation, "The Autobots," came under fire from critics, who dismissed the film as a copycat of the Hollywood hit "Cars."
Foreign animated films, especially those from Japan and America, have packed the world's second largest film market thanks to their more advanced production experience and clearly better quality. Japan's "Stand by Me Doraemon" made 527 million yuan (US$84.89 million) in China, while Hollywood's "Big Hero 6" made 526 million (US$84.73 million), indicating that the market potential for animated features is still huge in China.
In addition to "Monkey King," there are several other long-anticipated high-quality Chinese animated features on the way, such as "Big Fish & Chinese Flowering Crabapple" and "Little Door Gods," both of which are set for 2016 releases.
Despite a low promotional budget and a lack of big star voice talent, "Monkey King: Hero is Back" achieved the success that many cartoon fans have been longing for with its sincerity, high-quality story and fabulous visual and 3D effects. The film already became a success in the international market when its overseas distribution rights were sold at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for US$2.1 million, the highest ever for a Chinese animated feature film.
Director Tian said in an interview with ThePaper.cn that he and his team have started working on two sequels. The director said he hopes to produce and release the second film within two years, a turnaround time made shorter thanks to the eight years of experience he gained working on the first “Monkey King” film.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
By Zhang Rui
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back," directed by Tian Xiaopeng, has grossed more than 100 million yuan (US$16.11 million) in just three days. This success was hard-earned, since the film’s screenings were scheduled alongside two teen-targeted blockbusters, "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young," which raked in 360 million yuan (US$57.99 million) and 255 million yuan (US$41 million), respectively, over the weekend.
On its opening day, “Monkey King: Hero is Back” only claimed six percent of the total screenings of all films in China. But the word-of-mouth effect worked, and as more and more fans flocked to screenings of the animated film, cinema managers rushed to add showings. On Monday, the nationwide percentage of showings for "Monkey King" had grown to 14 percent, though this is still less than the proportion of screenings given to "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" is based on the extremely well-known legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese fantasy classic "Journey to the West," but the film tells a not-so-familiar story with new plots and designs. Though there are still many flaws in the film, and though some critics have criticized its simplicity and thin plot lines, it has already generated enthusiastic responses from audiences, especially from cartoon fan communities.
The animation took eight years and cost more than US$10 million to make, and the film eventually came up short of money for further production polishing and promotional events before its opening. Now it is relying heavily on its own quality and moviegoers' rave reviews on the Internet for promotion. As of Monday, there were already 470 million tweets about the film on Chinese Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo.com. On the movie rating website Douban.com, the film has a very positive score of 8.8 out of 10, the best of all the Chinese films screened in 2015.
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" has also become the third Chinese animated film to gross 100 million yuan on its opening weekend, following the two "Boonie Bears" series films. Observers have estimated that the animated feature will eventually gross 300 million to 500 million yuan (US$48.33 million to US$80.55 million), a new milestone in the Chinese animation industry. The current top-grossing Chinese animation is "Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter," which grossed 295 million yuan (US$47.52 million).
Unlike the "Boonie Bears" series, which was mainly targeted at young children, "Monkey King" is targeted at audiences of all ages who have grown up with the fictional superhero. The delicate scenes, smooth pace, inspiring plots and emotional storyline have touched many viewers’ hearts while many critics and celebrities have lavished the film with praise.
Director Tian said in an interview with Mtime.com that the one thing he wanted to prove through this film is that the Chinese are capable of producing good animation, which will change people's misconceptions and prejudices about Chinese-produced animation.
Fans of the film volunteered to recommend the film everywhere on China’s social networks since the studio has very little funding left for further promotion. Some fans have even created original artwork and made heartfelt unofficial music videos in appreciation of the movie, fueling the film’s ascension to cultural phenomenon status.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"This is the best Chinese animation of the last two decades," one fan wrote on his blog. The quality, the sentiment, nostalgia, and wide fan base for the Monkey King have combined to make history.
