The China International Cartoon and Animation Festival (CICAF) is an annual event held in Hangzhou, China. It is China’s first national world-oriented animation festival and serves as a cultural trading platform supported by the Chinese Culture Going-Global Project. The festival aims to promote and showcase the animation industry, bringing together professionals, enthusiasts, and artists from around the world.
The 19th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival took place in Hangzhou this past June. The festival featured various activities, exhibitions, and screenings, giving us a hint of what animation projects are on the horizon.
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Boonie Bears: Time Twist
Shang Linlin, chief producer of the prolific Boonie Bears franchise revealed there will be a 10th installment to the franchise. The Boonie Bears animated movies have been getting a lot of traction recently, with the most recent movie being one of the most popular animated movies in China at the moment.
The Golden Monkey King Award Winners of 2023
The Golden Monkey King Awards is a prestigious contest for cartoonists and animated program makers and is held annually at the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival. This year marked the 19th Golden Monkey King Awards and received 620 entries worldwide, with 73 of them being shortlisted. These were chosen among 15 countries and regions, including France, Switzerland, Hungary, Japan and Canada.
Best Animated Short
This year director Zhu Xiaopeng (Eddie K Chu), a native of Chaoshan area in Guangdong province won the Golden Monkey King’s best animated short film award for his animated film Frontier, a 9-minute sci-fi about a dangerous situation involving AI.
Best Animation Series
This year’s CICAF “Golden Monkey Award” Gold Award for Animation Series went to Yao-Chinese Folktales. Yao-Chinese Folktales is an animated TV series that premiered in 2023 and consists of eight animated short stories that showcase traditional Chinese culture, philosophy, imagination, aesthetics, and society development.
The series is produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili and follows a similar format to “Love, Death, Robots”. The series features a range of artistic styles, including traditional Chinese ink paintings. The stories are inspired by various traditional Chinese literature titles and resonate deeply with Chinese audiences. The series has gone viral in China, with Chinese youth praising the show for its exploration of the mysterious world of Chinese monsters and its unique storytelling. One episode of the series puts a Lovecraftian twist on a Chinese classic.
ballad
The Ballad of Mulan is a Chinese folk song that tells the story of Hua Mulan, a young woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place in the army. The ballad has been adapted into various forms of media, including films, stage productions, and animation.
The Ballad of Mulan animation was created by the RCS and was released on February 1 of 2022.
Peaches & Creaminal Announcement
Josh Selig, a television producer from the United States was also in attendance at the CICAF this year. Selig is no stranger to success. He has won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards for Sesame Street and Wonder Pets! He shared his excitement for projects featured in this year’s ceremony and even had some news of his own to reveal. Selig’s love for modern China lead him to work with a Chinese creator on a new animated project titled Peaches & Creaminal. It’s a comedy about an outspoken eight-year-old girl who wins a trip and travels the world with her very large talking bulldog who can’t help but get into trouble wherever they go.
China’s Space Story
China’s Long March-5, their most power launch vehicle is getting its own animated feature. The project is presented through the eyes of Pan Gaofeng, a young aerospace engineer and his real stories about designing the rocket. Pan’s girlfriend and future wife Yu Zhuo is also a space talent and will be featured as well.
