Thursday, October 2, 2008

Zentrix

Zentrix is a - TV series directed by Tony Tong and Felix Ip under the Hong Kong based company Imagi Animation Studios. The original story was written by Tony Tang, Benny Chow, Felix Ip and Francis Kao.

Synopsis





The series is set in Zentrix City, a seemingly "perfect" city. Emperor Jarad is a respected scientist who created a super-computer called OmnicronPsy, which manages all of the city's higher and day-to-day functions, controlling a wide variety of machines and robots, allowing humankind to live a seemingly "perfect" life.

However, OmnicronPsy, using its super-intelligence, decides that it would make a better ruler than Jarad, and breaks his coding that stops him from revolting. Discovering this, Jarad and the scientist Dr. Roark plan to head back in time 7 years to stop the revolt from ever happening. To do this they plan to shut down the six Zentrium chips that power OmnicronPsy. First however, Jarad takes precautions and develops two fighting robots - Zeus and Quantum. Zeus is then chosen over Quantum as the protector of his daughter, Princess Megan, should his mission in time fail. Following this, Jarad and Roark head back in time.

Princess Megan notices the disappearance of her father, and upon entering his study, she discovers a message. Megan then tries to get the Time Machine working. At the same time, OmnicronPsy has cracked the code and sends two robot guards to kill her. The find her just as she activates the time machine and open fire - damaging the time machine and altering Megan's body to that of an eight-year old.

Awakening in a junkyard, Megan discovers her protector Zeus hidden inside a tower. Unfortunately, OmnicronPsy's forces manage to activate the time machine, and they head back in time to hunt her down, leading Megan to find the six hidden Zentrium chips. Along the way she makes new friends, including Nick, his adoptive father Dr. Coy, and Nick's foster sister Akina, as well as Zeus's 'brother' Quantum, who is trying to do the right thing in the fight against OmnicronPsy.

Characters



* - The last hope for stopping OmnicronPsy, Princess Megan goes back in time 7 years. Unfortunately, due to an accident with the Time Machine she is reverted to a 8 year old. She journeys with Zeus, Mango and Nick to locate and shut down the six Zentrium chips that power OmnicronPsy.
* - A Micro-saur, and faithful pet to Princess Megan. He was given to her as a baby when she was 7 years old. Megan is the only person capable of understanding Mango. He is bright orange, with orange eyes, green hair and two small wings on his back.
* - A robot created by Emperor Jarad and Dr. Roark to assist Megan through her adventure. Created alongside Quantum, the two are considered brothers. Hidden in the Junkyard, Megan finds him sealed inside a tower. Originally starting in a locked mode with no forms of attack, Zeus eventually enters Complete Mode. He also has a Fighter Mode and a Golden Mode.
* - A junior scientist, Nick is the adopted son of Dr Coy, making Akina his foster sister . He has a pet bird name TZ.
* - Zeus' "brother", a robot also cerated by Emperor Jarad, and Dr. Roark.
* - A super-computer created to provide human kind with a seemingly perfect lifestyle, until it rebels and attempts to take over the world. Megan and her friends are trying to shut OmnicronPsy down by finding all of the Zentrium chips that power it.

Cast




Theme songs


The theme song in Hong Kong was performed by Fiona Sit. In Japan the theme song is called ''"Change the future"'' performed by B'z.

{|class="wikitable"
! width=50% | Chinese Lyrics
! width=50% | English Lyrics
|-
|冒險始於現在 明天都可重來
我信世界會更改

就由我 集合你的愛

時空再大 能獲勝可一都可再



一息間 一種空間 決策得一個

我與過去那個我 在幻境中拔河

時空穿越了多少交錯

可 想法子扭轉結果



* 冒險始於現在 明天都可重來

我信世界會更改

用人性 與惡魔比賽

應付不來 升級腦袋



為今天的禍害 人的心都回來

天地也都感概

就由我 集合你的愛

時空再大 能獲勝都只因為愛*



這天空 這一分鐘 誰人都經過

欠缺你 這個世界 命運差之銀河

時空消逝最驚險不過

可 結伴去改寫更多



你 錯失的不可再難過

有膽識請跟著我

從歷史之手挽回我 智慧的寶座

REPEAT*
||


Adventures start now. Tomorrow will return.

I believe the world will improve.

Let me gather your love.

Even if spacetime is enormous,

victory will come one after one



One fleeting moment, one kind of space

and only one decision.

I am playing tug of war with myself in the past in illusions.

No matter how many mistakes spacetime has passed through,

We can think of solutions to reverse the result.



*Adventures start now. Tomorrow can return.

I believe the world will improve.

With , we compete with devils,

if in vain, then let's improve our brains.



For today's calamities all people's hearts return.

The sky and earth also sigh.

Let me gather your love.

Even if spacetime is enormous,

victory can be obtained because of love



Under this sky, in this minute, everyone lives.

Failing you, there would be a great difference

in the fate of the world.

Although the elapsing of spacetime is thrilling,

We can team up to change more



You should not be sad over what have been lost.

If you have gut, please follow me.

