One can learn that animation is a business, and that a lot of revenue streams surround the intellectual property of a film. The estimated monetary value of the global animation industry is $228 billion. The derivatives are valued at $500 billion. The largest portion of that is from the US.

So what factors contribute most to a successful creation of a comic and animation product or a cartoon character? It boils down to appeal. Appeal does not mean something looks appealing … it means that when you see it you want to see more. A well-designed character has a shape language that conveys its personality, and its personality is exaggerated in the way it's mannerisms and behavior are animated. An audience needs to connect with the character in some way, and that can come from the love of the character or their disdain for it.

Story is the most important thing in any film. Visual effects are there to enhance or exaggerate the impact.  Those can be giant loud moments, or they can be quiet subtle ones. Visual effects immerse the audience deeper into the film, however their overuse will have the opposite effect because when they are not invisible they become distracting. In order to develop as a complete artist animator, a student needs to be an artist and creative person first and foremost. The technology, although it is very sophisticated, is just a tool for the artist to express his/her idea.

The US industry attaches great importance to market research. If toys were made of these characters and nobody bought them, then some market research is required to discover the reason. Most companies in the US will do market research with test groups of parents and children before going into production. Even the films themselves are typically shown to test audiences prior to making the final print.

Even though I am an animation professional and an educator, I do not know anyone that watches Chinese animation. Typically there is too large a cultural gap and a discrepancy in comedic timing to find it entertaining to watch. Films are made for a specific audience. If your target is the US audience, modifications will have to be made in timing, acting, and content. Indian animated films suffer from a similar problem.

I have not seen these films, but Monster Hunt was directed by Raman Hui. Raman is a friend of mine and although he is a native of Hong Kong, he is highly "Americanized" and worked for Dreamworks for many years. I strongly suspect that Monster Hunt was a success because Raman knows very well how to master comedic timing in an animated film, and his American experience can bridge the gap necessary to make a successful film for a Chinese audience.

The future of the Chinese comic and animation industry is dependent on many factors. The amount of disposable income of Chinese families, emerging social trends, and the sensitivity of a studio to tap into common cultural threads will most likely dictate the market. The Chinese comic and animation industry may not do better than the US industry in the foreseeable future. It isn't necessary to "do better" in this case. The game can have more than one winner. But it could be a very lucrative market.

Ringling College of Art and Design alumni have worked on 24 of the 25 top-grossing animated feature films of all time. The Chinese students we have had here that are willing to acclimate to the US culture have been very successful. They are polite, focused, and good listeners that take direction well. Their advantage in going back to China is to act as a bridge between the two cultures for creating and refining content.

There are also some problems with the US animation industry. Since this business is driven by money, there are very few creative risks taken. Investors in a film want to make a film that looks just like the last one that turned a big profit, because they believe that is what will make them the most money. That is indeed unfortunate. As more and more means of distribution open up (distributors have a stranglehold on the theaters and take a huge chunk of profits) there will be more and more opportunity to take greater creative risks without such large financial ones.

The article is compiled based on an interview with Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn