Since the debut of the summer file in 2015 [The Return of the Great Sage], I often hear the argument about the "light of the national comic".
16 years of "Big Fish Begonias", 17 years of [Great Protectors], the latest [Wind Whispering Spell], the temporarily withdrawn [Yesterday's Blue Sky], although the subject matter is various, when it comes to them, the most frequent vocabulary is the same - Chinese style.
To find out what kind of "Chinese style" this "Chinese style" is, we have to go back to the origin of Chinese animation.
In the nearly one hundred years of chinese animation history, there is the perseverance of the pioneer Wan Brothers, the reputation of the "Chinese School" overseas, and the strong impact of foreign animation...
In general, Chinese animation has gradually established a unique aesthetic characteristics and value system.
<h1>The prototype of animation is at first sight</h1>
CCTV's "Animation World" program has an opening sentence - "Once upon a time, animation was in hand." ”
Hand shadow games are an intuitive, popular animation phenomenon.
At the candlelight, we pieced together various forms by hand, and we saw pigeons, rabbits, etc. on the wall.
▲ Different hand postures, combined into different small animals
With the story and dubbing, a simple version of the "animated short film" becomes.
In China, the prototype of animation, the marquee, is particularly popular as an ornament for traditional festivals.
On the wall of Chinese lantern paper or silk, a number of animals or figures are drawn in a continuous movement posture, candles are lit, and the lantern is turned slightly, and the animals and people come alive.
Shadow puppetry is more mature and closer to modern animation.
Carved and painted with leather or cardboard to make a flat doll, with the help of light, under the control of people, projected onto a translucent screen. Coupled with the drama and dialogue sung by people, a big drama begins.
▲Shadow puppetry [Nezha Noisy Sea]
Among these predecessors, Chinese animation has begun to see the beginning.
First look at the selection of materials, mostly derived from ancient Chinese mythology, classical novels, folklore; then look at the image, background, action design, directly borrow from traditional painting, Chinese opera.
<h1>The Wan brothers are the only ones</h1>
Around 1918, American silent film cartoons such as "Popeye" and "Jumping Out of the Ink Bottle" were introduced to China.
"The first time I saw a foreign 'cartoon' in the cinema, I couldn't help but be shocked, thinking that the characters under the brush really moved!"
——Wan Liming recalls seeing cartoons for the first time that year
When they were young, the Wan brothers saw the shadow puppet plays of the Nanjing Confucius Temple, and they drew and directed the "cardboard shadow plays" by themselves.
This time, they were determined to do it themselves and make Chinese cartoons.
▲When he was young, Wan Liming, Wangu Toad, and Wan Chaochen (from left to right)
The appeal to European and American animators was fruitless.
Based on the traditional Chinese principle of shadow puppetry and marquee, the Wan brothers combined the "active diorama" and film technology introduced to China to explore the "rugged and tortuous" animation art path.
At the end of 1922, the animation advertising film [Shu Zhendong Chinese Typewriter] was successfully filmed and became an indiscriminate chinese cartoon.
▲ The sponsor is a typewriter factory, the advertising content is naturally a typewriter, the picture is somewhat "simple and ridiculous", and the length of the film is only 1 minute
In 1926, China's first cartoon [The Great Trouble Studio] was born, followed by [A Letter Sent Back] and [Paper Man's Troublemaker].
All three works are made in imitation of the combination of European and American live-action and animation, aiming to create a humorous and funny atmosphere.
"In order to make China's animation industry have unlimited vitality, it must take root in the soil of its own national tradition."
——Wan Liming in the article "Gossip Cartoon", reviewing the creation of this period
In 1931, the "918" incident broke out, and China's "New Film Movement" rose.
In response to the current situation, the Wan brothers undertook the propaganda work of resisting Japan and saving the country: they created a series of animation works such as "Compatriots Wake Up", "Sincere Unity", "Don't Forget the National Shame", "History of National Pain", "Blood Money" and so on.
In 1939, the Disney animation [Snow White] landed in Shanghai.
Film company owners saw the commercial value of animated films and founded animation companies or animation departments.