Retrieve me from the hands of history

The throne of wisdom

REPEAT*
|-


Reaction




Though boasting a great use of CGI and beautiful character designs, Zentrix disappointed many mecha fans. For one, many viewers claim that the characters are one-dimensional. Some even complained about the main character, Megan, who was always called a "great leader" but never showed true leadership skills. Another complaint is that the robots are supposedly alive, but did not demonstrate enough interaction toward the humans. In the last few episodes, it seemed that most characters just came out to help Megan and friends, without really knowing her. Fans say that they are allies of Dr. Coy, but some say it felt unrealistic to risk your life on a mission you don't know about. Despite all the criticism, there are still fans who loved the show.

Awards


* Nominated at the "Best Series for Children of the Year" in the Pulcinella Awards 2002 in Positano, Italy.
* Received the "Gold Camera" award at the 2002 35th US International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles.

Trivia


* In , a reference to the character Zeus is shown on one of the arcade at the Turtle's lair.

Xiao Xiao

Xiao Xiao is an internet Flash cartoon series by animator Zhu Zhiqiang, featuring men performing fight scenes. Some of the cartoons are interactive and game-like. All cartoons are in the Adobe Flash format, although Xiao Xiao #1 was originally in AVI format. It has now been converted to format.

"''Xiao Xiao''" literally is the Chinese character for "small" repeated twice in ; here this reduplication connotes an affectionate diminutive – an equivalent might be the English expression "itty bitty" or "lil' old". Each Xiao Xiao cartoon is given a Chinese title with the adjective "Xiao Xiao" preceding a descriptive noun phrase. Xiao Xiao #1 was originally titled "Xiao Xiao Zuo Pin", which translates to "A Little Bit of Creative Work". Since then each Xiao Xiao cartoon has had a different noun succeeding "Xiao Xiao" – #4 is titled "Little Sheriff", and #7 is titled "Little Movie".

The term has gradually shifted meaning from the cartoons themselves to the main character, an anonymous black stick-figure – in this context it means something akin to "little fella", appropriate since in most perspectives Xiao Xiao and his fellow stick-people appear tiny and childlike, with disproportionately large heads and small limbs.

Xiao Xiao is placed in various dangerous situations to prove his martial arts prowess, often against other stick figures who appear more or less identical to himself. Usually other stick figures are also black, but can be other colors, and Xiao Xiao's perpetual nemesis is the Boss, a purple stick figure who commands the enemy sticks and appears to be Xiao Xiao's only peer in ability.

Others have seized on Xiao Xiao's popularity to make animations exploiting the easy-to-draw style of stick figures and minimalist backgrounds, often creating cartoons that are sequels or takeoffs of the official Xiao Xiao cartoons, especially Xiao Xiao #3. This practice has been frowned upon by many in the Flash cartooning community.

Episodes


* Xiao Xiao #1 is a simple fight between two stick-figure men, parodying the look of Hong Kong martial arts films by taking the level of violence in the fight to extremes.
* Xiao Xiao #2 adds interactivity; the stick-man faces a series of physical challenges, the outcomes of which depend on the player's timing.
* Xiao Xiao #3 is a kung-fu style fight scene in a simple line-drawn house; Xiao Xiao faces off against a seemingly endless series of stick-man opponents using fast-paced martial arts moves; the simple background, two-dimensional movement, vanishing corpses and regenerating enemies call to mind side-scrolling games. The encounter ends in a final showdown between Xiao Xiao and a purple stick-man labeled "Boss" in a fight that parodies multiple scenes from The Matrix . The visual theme of Xiao Xiao, a plain black stick-man, fighting against a purple stick-man Boss, remains constant throughout the series. This is the best known Xiao Xiao animation, and has been shown on MTV. This Xiao Xiao is one of the more famous and thought of as the one hardest worked on, and is noted to be one of "the original stick fighting flash movies", and sets the bar for the many stick flash movies.
* Xiao Xiao #4 is an interactive first-person shooting game in the style of Virtua Cop, casting the player as Xiao Xiao in the role of a -style sheriff complete with cowboy hat and six-shooter. It ends with another scripted fight scene with the purple Boss .
* Xiao Xiao #5, billed as a "''Battle to the death... and beyond''" returns to the two-dimensional fighting-game-reminiscent side-view style of #3. This time Xiao Xiao and the Boss duel using various conventions from anime and manga, exhibiting supernatural powers such as the use of spells, the ability to pull weapons out of hammerspace and to continue their battle through astral travel after death. It is notable for its comedic ending, where an ambulance shows up in the middle of the fight, taking the two character's dead bodies away. The two look at one another, then both run after the ambulance.
* Xiao Xiao #6 returns to Xiao Xiao #2's style but this time with a bit more of a plot, forcing the player to button-mash Xiao-Xiao through a barroom brawl.
* Xiao Xiao #7 and #8 are the most elaborate of the animations, forsaking the side-view of previous Xiao Xiaos for a fully three-dimensional, cinematic camera view throughout. Once again riffing on films like ''The Matrix'', they depict Xiao Xiao's infiltration of the Boss's mansion and his pursuit after the Boss escapes. #8 ends with a "''To Be Continued''" message and has yet to have a sequel, though given that the ending is a bit of an anticlimax the message may have been ironic.
* Xiao Xiao #9, a departure from the rest of the series, is a fully interactive game in the style of Final Fight and Streets of Rage where Xiao Xiao uses moves. Rather than a plain, pen-and-ink background, the background is this time a full-color, realistic re-creation of a desk ostensibly intended to be Zhu's . As with other Xiao Xiaos and the original beat-em-ups that helped inspire them, Xiao Xiao must fight through a series of stick-thugs before confronting the Boss.
* Xiao Xiao #10 or Xiao Xiao: Mall Brawl appears to have been created by Zhu as an advertisement for the in Hong Kong; it is an altered version of Xiao Xiao #3 wherein the main character/hero is a red stickman and the background has been embellished to make it resemble the inside of a shopping mall. You can also see the original black Xiao Xiao making a cameo appearance for a short while. He is in the background and doesn't fight, but simply rides past on a pair of ice skates. Also, a scene from Xiao Xiao #3 is also playing on the TV during the fight.

Characters


*;Xiao Xiao: Xiao Xiao is the protagonist. He is a martial arts expert, as well as an elite assassin. His skills are unmatched, and the only person who comes close is the Boss.

*;The Boss: The Boss is another martial artist, and appears to be some sort of a gang leader. He is the only one who can give Xiao Xiao a decent fight, and has been beaten by Xiao Xiao on multiple occasions. The Boss usually appears in magenta.

*;The gangs: Various-colored stickfigures who are beat down by Xiao in a matter of seconds.

Legal dispute


In June 2004, Zhu filed a lawsuit against for plagiarizing his cartoon stickmen in their commercials. Nike representatives denied the accusations, claiming that the stickman figure lacks originality, and is public domain. Zhu eventually won the lawsuit, and Nike was ordered to pay $36,000 to the cartoonist. However, on June 15 2006, the Beijing High People’s Court overturned the lower court's verdict. The high court rejected the December ’04 ruling that found Nike had “copied his ‘Little Match Man’ illustration in one of its worldwide ad campaigns.” Judge Liu Hui ruled that the head of Nike’s “stickman wasn’t attached to the body, which was different from Zhu’s design and that the strokes used to draw the Nike figure’s arms and legs were different from Zhu’s also.” Zhu will now have to pay court fees of more than US $5,000 to Nike.

Wanderings of Sanmao

Wanderings of San Mao is a Chinese animation TV series in China based on the famous manhua character . The series was invested, produced and broadcasted by . It is also known as ''"Story of San Mao's Vagrant Life"'' or ''"New Adventures of San Mao"''.

Background


The main character of the animation, , has been around since the 1930s among comic books in China. The character recently celebrated its 70th birthday in 2005, and this series is one of the many tributes to the longevity of San Mao. Other productions have taken place in the past including movies, stage plays, soap opera series and puppet films. This series is different from the 1984 cartoon of the same name.

Story


San Mao was a very poor orphan. He was wandering in Shanghai where people dreamed of riches in the 1930s. Sanmao, together with his baldheaded friend Xiao Laizi received grain unexpectedly from the entrepreneur Wu Zifu. Later he fell into a coma mysteriously, and the reporter Hou Yiwen would try to investigate the relationship between Wu Zifu and San Mao.

Tortoise Hanba's Stories

Tortoise Hanba's Stories is a large scale - Chinese animation TV series in China. It is also referred to as "The Story of Hanbagui" or "Hanbagui".


Background


The show was produced by "Shenzhen Toonring Animation" in Shenzhen with an estimated final budget of 30 million RMB . It has completed 52 episodes by the 2nd half of 2006, and is projecting 500 episodes over the next few years.

Story


The first 52 episodes called “Falling on the Earth” tells how “Hanbagui”, the turtle, comes across the teenagers “Abu”, “Annie”, “Siaomei” on earth and makes friends with them. He goes looking for his lost fellows “Baobaoxiong”, “Tiejiaxiaozi”, “Baizhangtia", “Baijingling”, “Qixingpiao”. It is a comedy.

The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa

The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa is a Chinese animation portraying the 2008 Summer Olympics mascots, known as the Fuwa. The series began running on August 8, 2007. Prior to the television release, Kaku TV distributed copies of the series to foreign embassies and cities.

The series, produced by Kaku TV and China Beijing TV Station, aired on China Beijing TV Station and over 100 other Chinese television channels.

Creators from Mainland China and Hong Kong collaborated to produce the series.

The Asian Animation Comics Contest awarded the series "Best Production" in September 2007.

The Dreaming Girl

The Dreaming Girl is a from China. It is produced by "Beijing Golden Pinasters Animation Company" in Beijing with the collaboration of .

Background


The production was acknowledged as an official project as early as 2001. The show is known for its heavy emphasis on high-level detailed environment.

Story


The story is about a 13 year old school girl and her friends in an ever-expanding story dealing with contemporary teenage problems of growing up. Fantasy and dreams add elements of surrealism.

The Blue Mouse and the Big Faced Cat

The Blue Mouse and the Big Faced Cat is a from mainland China. The first part was produced in 1995 and the second in 2000.

Background


It was voted one of China's top 10 domestic animations in 2006.

Story


Blue Mouse is clever, helpful, while Big-faced Cat is greedy, lazy, and charmingly naive. Along with two beetles, Jin Doudou and Lu Fanfang, this dynamic duo has many adventures.

SkyEye

SkyEye is a combo 2D and - TV series in China.

Background


The production budget is estimated to be 24 million RMB . Crew also include staff from the Central Academy of Drama, CCTV and Beijing Film Academy involving hundreds of people. It was voted one of China's top 10 domestic animations in 2006.

Story


The story is about a boy with a magical eye in the sky instituting justice and honesty.

Qin's Moon

Qin's Moon is a TV series. The story is based on a novel of the same name.

Story


Set during the Qin Dynasty in ancient China, a brave assassin attempts to kill the Emperor to save his homeland. However, the assassin failed and in retaliation, the Emperor sent his troops to kill his eight year old son. A highly skilled swordsman intervene and rescue the boy. After their escape from the forces of the Emperor, they embark on a journey to change the destiny of the empire while encountering several friends and foes along the way.

Old Master Q

Old Master Q is a popular Chinese manhua created by Alfonso Wong. The cartoon first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong in 1962, and later serialized in 1964.. The comic is still in publication today.

The series features the now well-known characters such as Old Master Q and Big Potato, as well as Mr Chin, Mr Chiu and Miss Chan, in many different hilarious situations. They are usually portrayed in a variety of social statuses, professions and time periods, ranging from beggars and office workers to actors and ancient warriors, allowing a wide variety of settings and ideas. More outlandish scenarios includes close encounters with aliens, ghost sightings and the afterlife.

In the context of the strips, Old Master Q, Big Potato and Mr. Chin are close friends; Mr. Chiu often play an antagonistic role toward the trio; finally, Miss Chan is often portrayed as a love interest to Old Master Q. The comic is now copyrighted by WangZ Inc, a company established by Joseph Wong Chak in Taipei, Taiwan.

Politics and Issues in Old Master Q


While Old Master Q comics primarily focuses on humor, it also reflects changing social trends, particularly from the 1960s to the 1980s. The comics would sometimes feature societal problems in urban life, such as poverty, petty thefts and secret societies. It also poked fun at fashion, contemporary art and rock music. The comic strips sometimes also bemoan the decline of ethical or moral values in modern day living. One can spot characters displaying acts of selfishness or misery, although the comics occasionally display good values like filial piety. The language barrier, mostly between the Chinese language and the English language, was not overlooked, either. This is seen in some comic strips showing difficulty in communication between old master Q and foreigners, especially Westerners.

In rare cases, Old Master Q comics would express serious views regarding major political changes taking place in Hong Kong during the 60's-80's. It had previously criticized overly Westernized Chinese, who were sometimes shown in the comic strips to slant more towards the interests of Westerners than local Chinese. The agreement to hand over power of Hong Kong to , following the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, also became a subject matter, as a few comic strips were published through the late 1980s and early 1990s expressing the characters' fears of handover, frequently represented in a numeral of the year it would take place: 1997. Some of these comic strips had even gone the distance to depict direct assault of what appeared to be a representation of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China, which usually takes place near the end of the comic strip. However, the handover was later depicted in more a positive light in the years leading to the actual event, possibly representing a changing perspective from the author.

Movies


The comic series was made into many and cartoon animations, one of which combined live actors and advanced graphics. The list of Old Master Q movies is as follows, in chronological order:

{|class="wikitable"
! width=20% | English Name
! width=10% | Chinese Name
! width=13% | Release Date
! width=15% | Type
! width=30% | Casts
|-
| Old Master Q || 老夫子 ||August 3, 1965 || Black & White film ||
|-
| Old Master Q and Big Potato || 老夫子與大蕃薯 || May 19, 1966 || Black & White film || Xue Ni , Gao Luquan ,

|-
| Old Master Q Triple Rescue of Foolish-Ming || 老夫子三救傻瓜明 || July 13, 1966 || Black & White film ||
|-
| Old Master Q || 老夫子 || March 8, 1975 || film || Liang Tian , Ding Pei ,
Qiao Hong , Xi Guapao ,
Luo Lan
|-
| Mr Funny-bone || 我係老夫子 || October 2, 1976 || film || Li Qing , Wang Sha
Ai Donggua , Liu Luhua
|-
| Old Master Q Strange and Interesting Adventures || 老夫子奇趣錄 || November 18, 1978 ||
|-
| Colour Old Master Q || 七彩老夫子 || July 16, 1981 || cartoon ||
|-
| Old Master Q Water Tiger || 老夫子水虎傳 || July 10, 1982 || cartoon ||
|-
| Old Master Q & "San-T" || 山T老夫子 || August 4, 1983 || cartoon ||
|-
| Old Master Q 2001 || 老夫子2001 || April 5, 2001 || film || Nicholas Tse , Cecilia Cheung ,
Alphonso Wong
|-
| Master Q: Incredible Pet Detective || 老夫子反斗偵探 || December 20, 2003 || cartoon || Eric Tsang , Du Wenze ,
Andes Yue , Lily Guo ,
Dexter Young
|-
| Old Master Q - Fantasy Zone Battle || 老夫子 - 幻想区域争斗 || 2003 || TV series ||
|-
| Master Q || 老夫子 || 2004 || TV series ||
|-
| The New Unbeatable Old Master Q: Shaolin Detective Agency || 無敵老夫子新傳:少林偵探社 || 2005 || film || Luo Jiaying , Tang Baoru
|-


