Comic and animation festival kicks off in Guangzhou

The 16th China International Comics Festival and the 20th CACC Golden Dragon Award Ceremony kick off in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 16th China International Comics Festival and the 20th CACC Golden Dragon Award Ceremony kicked off in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday, amid high expectation of industry insiders to further promote the development of the country's comic and animation industry and help build the Guangdong provincial capital into a city of comic.

In addition to awarding ceremonies and keynote speeches, officials, business executives, producers, cartoonists and industry insiders discussed the development of the comic industry through industry summits, special theme lectures and salon talks, seeking the expansion of exchanges and cooperation during the event.

The comic and animation industry has a market scale of more than 100 billion yuan ($14.29 billion), said organizers.

Song Yiyi, a comic and animation producer, said China had its own Chinese animation in 1922, and Chinese animated films have maintained stable growth in the past decades.

"Despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in the previous years, the box office of Chinese animated films has exceeded 7.2 billion yuan, so far, this year, more than the highest figure in 2019, demonstrating that the Chinese animated film market still has great potential in the future," said Song.

Most of the audiences of animated films are young people, she added.

The 16th China International Comics Festival and the 20th CACC Golden Dragon Award Ceremony kick off in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Igor Lodeiro, leading creator of Kung Fu Panda 2, said Dreamworks Animation "Kung Fu Panda", released in 2008, became one of the most successful movie franchises in animation history.

"The film blended martial arts action with heartfelt storytelling supported by the rich background of China and its spectacular locations and diverse arts and looks, and this movie was born out of the inspiration of Chinese culture," he said.

And Kung Fu Panda "emphasizes important Chinese cultural values such as respect for elders, the importance of family, and the pursuit of personal growth and self-improvement, all of which are central themes in Chinese culture, Lodeiro said.

The "Kung Fu Panda" series has been a critical and commercial success. And the films have received acclaim for their animation, storytelling, and memorable characters.

The franchise has grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide, making it one of DreamWorks Animation's most successful film series with multiple Oscar nominations for the movies, he said.

"China still has a million stories to tell, there's a vast amount of inspiration in its culture and art, and storytellers and visionary creators will continue bringing this to audiences worldwide, and make the world better understand the rich history of this country," said Lodeiro.

The 16th China International Comics Festival and the 20th CACC Golden Dragon Award Ceremony kick off in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]