New Monkey King brings hope to Chinese animation

The box office takings for the new Monkey King movie set a new record for Chinese animated films. [File photo]

The Monkey King: Hero is Back is winning over Chinese audiences with a good plot and extraordinary visuals. More importantly, audiences can feel the dedication, sincerity, and passion poured into the film. But the success of a single film does not represent the whole of China's animation industry.

China now has the largest animation industry in the world, with an annual output of 260,000 minutes every year. That is nearly twice that of Japan, which comes in second place. And yet only a third of them make it to the screens.

"I suggest the government to invest more on the original contents and IP," said Han Hua from China Film Association.

On the market side, Liu Zhijiang, producer of the Monkey King, calls for patience.

"Many investors just want to make quick money in animation. That's against the rule of the market and artistic creation. Investors have to treat animation as a real industry and give the artists enough room to fully explore their imaginations," he said.

China's animation sector still has a long way to go to catch up to Hollywood. But talents such as Tian Xiaopeng are helping shorten that distance.