* Other actors in OMQ movies include: Hong Wei , Connie Chan Po-chu , Nancy Sit , Zhu Yougao , Fen Ni
* Other lyricists/singers include: Wong Jim , Joseph Koo , Leslie Cheung

Dispute on plagiarism


Some PRC cartoonists and readers claim that the idea of Old Master Q was actually created by Peng Di in the late 1930s and not Alfonso Wong. They allege that the cartoons first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Beijing and Tianjin . The character created by Peng Di resembled Old Master Q which is currently being copyright by OMQ ZMedia Ltd. The character by Peng Di wore similar clothing and had a matching personality to Old Master Q.

A writer from Tianjin published a book in 2001 containing samples of work by Peng Di, which displayed the resemblance between Peng Di and Alfonso Wong's works.

The result of this dispute remains unclear as WangZ Inc. has denied all plagiarism accusations, while a small number of mostly PRC cartoonists and readers insist that Peng Di's ideas were stolen by Alfonso Wong.

Music Up

Music Up ), also known as Crazy for the Song, is the first Chinese animation idol TV series in China. It was distributed by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and produced by Welkin-Animation.


Background


This is the first animation production from China with an emphasis on the life of singers, bands and . It is the first high budget domestic Chinese animation that lean close to Japanese anime materials. Production investment is estimated to be 18 million . In 2001 66% of its profits came from selling merchandise related to the series.

Story


Four young teenage boys share a common vision and passion for music. They come together overlapping their own personalities and ideas. In the process, they encounter a lot of difficulties as any youth might have. The story is unfolded as the band grows up. Academic, personal conflicts, family, friendship and emotional problems are all intertwined. With the help of teachers, students, and friends they try to achieve their dreams.

Merchandise


The TV series was not as successful as expected, but the associated merchandise of books, cards, CDs were extremely popular among teenagers in China. The book series sold 350,000 copies in Shanghai alone. A video game was released in 2002 by titled "Music Up - Summer Rainbow".

Lan Mao

Lan Mao or Blue Cat is a Chinese Animation character that is broadcast only in China. The character appears in the show Sunchime Cartoon Flier and its sub-animation-series 3000 Whys of Blue Cat, which is more well-known than the show.
Lan Mao is also the shortened name for the animation series 3000 Whys of Blue Cat. For more information about the animation series, please go to 3000 Whys of Blue Cat.''

Friends


In addition to the show that is about Lan Mao and his adventures, there is a large number of products that feature this character. His friends include a turquoise mouse Taoqi, a light pink mouse Gali, a fat mouse Feizai, a red fox Feifei, a hen Ji Dashen, and a goat with red hair Yang Boshi.

Show


Adventures include going into deep sea and accompanying dinosaurs. The shows are mainly based on science or science fiction. It has been popular in China, one reason might be the fact that many of the Chinese youth have been sending questions to the studio, and the studio answers them with one of Lan Mao's adventures.
Lan Mao is sometimes impulsive, and in the end gets nothing but trouble.

Cast


The cast of Blue Cat in Mandarin varies episode to episode. Here are some of the most popular ones.

Ge Ping


Ge Ping is the primary cast for the character Blue Cat. His voice and songs (e.g. The Happy Blue Cat are the most popular.

Pan Long


Pan Long is the second cast of the character Blue Cat. His voice is not liked by some teenagers, but his songs in the cartoon (e.g. Return to Our Home are quite popular.

Yu Tao


Yu Tao is the third cast of the character Blue Cat. His voice is not as disliked as the voice of Pan Long. His songs are also popular.

Song Xiaoyu


Song Xiaoyu is the fourth cast of the character Blue Cat. His voice is reproved by almost all of the viewers.

Evaluation


The show's quality is widely criticized, even to the point of being called "Rotten Cat" by its critics . However, it should be noted that it signifies a breakthrough of the Chinese animation industry, and thus is viewed by some more positively than what its quality may suggest.

History of Chinese animation

The history of Chinese Animation began in the 20th century in the Republic of China when the people became fascinated with the idea of animation. A lengthy history interlocks between the art, politics and the ever-changing economy.

Early history


In around 180 the first zoetrope was invented by Ting Huan .

The modern cartoon industry began in France in 1888, invented by Charles-?mile Reynaud. Chinese animation started in the 1920s, inspired by French, German, Russian and mostly American productions. One of the first examples of foreign animation did not land in Shanghai until 1918. This piece of animation from the US was titled , known today as ''Out of the Inkwell''.

