Chinese Animated Films Research Articles

The Oriental Aesthetic Conception in the Animated Film Chang An

As an art form, film and television works are not only intended to entertain the public, but also a medium to convey ideas, emotions and aesthetic concepts, containing aesthetic value and artistic atmosphere, which can trigger the audience s emotional resonance and thinking. Chang An, a theatrical animation, reconstructs the narrative of historical animated films based on real characters and historical events. With the rhyme of poetry and the melody of music, it embodies the essence of shape dispersing but spirit concentrating in the Oriental aesthetic thought, cleverly constructs a unique Oriental implication of Chinese animated films, and innovatively constructs a new aesthetic paradigm of domestic animated films. It is not only a tribute to cultural inheritance and tradition, but also an exploration of innovation and the pursuit of beauty. This paper analyzes the expression of Oriental aesthetics from the aspects of film narration and art design with examples, in order to provide reference for domestic animation creators.

Dreaming Fish, Becoming Fish: Animating Modern Mythology and Zhuangzian Philosophy in the Fantasy Film Big Fish & Begonia

Abstract This paper analyzes the 2016 Chinese animation film Big Fish & Begonia and its precursor, a 2004 Flash animated short video, in conjunction with Zhuangzi’s philosophy of becoming and transformation. It traces the origin of the film in the auteur’s dream experience and the development of cinematic language and animation technology from the initial short video to the full-feature film. Adopting a form closely associated with the fantastical and speculative traditions of Chinese mythology, Big Fish & Begonia represents animal becomings through the apparatus of the dream, as both crucial content and form, and the formal characteristics of animation. Both the dream and the animation forms allow the expression of desires to break through the ontological and epistemological constraints of the human subject and to render the physical form unstable. By engaging with key passages from Zhuangzi that discuss dreams, knowledge, “free and easy wandering,” and “becoming/transformation,” the paper asserts Zhuangzi’s continued influence in contemporary Chinese animation. The film offers new ways of conceptualizing and addressing modern environmental crises while aligning itself with the cultural–political agenda to create “authentic” Chinese stories.

Dissemination and Interpretation of Animated Films in Intercultural Communication in China

As an important carrier for displaying local culture and national image, animated films play a key role in inheriting and innovating Chinese culture and cultivating national self-consciousness and cultural confidence. However, in the process of cross-cultural communication, Chinese animated films face problems such as an imperfect communication mechanism, insufficient cultural adaptability, and limited international influence.By analyzing these problems, this paper explores the specific communication mechanism and path of animated films in cross-cultural communication. It is found that there are problems such as improper balance between localization and internationalization of cultural content, lack of marketing strategy, and single communication channel in cross-cultural communication of Chinese animated films.Through case studies and empirical research, this paper proposes a series of strategies to optimize the dissemination mechanism, including enhancing the international adaptability of cultural content, adopting diversified dissemination channels, and strengthening marketing and branding in order to enhance the international competitiveness and cultural influence of Chinese animated films.The research in this paper provides concrete practical guidance and theoretical support for better dissemination and development of Chinese animated films in the context of globalization.

A Comparative Study on the Cultural Transmission of Music Narration in Chinese and Korean Animated Films

A Comparative Study on the Cultural Transmission of Music Narration in Chinese and Korean Animated Films

Mining Chinese Animation Movie Audience Concern Themes Based on BERTopic and UGC

[Objective] To explore how Chinese animated movies can effectively utilize hot topics to feed the box office and improve the competitiveness of the movies by mining hot topics of users' concern through User-Generated Content (UGC). [Methods] Based on the UGC text of Douban reviews of the Chinese animated movie "30,000 Leagues in Chang'an", we adopt the BERTopic algorithm to cluster topics based on the category-based TF-IDF (Word Frequency-Inverse Text Frequency)-weighted clustering, and introduce the semantic fine-tuning of the topics by the ChatGLM2-6B model to excavate the hot topics of users' attention. [Results] Users of the Chinese animated movie "30,000 Leagues in Chang'an" pay attention to five major topic clusters, including Chinese culture, word-of-mouth communication, poetic narrative, production technology, and the controversy of new historical facts. [Limitations] The country differences in the topic concerns of Chinese animated films were not analyzed in comparison with foreign UGC texts. [Conclusion] This study focuses on UGC text analysis to discover the social attention and evolution law of related topics. These findings provide some reference value for future Chinese animated movie production and production, box office prediction and marketing.

The Development Strategy of Nationalistic Derivatives in the Chinese Animated Film Industry

Purpose – This study explores the utilization of Chinese traditional culture in animation, with a focus on film derivatives. The study analyzes recent growth and challenges in the Chinese animation industry and aims to effectively utilize Chinese culture in developing animation derivatives. Drawing insights from US and Japanese models, the initiative aims to develop a unique Chinese animation industry, with the goal of improving global competitiveness, cultural impact, and market expansion. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study adopts a research methodology primarily focused on deeply mining the rich resources of Chinese traditional culture, coupled with referencing the mature animation industry chains of the United States and Japan, to develop a more ethnically distinctive animation film industry chain in China. The main research methods involve literature review and case analysis, aiming to explore key issues and solutions in the development of ethnic-oriented animation film derivatives in the Chinese animation film industry. Findings – China’s animation industry is progressing, yet it faces challenges in derivative development, which hinders sustained growth. Leveraging its abundant traditional culture can provide a unique competitive advantage. Integrating insights from established US and Japanese animation industries with Chinese culture is crucial for fostering a more ethnically distinctive animation industry in China, which holds significant promise for future development. Research Implications – The proposal innovatively leverages China’s traditional culture for animation growth, providing insights for sustainable development. It highlights the significance of animation derivatives, guiding commercial exploration. By promoting Chinese culture, it enhances the global competitiveness of animation, facilitating international cultural exchange.

Interpreting the Film Chang An from the Perspective of the Theory of Symbolic Intertextuality

This study takes the animated film Chang An as a case study, and employs the theory of symbolic intertextuality and the perspective of cultural coding to conduct in-depth analysis of the three major symbol systems: image, language, and music. The study found that these three symbol systems form close intertextual relationships through strategies of simultaneity, linearity, and embedding, expanding the dimensions of symbolic meaning and constructing a multidimensional and dynamic symbolic network, enriching the film’s expressive techniques. At the same time, it reveals the rich historical and cultural connotations inherent in these symbol systems’ encoding, emphasizing the importance of cultural heritage. Through micro-textual analysis, the study delves into the mechanisms of visual language generation, providing theoretical support and empirical cases for the academic research of classical Chinese animated films.

Visual Design of Chinese Animated Films Infused with Oriental Punk Aesthetics

In recent years, China's movie industry has been advancing, and movies based on ancient myths, which can combine cultural expression with technical expression, have become a hot topic for creation. Especially the ancient mythological novels such as "The Legend of Deification" and "Journey to the West" have become the source of creative ideas for movie adaptations, and Light Chaser Animation, as one of the most important forces in Chinese film production, has been exploring new possibilities for animation movies, inheriting and innovating traditional Chinese cultural elements. Light Chaser Animation, as one of the most important forces in Chinese film production, has been exploring new possibilities for animation films, inheriting and innovating traditional Chinese cultural elements, and has produced the famous "New Gods" series of films, which combines oriental elements and cultural characteristics, blends modernity and tradition, and forms an Oriental Punk style with Chinese characteristics. Oriental Punk not only shows the construction of modernity of Chinese traditional culture, but also the embodiment of cultural self-confidence, and at the same time presents the unique style and aesthetic value of Chinese culture to the world. This article analyzes the visual symbols, color design and action vocabulary of the film New Gods: Yang Jian, and points out a new direction for Chinese films to integrate traditional cultural elements and modern art technology in the creation of new mythological themes.

