Chinese animation films don't have a great record at the box office. Some complain that the stories and characters in these films are not very appealing. At the same time, experts point out that the fledgling industry still has a long way to go before it can catch up with its overseas counterparts. Our reporter Chen Zhe brings more.
China's first animation film dates back to 1926, when "Studio Scene" was produced by the Wan brothers. In the 1960s, with the release of "Uproar in Heaven," a Chinese animation film went international, hitting screen in dozens of countries.
But things are different today. Liu Zhenhua is manager of Beijing's Jacky Chan Yaolai International Cinema,
"It seems that foreign animation films on our screen are more popular, because they suit people of all ages.Domestic animated films mainly target children and have relatively low box office returns."
Statistics show that the profits of animated films screened in China have risen to 17 percent of the film industry's total box office revenue this year. That's up from 7 percent in 2006. But 80 percent of that is claimed by foreign animated films.
Li Yizhong, from the American Film Research Center at Shanghai Jiaotong University, sa