Exploration periods



In 1922 Wan Laiming produced the first animation in a cartoon advertisement for the ''Shuzhendong Chinese Typewriter''. Followed by the 1924 cartoon short ''''. Shanghai tobacco company also produced a cartoon called ''''. These are the earliest known cartoon shorts.

In 1926 the 4 Wan brothers, Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan,Wan Chaochen and Wan Dihuan worked under the Great Wall Film Company in China, not to be confused with Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd. Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan were then recognized as China's animation pioneers when they produced the first animation short ''Uproar in the Studio'' running 10 to 12 minutes long in black and white. The brothers believed that Chinese animation should be instructive, logical and thought-provoking besides being entertaining to its audience. They wanted to emphasize the development of an animation style that was uniquely Chinese. It was a common trend at the time to combine live action film footages with 2D animation. By 1932 one of the Wan brothers, Wan Di-huan, would voluntarily leave the Great Wall Film company for his own photography studio. Some of the first wave of influential American animations that reached Shanghai were ''Popeye'' , and a show known as that may be an off translation to what is known today as ''Betty Boop''.

By 1935 the Wan brothers would launch the first animation with sound titled ''''. Four years later in 1939, America's ''Snow White'' would also be introduced in Shanghai and it would be a great influence. In 1941 China's first animated feature film of notable length, '''', was released under very difficult conditions during Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II using extensive rotoscoping. While there were overlapping progress made in the Asian regions with Japanese anime at the time, they were not geographically or artistically influential to China directly. During the Japanese invasion period, the brothers produced more than 20 animated propaganda shorts focusing on various patriotic topics from resistance against , opium and imperialism.

Steady development


In October 1, 1946 a northeast motion picture studio was established in the Nenjiang province , known today as the . It is the first known studio established by a communist party. In 1947 productions such as ''Emperor's Dream'' used puppets in an exaggerated way to expose corruption of the Kuomintang Chinese nationalist party. The idea of using political content in puppetry films was becoming acceptable, and animators took note on their success. An example of such documentary-type cartoons can be found in ''Go After an Easy Prey'' . In 1948 the Northeast studio would change its name to Shanghai Picture Studio Group. On October 1, 1949, China would enter a new communist era led by Mao Zedong.

Founding of Shanghai Arts and Film Studio



In February 1950 the would combine with other divisions to become the predecessor of Shanghai Animation Film Studio. The Wan brothers, Central Academy of Fine Arts, and many other big name artists would all be concentrated in this studio for the first time. Among the talent is Japanese animator Tadahito Mochinaga who would spent time in Shanghai creating ''Thank You, Kitty''. Three years later he would depart for Japan, becoming possibly the only artist to have worked in both Chinese and Japanese industry in the era. By 1956 the Wan brothers have created the first colored animation of notable length titled ''Why is the Crow Black-Coated'', which became the first Chinese animation recognized internationally.

In April 1957 the central government would begin sponsoring the studio making it the nation's first and official animation factory. From the technology standpoint, China's animation was still relatively on pace with the rest of the world. In 1958 the Wan brothers created a new animation film technique based on the folk art cut-paper animation, which was demonstrated in ''Pigsy Eats Watermelon''. At the same time another technique called origami animation was also developed by Yu Zheguang in 1960, in the film ''A Clever Duckling''. Also in 1960 the first set of animation film exhibitions were held in 6 major cities including Shanghai and Beijing, followed by exhibitions in Hong Kong in 1962 and Macau in 1963.


The Wan brothers would receive the most recognition for their film ''Havoc in Heaven'', since it was well known among ordinary citizens. The development spanned 4 years from 1961 to 1964. It ran for nearly 2 hours pushing the technology to the limit with some of the most vivid colors ever put to the screen.

It can be said that in the short run, the financing of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio was strictly an extension of Mao's Anti-Rightist Movement following up on speeches like “Let hundreds of flowers blossom and hundreds of schools of thought contend" . Mao has publicly admitted that promoting new art forms and institutions was vital to the . Though with time, his political campaign would prove to be a major backlash to the industry. Putting an end to the golden era.

Cultural Revolution interference



Animations were considered technological marvels up until the cultural revolution kicked into full gear in 1967. By now Mao Zedong was promoting the animation industry only under the circumstances that it was a useful propaganda tool for his Hundred Flowers Campaign. He would send a dangerous message to the animation industry, since his regime allowed complete freedom of expression, yet persecuted those who had views different from his political party. The revolution was widely known for the destruction crusades that would destroy artifacts, antiques, paintings, books and anything of conflicting value. Some of the artists were humiliated, forced to become farmers in the countryside, accept re-education or sent to prison. Some of the famous artists in the film and literature industry would rather commit suicide than to be humiliated. Most of the animators were not allowed to draw and forced to do labor work. The persecutions would grow exponentially worse from 1966 to 1972, labeling the period "catastrophic" for the industry.