Another factor in the movie’s success is its ability to stand out in the midst of a Chinese animation market that is saturated with crass and low-quality animation targeted to children. Chinese audiences have grown tired of these products. The Chinese animation industry has tried to find a way out of its slump, but efforts by many animation filmmakers have failed. For example, the "Kuiba" animated feature franchise, a Japanese anime-style series with more mature plots, was hailed as a new landmark for the Chinese animation industry, but it failed miserably at the box office, and its producers have cut short future plans for big screen releases.
The Chinese animation industry is also plagued by copycatting. Just as "Monkey King" was being released, another newly-released Chinese animation, "The Autobots," came under fire from critics, who dismissed the film as a copycat of the Hollywood hit "Cars."
Foreign animated films, especially those from Japan and America, have packed the world's second largest film market thanks to their more advanced production experience and clearly better quality. Japan's "Stand by Me Doraemon" made 527 million yuan (US$84.89 million) in China, while Hollywood's "Big Hero 6" made 526 million (US$84.73 million), indicating that the market potential for animated features is still huge in China.
In addition to "Monkey King," there are several other long-anticipated high-quality Chinese animated features on the way, such as "Big Fish & Chinese Flowering Crabapple" and "Little Door Gods," both of which are set for 2016 releases.
Despite a low promotional budget and a lack of big star voice talent, "Monkey King: Hero is Back" achieved the success that many cartoon fans have been longing for with its sincerity, high-quality story and fabulous visual and 3D effects. The film already became a success in the international market when its overseas distribution rights were sold at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for US$2.1 million, the highest ever for a Chinese animated feature film.
Director Tian said in an interview with ThePaper.cn that he and his team have started working on two sequels. The director said he hopes to produce and release the second film within two years, a turnaround time made shorter thanks to the eight years of experience he gained working on the first “Monkey King” film.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
TaiShang
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Cinemas to reserve mornings for Chinese animations
July 10, 2015
Chinese cinemas have been ordered to reserve screens for domestic animations between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the next 52 days, a move to prop up China's animation industry and entertain children during the school holidays.
More than 2,000 cinemas, almost half the total in the Chinese mainland, will block off the two hours and offer discounted tickets from July 11 to the end of August, the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said on Friday.
"The Morning Animations move is aimed at providing more cultural works for children who are on their summer vacation and giving more room for animated movies' development," the administration said, adding that 18 Chinese animations will be screened this summer.
The move won't affect the programming of other films as cinemas will adjust timings in advance, according to the administration.
In 2014, 34 domestic animated features were released in cinemas in China, the world's second-largest film market. They grossed nearly 1.1 billion yuan (about 178 mln U.S. dollars), 68 percent more than in 2013 but still just 3.67 percent of the country's annual box office.
The films' poor quality and Hollywood competition are blamed.
The administration said Morning Animations may become a regular event during weekends and holidays.
July 10, 2015
Chinese cinemas have been ordered to reserve screens for domestic animations between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the next 52 days, a move to prop up China's animation industry and entertain children during the school holidays.
More than 2,000 cinemas, almost half the total in the Chinese mainland, will block off the two hours and offer discounted tickets from July 11 to the end of August, the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said on Friday.
"The Morning Animations move is aimed at providing more cultural works for children who are on their summer vacation and giving more room for animated movies' development," the administration said, adding that 18 Chinese animations will be screened this summer.
The move won't affect the programming of other films as cinemas will adjust timings in advance, according to the administration.
In 2014, 34 domestic animated features were released in cinemas in China, the world's second-largest film market. They grossed nearly 1.1 billion yuan (about 178 mln U.S. dollars), 68 percent more than in 2013 but still just 3.67 percent of the country's annual box office.
The films' poor quality and Hollywood competition are blamed.
The administration said Morning Animations may become a regular event during weekends and holidays.