Visual significations of Monkey King: Hero is Back and Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child

Visual signs can be differentiated into denotative and connotative messages, where denotative messages form the perceptual foundation of an image, and connotative messages engage with a deeper, culturally cognisant layer, imbued with subjective interpretations and aesthetic significations. This study embarks on a qualitative textual analysis with the main aim to elucidate the connotation and denotation of visual significations in two pivotal Chinese animated films, Monkey King: Hero is Back and Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child. Guided by Roland Barthes’ Semiotic theory and Chen’s study, the research delves into the connotative and denotative meanings embodied in the films’ visual elements. The focus is primarily on facial design, physical appearance, clothing, and props, providing a comparative analysis of how these elements function within each film’s narrative framework. The key findings reveal that the visual significations in both films are not merely aesthetic choices but serve as substantial cultural and narrative tools. The characters’ faces, physical appearances, clothing, and props are intricately tied to themes like Chinese opera masks, subversive reconstructions, natural elements, and intangible cultural heritage. These visual cues play a crucial role in reinforcing cultural heritage, spurring innovation, invoking nature reverence, and bolstering national sentiment within film storytelling. Contrasting with previous research that predominantly focused on characters, this study expands the analytical scope to include props, recognising their significance as visual signs in animation. By expanding the analysis to include props alongside characters and visual elements into the analysis, this research offers a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Chinese mythological animations. It enriches the academic discourse on animation studies, demonstrating how visual elements can profoundly influence narrative interpretation and cultural representation. The research affirms the cultural and narrative potency of visual signification in animation and underscores the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation within the realm of Chinese animated films.

Traditional and Modern: To Discuss the Traditional Visual Elements in Chinese Animated Films

Traditional and Modern: To Discuss the Traditional Visual Elements in Chinese Animated Films

The transformation of images of Nezha and the changing cultural discourses in Chinese national style animated films from 1979 to 2019

Nezha is a mythological and dynamic character in the Chinese cultural discourse. In traditional China, the mythological character of Nezha represents a cultural integration between Daoism and Buddhism. By applying the Chinese animated films as an approach, this article focuses on exploring the changing cultural discourses of the Chinese national style in post-Maoist cinema through critical analysis of the character of Nezha and the deployment of Daoist philosophy in the construction of Chinese national style from the post-Cultural Revolution context to the post-Socialist context. This article examines two Chinese national-style animated films. The first film is Nezha Naohai (1979) which was produced in 1979, and another animated film is Nezha Zhi Motong Jiangshi (2019) which was produced in contemporary China. Through the film and cultural analysis of Nezha Naohai (1979), this article argues that the Daoist philosophy engages in the cultural discourse of Chinese national style and shapes the narrative, rhetoric, aesthetics and characterisation of Nezha in the post-Cultural Revolution context. The contemporary film Nezha Zhi Montong Jiangshi (2019) reflects an ideological change in the discourse of Chinese soft power states the power of Chinese culture including Daoist philosophy within a modern and scientific paradigm, which promotes a more international Chinese national identity and national style.

Mediatization of Religion and Its Impact on Youth Identity Formation in Contemporary China

In response to the trend of information technology development, religions in China are undergoing a process of mediatization. This study takes the popular Chinese animated films Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child (哪吒之魔童降世) (2019) and New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜: 杨戬) (2022) as research cases of mediatization of religion and conducts a focused study of the respective protagonists Ne Zha (哪吒) and Yang Jian (杨戬), both prominent figures in Chinese religious and folk traditions. Through text analysis and empirical research on the two movies and their fans, this study examines how religion is being mediatized in contemporary China in the transformation to Religion 2.0 or a type of amalgamation of real- and virtual-world practices that enact a relationship with the divine, and how this shapes identity formation for fans, who are mostly young individuals in their teens and twenties. This research argues that to obtain permission for dissemination in mainstream media and thrive in the cultural context of China, religion chooses to assume the form of media products that can bypass scrutiny that forbids “supernatural phenomena” and aligns with the mainstream ideology. It has to be a “contributory religion” that contributes to the “revitalization” of national spirit and inherited Chinese culture, not a potential “superstitious” threat to the Marxist orthodoxy. In the context of official promotion of atheism and the regulation of public discourse, animated films with themes adapted from traditional mythological and religious stories, such as Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child and New Gods: Yang Jian, have become a major cultural form through which people in China engage with religious symbols and narratives. The enormous success of the two movies resulted in a large population of young fans. Influenced by these films, their fans have developed an egoistic religious perspective rather than assimilating the religious or cultural messages contained in the movies. These fans may experience solace and a call to faith to some extent in their consumption of the movies, but they selectively enhance religious literacy that only meets their personal needs. Interest in divine individuals far outweighs interest in or loyalty to the religious doctrine or sect itself. Pilgrimages are undertaken to fulfill personal fantasies, and the promotion of the divine is aimed at vying for influence within fan communities. The second part of this study examines the activities of the fans that I argue are characteristic of the age of Religion 2.0.

