Yu Shui was very happy to receive $215 million for his latest film, no onewhich was a hit at the Chinese box office last year – but the animator freely acknowledges his larger global ambitions.
Driven by the massive success she has achieved Ni Cha 2 — which grossed $2.2 billion worldwide, making it the biggest animated hit of all time — and Yu and his contemporaries are keen to expand their horizons.
“We hope to promote our culture abroad, allow more people to see and understand it, and ultimately achieve common human values – that is our ultimate goal,” he said. “American animated films certainly have that advantage, both in terms of content and distribution networks. China has also done very well in recent years, with films like Ni-chaand previous Chinese films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and herovery famous all over the world – even Wong Kar-wai In the mood for love It is a film that many can understand and love. This is a timeless topic. I will think about this aspect in my next production.
Yu was speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai International Film Festival, where he serves on the Golden Goblet animation jury alongside Aardman president Will Becher (Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon movie(and leading Indian animator Gitanjali Rao)Bombay Rose).
With the global animation market now estimated at around $460 billion – and recent international successes including Netflix Demon hunters in kpop And Oscar winner flow The trio said that they were spending their time watching and discussing each other’s work and discussing the changing landscape of the industry.
Rao – who revealed it In the mood for love She was first inspired to become a filmmaker – she believes animators are increasingly drawn to stories that travel.
“I realized we had to reach a global audience,” she said. “If we want Western audiences to understand, we have to simplify our stories. So, over the years, we’ve all known what British humor and American humor are, but the world needs a moment where people can understand what Chinese humor and Indian humor are. Now that we’re globalizing, we don’t need to explain all the details.”
Rao’s first film, Bombay RoseIt premiered at the International Critics’ Week in Venice in 2019 before finding a global audience on Netflix.
“When I tell stories, I often present them layer by layer,” she explained. “There may be a layer that any audience in the world can understand, or a layer that might be easier for Chinese people to understand, or a layer with a sarcastic undertone that not all audiences need to understand. But the story needs to be rich across these layers.”
Becher & Erdman achieved a truly global reach with Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon movie – An estimated 80% of the total $43 million came from outside the UK – despite its obvious British sensibility.
“Before a film is released, you don’t really know how well it will be received; some films are big hits, others aren’t,” he said. “but, Shaun the sheep It had a wide resonance and was welcomed by a wide audience. It’s a very authentic British production, but we know there’s cultural satire elsewhere. In fact, comics share many commonalities in terms of culture.