Jlaw
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Monkey King animated film a surprising success
By Zhang Rui
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back," directed by Tian Xiaopeng, has grossed more than 100 million yuan (US$16.11 million) in just three days. This success was hard-earned, since the film’s screenings were scheduled alongside two teen-targeted blockbusters, "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young," which raked in 360 million yuan (US$57.99 million) and 255 million yuan (US$41 million), respectively, over the weekend.
On its opening day, “Monkey King: Hero is Back” only claimed six percent of the total screenings of all films in China. But the word-of-mouth effect worked, and as more and more fans flocked to screenings of the animated film, cinema managers rushed to add showings. On Monday, the nationwide percentage of showings for "Monkey King" had grown to 14 percent, though this is still less than the proportion of screenings given to "Tiny Times 4" and "Forever Young."
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" is based on the extremely well-known legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese fantasy classic "Journey to the West," but the film tells a not-so-familiar story with new plots and designs. Though there are still many flaws in the film, and though some critics have criticized its simplicity and thin plot lines, it has already generated enthusiastic responses from audiences, especially from cartoon fan communities.
The animation took eight years and cost more than US$10 million to make, and the film eventually came up short of money for further production polishing and promotional events before its opening. Now it is relying heavily on its own quality and moviegoers' rave reviews on the Internet for promotion. As of Monday, there were already 470 million tweets about the film on Chinese Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo.com. On the movie rating website Douban.com, the film has a very positive score of 8.8 out of 10, the best of all the Chinese films screened in 2015.
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" has also become the third Chinese animated film to gross 100 million yuan on its opening weekend, following the two "Boonie Bears" series films. Observers have estimated that the animated feature will eventually gross 300 million to 500 million yuan (US$48.33 million to US$80.55 million), a new milestone in the Chinese animation industry. The current top-grossing Chinese animation is "Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter," which grossed 295 million yuan (US$47.52 million).
Unlike the "Boonie Bears" series, which was mainly targeted at young children, "Monkey King" is targeted at audiences of all ages who have grown up with the fictional superhero. The delicate scenes, smooth pace, inspiring plots and emotional storyline have touched many viewers’ hearts while many critics and celebrities have lavished the film with praise.
Director Tian said in an interview with Mtime.com that the one thing he wanted to prove through this film is that the Chinese are capable of producing good animation, which will change people's misconceptions and prejudices about Chinese-produced animation.
Fans of the film volunteered to recommend the film everywhere on China’s social networks since the studio has very little funding left for further promotion. Some fans have even created original artwork and made heartfelt unofficial music videos in appreciation of the movie, fueling the film’s ascension to cultural phenomenon status.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
"This is the best Chinese animation of the last two decades," one fan wrote on his blog. The quality, the sentiment, nostalgia, and wide fan base for the Monkey King have combined to make history.
Another factor in the movie’s success is its ability to stand out in the midst of a Chinese animation market that is saturated with crass and low-quality animation targeted to children. Chinese audiences have grown tired of these products. The Chinese animation industry has tried to find a way out of its slump, but efforts by many animation filmmakers have failed. For example, the "Kuiba" animated feature franchise, a Japanese anime-style series with more mature plots, was hailed as a new landmark for the Chinese animation industry, but it failed miserably at the box office, and its producers have cut short future plans for big screen releases.
The Chinese animation industry is also plagued by copycatting. Just as "Monkey King" was being released, another newly-released Chinese animation, "The Autobots," came under fire from critics, who dismissed the film as a copycat of the Hollywood hit "Cars."
Foreign animated films, especially those from Japan and America, have packed the world's second largest film market thanks to their more advanced production experience and clearly better quality. Japan's "Stand by Me Doraemon" made 527 million yuan (US$84.89 million) in China, while Hollywood's "Big Hero 6" made 526 million (US$84.73 million), indicating that the market potential for animated features is still huge in China.
In addition to "Monkey King," there are several other long-anticipated high-quality Chinese animated features on the way, such as "Big Fish & Chinese Flowering Crabapple" and "Little Door Gods," both of which are set for 2016 releases.