The Chinese animation industry was practically put on pause for a decade until 1976 when the cultural revolution was over. What is left of the period were animations that heavily favored Mao's campaign if not furthered his ideology. Animations such as ''Little Trumpeter'' in 1973, a story about a young boy named "Xiaoyong" who became a heroic red guard soldier. Other animations from the same year include ''Little 8th Route Army'', a story about a boy taking on revenge against the imperial Japanese army. Or ''Little Sentinel of East China Sea'' a story about a young girl named "Jiedaling" who followed 3 chemical warfare workers in disguise, and called upon the to wipe out the enemy.

Reform period



By 1978 it was clear that significant damage have been done by the cultural revolution. An indication of where China has dropped in rank was apparent. In the 20 year span from 1960 to 1989 from the theater standpoint, the majority of cartoons in Hong Kong were imported from the US. It was typical to play American movies in major cinemas preceded by an American cartoon segment. Sometimes the segment would even be shown in its entirety. An MGM or Disney movie was almost certain to be preceded by another Disney animation.

From the home animation standpoint, Japan have already emerged as the dominant animation provider in the Far East. Their export of anime TV series would reach Hong Kong, Europe and the Middle East in mass quantities via analog broadcasts directly to home. Some of the more popular shows include ''Doraemon'' and '''', which was accompanied by one of the most successful in history. It was difficult for China to compete directly at home or on the big screen.

Nonetheless the Chinese animation industry would begin to reproduce animations in a new direction. Shanghai Animation Film Studio would launch 219 animation films in the 1980s. In 1979 '''' was one of the first notable animations shown during the rebirth period. Other films include ''Snow Kid'' , ''Lao Mountain Taoist'' , ''The Deer's Bell'' and ''Legend of Sealed Book'' . Among the works ''Three Monks'' was one of the few animations that managed to earn awards.

The Digital era


While China's broadcast was catching up on Doraemon on , foreign animations like ''Pokémon'' have already been popularized worldwide spawning $15 billion in sales. The commercialization and innovation of Japanese and American animations pushed the traditional Chinese animations out of the market. Complaints have been heard throughout the 90s about the problems facing Chinese animation. Numerous artists even ended up adopting into American and Japanese animation styles, with more noticeable changes in manhua work.

Shanghai Studio Director Jin Guoping:


By the end of the millennium, the Internet opened up the Chinese animation industry a great deal. Software such as Adobe Flash and venues such as Youtube and clones there of allow for independent animators to produce Webtoons by themselves as long as they have a computer and an internet connection. More expensive animation products from Autodesk, Newtek and were on the horizon for animation schools to adopt. When Xiao Xiao was released on the internet it draw many attention one of the many famous Chinese webtoon.

special effects increased to the point where many new Chinese animation movies and series had begin to adopted by mid-2000s with some example of , Century Sonny, etc.

Cyber Weapon Z

Cyber Weapon Z was a manhua series adapted into a - Chinese animation TV series in Hong Kong.

Background


In 1990 Andy Seto joined the Freeman publication label, where he took on drawing manhua and other comics. In 1993 he started the 10 volume Cyber Weapon Z manhua series with writer Chris Lau in Hong Kong. The story also ran as as a 3D animation series in 1995. Though much of the success did not begin until a French comic company, Tonkam, republished the comic in Europe where it became more popular. Andy's style is heavily influenced by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who animated Venus Wars.

Story


For 1000 years, the men have understood the importance of the capacity and the economic stakes. Now, they live quietly thanks to an almost perfect social structure, and it is because of this way of life that physical faculties of the man do not evolve. They begin to deteriorate little by little.
Park Iro and Anling are two newcomers with Southern Shaolin, one of the sections of martial arts of the most famous school of combat: the Monastery of Shaolin. The purpose of this school is to give rise to a new human race by developing to the maximum physical capacities of the students. As of the night of their arrival, an unknown force attacks the temple and awake Molitofu, a demon locked up 10 years before by the Luba general.

Century Sonny

Century Sonny: The Adventure of the Extra-Galactic Prince is the first large scale - Chinese animation TV series in China.

Background


Lonma company invested 1.5 billion on the 104 episode series. Each episode is approximately 18 minutes. In May 2006 ''Century Sonny'' started broadcasted on , 3 special cartoon channels and local satellite TV channels, totally more than 400 TV channels in China. ''Century Sonny'' ranked as the top 3 most popular cartoon program on the CCTV station. It is a landmark Chinese animation series due to the unprecedented scale of the rendered minutes.

Story


The story began in the Numen Kingdom in an extra-galactic planet. Source of Life, the protector of numina and human beings, had been safeguarded in the Numen Kingdom for centuries. The Evil Numina attempted to control the planet. They invaded the Numen Kingdom and captured the King. Their ultimate conspiracy was to despoil the Stone of Life that powerful magic stone to help them control the entire universe. The little Prince Coco of the Numen Kingdom was the only one who escaped from the brutal invasion and landed in Planet Earth with the Stone of Life. Under the protection of a mysterious fairy Noah, the little Prince escaped from the monsters’ pursuit. Later he met a group of funny stationery characters and toys living in a human being’s house and serving their little master. Prince Coco’s presence made these stationery characters and toys understand that they were facing the grand responsibility to save the world. To help Coco save the world meant they ought to leave their master. That was a tough decision. Nonetheless, the Evil Numina were approaching, and were causing great dangers to the little master. The stationery and toys united together to help Coco fight the Evil Numina. In an effort to defeat the evil force and save the universe, Prince Coco, the stationery and the toys began their long adventure back to the Numen Kingdom.