The Reproduction and Contemporary Value of Chinese Classic Animated Films

This paper discusses the evolution, cultural characteristics, and value of Chinese classic animated films incontemporary society. By analyzing the origin, development, and classic works of Chinese animation, this paper aims toreveal how these works have influenced China’s cultural heritage and modern animation industry. This paper describes theuniqueness of Chinese animated films in terms of artistic expression, storytelling, and cultural connotation, and how theyadapt to the challenges of the new era to find their place and value again.

Oriental Punk Aesthetics and Youth Discourse Construction in Chinese Animated Films: Taking the New Gods Series of Animated Films as an Example

Although punk culture was introduced into China from the West, with the rapid development of Chinese science and technology and the enhancement of the consciousness of national discourse construction, Chinese punk culture has shown a breakthrough trend. Meanwhile, as a significant representation of youth subculture, punk culture always pays attention to youth culture's reality to convey young people's spiritual needs. With the development of the Internet, the attitude of youth has gradually changed from complete rebellion to looking out from the edge to the center, showing the tension of resistance and compromise. In this paper, the author studies Oriental punk aesthetics and youth discourse construction in Chinese animated films, and the New Gods series of animated films is taken as a case study. According to analysis, it is concluded that the New Gods series connects the punk style with national identity, finds the commonality between punk culture and the spiritual core of the films, and fits with the discourse of youth in the context of national culture, so as to construct a localized mythological space based on national historical experience and explore the mode of youth culture with Oriental punk aesthetics.

Aesthetic Evolution of Female Characters in Animated Films

Human aesthetic ideas on beauty are the result of long-time sexual selection. These aesthetic ideas are not only determined by human instinctive preferences, but also by social factors. The social, cultural, and historical differences between China and the United States lead to the differences in female characters portrayed in animated films. By examining the female characters presented in animated films in China and the United States since, this paper reveals the aesthetic evolution of female characters in Chinese and American animated films from the perspective of feminism, and discusses the social, cultural, and historical reasons. Our findings suggest that although both China and America tended to categorize their female animated figures simply into “demon” or “angel” groups before 1990, the improvement of women’s social, economic and political status has made female characters more diverse and dominant in the films. In comparison, American animated films is universal and adopts a stronger feminist approach, presenting us female characters of diverse races and ethnicities.

A Brief Analysis of Chinese-English Subtitling Translation of the “NEZHA” from Cultural Translation Theory

In recent years, China has made significant breakthroughs in animated films. Qualified domestic films have been highly praised domestically and gained popularity in Western countries. Based on Cultural Translation Theory, the paper takes the film “NEZHA,” rich in elements of excellent traditional Chinese culture, as an example, examining its English subtitles and putting forward several suggestions on Chinese-English subtitle translation, with the hope to promote Chinese animated films to spread overseas.

On Strategies and Effects of Cross-cultural Communication of Chinese Mythological Animated Films—With Nezha and White Snake as Examples

Animated films with Chinese mythology are endowed with the most distinctive ethnic features. With Nezha and White Snake as examples, this paper analyzes their successes in cross-cultural communication strategies in the context of globalization from the perspectives of native cultural elements, narrations on affections, integration of Western cultures, and so forth, accompanied by their predicaments explained in many aspects including cultural differences between China and the West. It has been found that based on the native myths with less global popularity, the key to the effective communication of such film types lies in the cultural similarities, as witnessed by international narrative styles and mainstream emotional values.