Despite a low promotional budget and a lack of big star voice talent, "Monkey King: Hero is Back" achieved the success that many cartoon fans have been longing for with its sincerity, high-quality story and fabulous visual and 3D effects. The film already became a success in the international market when its overseas distribution rights were sold at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for US$2.1 million, the highest ever for a Chinese animated feature film.
Director Tian said in an interview with ThePaper.cn that he and his team have started working on two sequels. The director said he hopes to produce and release the second film within two years, a turnaround time made shorter thanks to the eight years of experience he gained working on the first “Monkey King” film.
A poster of animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back."
The article have some good valid points. People want to see animation that is drawn with computers, not the crap we saw from the 70s and 80s.
Another secret to any successful animation are cute characters. You gotta have them for the kids. They are a haven for making extra money through toys, etc. The Monkey King have these characters.
The next phase of Chinese animation, I would like to see something based off Chinese legend but the not well known story. And stop making shit like "Autobots", which is really a copy of Cars regardless what Mr. Zuo say. I guess Pixar didn't sue them because it was so shitty that they lost money.
TaiShang
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Exactly. Cute, likable, lovable characters. And a whole lot of industry that would feed on those characters to further create a mania/craze about the upcoming sequels.
Hamartia Antidote
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Merchandising
10 Movies That Sold The Most Merchandise - TheRichest
"Children’s toys make up an industry worth about $22 billion. When the toy industry and the movie industry meet, they seem to have a seamless and mutually expedient relationship. Whenever a hot new movie is preparing for release, the movie’s characters have already hit the shelves in the form of a toy, giving consumers a sneak peek at the adventures that await them on the silver screen"
#1 Star Wars $12B in merchandising
Disney is the absolute master of this. They control 4 out of the top 5.
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TaiShang
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20 Chinese Films Make Promotions at "China Movie New Force" Event
Twenty new Chinese films have been presented at a promotional event in Beijing
Twenty new Chinese films have been presented at a promotional event in Beijing.
"China New Movie Force" is an event initiated by CCTV's Channel 6 to promote Chinese films to see this summer.
This year's list of films includes "Hollywood Adventures", "I Am Somebody", "The Crossing", "Monk Comes down the Mountain" and "The Dead End".
Crime drama "The Dead End" won two major awards at the just concluded Shanghai International Film Festival.
The thriller follows three brothers connected to a murder case.
It's going to be released in Chinese theatres on August 27.
Other highlights at the event include the release date for new film "Forever Young," which is due for release on July 10th.
Talk show host Da Peng's first foray into film is being released on July 17.
The comedy is being called "Jianbing Man" after the popular street snack in Beijing.
Last summer saw Chinese films generate around 9-billion yuan (about $1.48 billion) in revenues.
Observers expect that figure could surpass 10-billion yuan (about $1.52 billion) this year.
Twenty new Chinese films have been presented at a promotional event in Beijing
Twenty new Chinese films have been presented at a promotional event in Beijing.
"China New Movie Force" is an event initiated by CCTV's Channel 6 to promote Chinese films to see this summer.
This year's list of films includes "Hollywood Adventures", "I Am Somebody", "The Crossing", "Monk Comes down the Mountain" and "The Dead End".
Crime drama "The Dead End" won two major awards at the just concluded Shanghai International Film Festival.
The thriller follows three brothers connected to a murder case.
It's going to be released in Chinese theatres on August 27.
Other highlights at the event include the release date for new film "Forever Young," which is due for release on July 10th.
Talk show host Da Peng's first foray into film is being released on July 17.
The comedy is being called "Jianbing Man" after the popular street snack in Beijing.
Last summer saw Chinese films generate around 9-billion yuan (about $1.48 billion) in revenues.
Observers expect that figure could surpass 10-billion yuan (about $1.52 billion) this year.
Jlaw
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As long as as China movies do not mimic HK movies of the 1990s-2015 than we should be ok. I really hate the adventure-drama-thriller-comedic-romance- theme packed into one movie. I think it's called 無厘頭 movies in HK.
TaiShang
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