On July 2, the cover news reporter learned that Qu Jianfang, a famous animation artist, the general director of the series of animation films "The Story of Avanti" and the art design, died in Shanghai on March 19 this year at the age of 86 due to ineffective medical treatment. According to Mr. Qu Jianfang's friends, Qu Jianfang's family complied with his last wishes and the funeral was simple, so Mr. Qu only released news to friends in the industry a few months after his death.
The Story of Avanti is a 1980 puppet animated film released by Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, directed by Qu Jianfang. The film is based on the legendary character Avanti as the protagonist, and the entire animated film is divided into more than a dozen short stories, in which the funny and humorous image of Avanti riding a donkey upside down and his funny jokes are the common memories of generations of Chinese people.
Qu Jianfang graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Northeast American College (Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts) in 1957, and he is a member of the International Animation Association ASIFA, the honorary director of the Asian Animation Art Center, the vice chairman of the Animation Film Working Committee of the China Filmmakers Association, a member of the Shanghai Artists Association, the deputy director of the Cartoon Art Committee of the China Television Artists Association, the consultant of the China Animation Society, and the senior consultant of the China Animation Group.
Qu Jianfang directed and designed more than 30 collections of art films, is also the designer of the cartoon image of "Avanti", and is also the general director and art designer of the thirteen-episode series of puppet animation films "The Story of Avanti". His puppet animation "Avanti - Planting Gold" won the "Excellent Film Award" of the Ministry of Culture in 1980, the "Hundred Flowers Award" for popular films, and the series "The Story of Avanti - The Divine Doctor" won the first prize for animated short films at the 1989 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
Qu Jianfang mentioned in the program "Lu Yu Has a Date" before his death that "The Story of Avanti" has no contribution fee, and the director also has no contribution fee. Before the 1980s, they all got basic salary, and once the prize was 50 yuan, and there were fourteen or five people in the film crew at that time, so they used this bonus to invite everyone to have a meal together.
In order to make "The Story of Avanti", Qu Jianfang once told that he had gone to Xinjiang to investigate, place after place, the means of transportation were exactly donkeys, and "the butts were worn out" When he saw that "all eyes are earthy", he was deeply shocked, which has a strong Western style in the animation, and the color of the loess has become the main color of the cartoon.
Text/Cover News Reporter Yang Fan
Editor/Cui Wei