Reaction


Surveys were conducted in 53 cities around China between May and June 2006, and the show obtained the best viewers ratings among domestic productions. In a competition called "The Top 10 Favorite Local Animations For Chinese Youth" held in Beijing in October 2006, the show out-performed 169 other contestants and received the highest votes. Coming in 2007, singers and movie stars from Emperor Entertainment Group in Hong Kong will sing the theme songs and act as spoke persons.

Merchandise


Merchandises range from toy, clothes, stationary, ornaments, branded food and beverages.

Calabash Brothers

Calabash Brothers is a Chinese animation produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Bottle Gourd Brothers"'', ''"Hulu Brothers"'' and ''"Seven Brothers"''.

Background


In the 1980s the series was one of the most popular animation in China. While it has been praised as much as Havoc in Heaven domestically, it was released at a point when the Chinese animation industry was in a relatively downed state compared to the rest of the international community. Still, the series was translated into 7 different languages. The episodes were produced with a vast amount of lead by Zhou Keqin who became the director of paper-cut animations in 1975.

Story


Legend has it that two demons were jailed in the Calabash Mountains, one a scorpion spirit and the other a snake spirit. One day, a pangolin happens to drill a hole on the slope and the two spirits escape from the cave, causing grave harm to the nearby residents. The pangolin hurries to an old man and says that only by growing calabashes in seven colors can they annihilate the spirits. So the old man spares no time in growing seven calabashes, each a different color of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.

The calabashes ripen sequentially, falling off their stems to the ground, and transforming into seven boys. Each has a unique supernatural ability such as super-strength, enhanced hearing and sight, invisibility, and pyrokinesis, as well as a weakness. With a combined effort, they set on a mission to defeat the demons in a 13 episode-long adventure. .

Staff


Director: Hu Jinqing, Ge Guiyun, Zhou Keqin

Awards


* Won 3rd class award at the Cairo International Children's Film Festival in Egypt.
* Won best film of 1988 by the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee.

Black Cat Detective

Black Cat Detective is a Chinese animation TV series in China produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It is also referred to as ''"Inspector Black Cat"'' and ''"Marshall the Black Cat"''.


Background


The series was originally aired from 1984 to 1987. In June 2006 the cartoon was announced to be revitalized and rebroadcasted. Critics from the past have warned about the violence in the cartoon despite the surrealistic style of presentation. Additional comments state that the cartoon was not suitable for children's education. Others have countered the argument saying it is strictly for entertainment purposes. By western standards, the violence is no more controversial than that of .

Story


The story is essentially about the Black Cat's detective wandering around in his motorcycle stopping villains. Cases range from clashing with mice and other characters.

3000 Whys of Blue Cat

3000 Whys of Blue Cat is the first large-scale in mainland China with an emphasis on science. The series is produced by "Beijing Sunchime Happy Culture Company". The show remains one of the longest running children's cartoon series in the world. It is most commonly referred to as "".

Background


The series is mostly known for its successful line of companion children's books. As of October 2004, the series has spawned 36 series of children's books spanning 452 volumes in all. Rights for some of the books have been sold to Taiwan. Other intellectual properties rights managers from South Korea and Thailand have shown interests in the books. It was initially marketed to be the Mickey Mouse of the far east, though the artistic style is more similar to .

Story


The is blue, because the color signifies dreams. Blue Cat is always curious and explores different parts of the world in any given time era with his imagination.

Characters


* Super-cat
* orange fox
* green mouse Naughty/Taoqi
* pink mouse Ms
* yellow mouse Fatty/Feizai
* mother of the kids Aunt Hen/Ji Dashen
* red pig Sweet Sister Tianniu
* strong bear
* alien girl , Princess
* ...

Series titles


* , aka Classical Blue Cat
*
*
*
* , aka Living Olympics
* , aka Adventure in Space
*
* , fire protection
*
* MTV of Blue Cat
* Blue Cat for Kindergarten

Length Counting


* 424 eps for Classical Blue Cat
* 384 eps for '''Star War
* 264 eps for Dinosaur Times
* 312 eps for Ocean World
* 257 eps for Living Olympics
* 400 eps for Adventure in Space
* 108 eps for Safe Driving
* 119 eps for The Team 119
* 365 eps for Incredible Adventures of Blue Cat

Merchandise


Along with the cartoon programs, the franchise has spawned home videos, books, CDs, kid's clothes and shoes, toys, beverage and candy. The planning of a "Blue Cat Theme Park" has also entered the appraisal stage in 2006. Sega have also announced a collaboration with "Sunchime Cartoon Group" and Suzhou based game software developer "XPEC Entertainment" to jointly develop and release video games or other forms of digital entertainment contents based on the Blue Cat on August 4, 2006.