Education over entertainment
Wu Zongqiang, director of children's film Last Wish (2011), told Metro Beijing that kids movies are still seen as a novelty in Chinese cinema and aren't taken as seriously as they are in Hollywood, where heavyweight studios such as Pixar are universally respected.
"Even if some good scripts appear, the shortage of money in creating top audio and visual effects will ruin a children's film," he said.
Zhang insists the biggest problem plaguing children's movies in China is the lack of innovation and creativity.
"The belief that children's films ought to educate kids has resulted in stale plots and excessive preaching in storytelling," noted Zhang.
Film critic Yu Xin argued China's lack of a film rating system makes it difficult for creative screenplays to be created.
Promising potential
While the current market for children's films might be infertile, film industry insiders acknowledge the market in the long-run is lucrative.
"There are 370 million children in China, so children's films have a huge market to explore," Zhang said.
"The priority for children's films must be entertainment. More diverse elements such as science fiction-rich plots should also be embraced to attract young audiences."
The Dragon Knight (2011) directed by Yu Shengjun, which raked in 35 million yuan in box office takings, was adapted from an online game depicting a magic world, where a young dragon knight named Luoke strives to save his kingdom from villains.
Reviews declared the film a success for breaking with many traditional animated conventions by displaying characters as less one-dimensional and more realistic.
Its sequel, The Dragon Knight 2: Wish of the Knight, is slated for release in November.
Source: Global Times
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