The Application and Innovation of the Stylized Performance of Traditional Chinese Theater in the Animated Film New Sanchakou

Abstract In Chinese animated films, the stylized performance of traditional Chinese theater allows for greater expression and creativity, due to 3D digital technology and 8K display technology. This paper takes the animated film New Sanchakou (The Crossroads Inn, 1951), adapted from the traditional Duanda Wusheng (短打武生: martial arts performers equipped with short clothes and short-handle weapons) drama Sanchakou in Peking opera (Jingju) as an example, to explore the application and innovation of stylized performance. In the digital era, Chinese animated films innovate based on past achievements and utilize new technologies to both construct an aesthetic system with Chinese characteristics and to further display the unique charm of traditional Chinese aesthetic thought. By exploring new forms of animation’s performance creation, New Sanchakou meets the new challenge of Chinese animated film nationalization in the new era of China.

An Analysis of Transmedia Storytelling of Chinese Animated Films Based on the Perspective of Media Mix

In recent years, Chinas animation industry has drawn on the experience of some developed countries in the process of development. For example, Japan has already formed an animation industry and disseminates its works through various media through transmedia storytelling to obtain better communication effects. There are still some problems with transmedia storytelling and media mix in Chinese animation. This study uses a content analysis and ethnographic approach to compare Chinese and Japanese animation movies in terms of the number of transmedia and the effect of transmedia communication. In order to analyze the problems of Chinese animated films in transmedia communication, as a further extension of transmedia theory in animation, this paper summarises the problems of Chinese animated films in transmedia communication based on previous theories of transmedia communication as well as research on Chinese animation, and suggests that Chinese animated films should perhaps learn from Japanese animation films to increase their interaction with other media, and to become part of the media mix of Chinese animation. According to statistics, it was found that the number of Chinese animated films spread transmedia in 2019 was much lower than that of Japanese animation films, which means that if Chinese animated films are seen as part of a media mix , there are still have problems with Chinese animated films. Improving the linkage of animation films with other media to increase the number and effectiveness of their transmedia dissemination may be the solution.

Феномен китайского анимационного искусства через призму неореализма (на примере анимационного фильма «Мальчик-лев»)

In the era of globalization and rapidly developing technology, China’s animation industry in its development faces a certain anxiety about the preservation of traditional national identity. This article describes the influence of neorealism on contemporary Chinese animation art. The study is an attempt to explore and analyze the fea-tures of neorealism as a current in contemporary Chinese animation through the example of the animated film “Lion Boy”. The appearance of the film (2021) has broken the dominant pattern of contemporary Chinese ani-mated films with “mythological” themes and marked a new direction for the development of contemporary Chi-nese animation. The movie is based on a classical plot, but the characters are adapted to the norms of modern morality and ideas about aesthetics. From a certain angle, the movie is filled with modern pictures, the images of the characters are better depicted, they are more real, and the plot develops more dynamically. The protago-nist is a character with a peculiar morality, who does not believe in prejudice. He meets the main values of mo-dernity, which attracts the viewer. By analyzing the storyline, metaphors and analogies of the film, the author made an attempt to identify the problems of the development of Chinese animation and determine the features brought by neorealism to contemporary Chinese animation cinema. Neorealism filled animation with the con-sideration of the true relationship between ordinary people and society as a whole system, shifting the empha-sis from mythological heroes, leaders to ordinary people. One of the results of the content analysis has become the characterization of a new direction of Chinese animation art in which human dreams and reality can coex-ist. The new animation resolves the contradiction between ideal and reality, the conflict between modern and traditional culture. Conclusions dwells upon the fact that it is possible to bridge the gap and conflict between “tradition” and “modernity”, “individual” and “society” that modern people face in their life world.