The three brothers joined Xinhua Film Company and "engaged in [Iron Fan Princess] with our national characteristics." ”
[Princess Tiefan] is based on the relevant chapter of "Sun Wukong Three Borrowing Banana Fans" in "Journey to the West", and integrates the characteristics of Chinese opera and ink painting, accompanied by folk music played by classical instruments.
After more than a year, in September 1941, three cinemas in Shanghai, "Greater Shanghai", "Xinguang" and "Huguang" were simultaneously released.
▲ [Iron Fan Princess] is the first animated feature film in China and Asia
In terms of character design, there is a half-human, half-beast feeling.
Different from the anthropomorphic and cute treatment of animal characters in Western animation, although the characters have animal heads, their bodies are basically close to humans.
The Wan brothers also subtly and implicitly integrated the theme of "uniting as one against aggression" to achieve the final victory through Tang monks and apprentices.
From 1922 to 1945, it was a period of exploration of Chinese animation based on the Wan brothers.
"In the Chinese film industry, animation should be based on Chinese traditions and stories, in line with our sanity and humor, and with educational significance."
——The Wan brothers put forward the creative development direction of Chinese animation
In the early stage of creation, Chinese animation showed the temperament of being closely related to the theme of the times at all times, and had a strong sense of national mission.
<h1>The Chinese school has blossomed</h1>
After the founding of New China, Soviet animation became a model for Chinese animation creation.
The graceful and cute anthropomorphic animal images and rounded and smooth movement processes, which the Soviet Union borrowed from American animation, are also fully reflected in the early animation works of New China.
In 1955, China's first color cartoon [Why Crows Are Black] was born.
Although it has been well received by the international community, it has also exposed the problems existing in the development of Chinese animation.
When the film won the venice children's film festival, some judges thought it was a Soviet work.
▲[Why the crow is black] The art modeling and style are similar to the Soviet style
In 1956, [The Proud General] came into being and became the founding work of the "Chinese School".
▲ [Proud General]: The character image design draws on the Peking Opera face, and the story structure, props and music are all based on Peking Opera, which has the sense of animation of Peking Opera performance
In 1957, Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, the first professional film studio in China to create and independently produce fine art films, was established.
With the Shanghai Mei film studio as the main base, a large number of animation works with national characteristics were created, which were later called the "Chinese School".
In 1958, under the auspices of Wangu Toad, he created a paper-cut cartoon [Pig Eight Commandments Eat Watermelon].
▲ [Pig Eight Commandments eat watermelon] combines ancient Chinese shadow puppetry, traditional paper-cutting art, window flowers and film technology
In the same year, the STUDIO also launched "China's only pure farce film so far" - [Over the Monkey Mountain].
▲ [Over the Monkey Mountain] is based on Chinese folklore, and the character modeling is borrowed from the Tianjin Yangliu Youth Painting, and its humor is Chinese
In 1961, the first ink animation film [Little Tadpole Finds Mother] was born.
The film adopts the style of Qi Baishi's large-scale freehand flower and bird paintings by Qi Baishi, a master of Chinese painting.
▲ Master Qi Baishi's shrimp also made a cameo in [Little Tadpole Finds Mother].
Ink animation is the first of Chinese animators, which has changed the situation in the history of animation films with only "single-line flat painting", creating ink rendering and contrasting effects.
This initiative has added a new genre of films that best represent traditional Chinese culture to the world animation film industry.
The next one to be talked about is a classic giant production in the history of animation in China and even in the world.
In 1964, dozens of painters, who spent four years drawing more than 154,000 frames, completed China's first color animated feature film - [The Great Haunting of the Heavenly Palace].
▲ Sun Wukong's image design has the characteristics of "monkey, god and man", combining comics, drama faces, and folk prints; Nezha is the image of a small rogue
It can be said that in this animated feature film, in addition to the form of animation films, which are imported products, all the constituent elements are born out of traditional Chinese art.
The script is adapted from the classical masterpiece [Journey to the West], the character modeling and background design are based on temple murals, folk New Year paintings, opera faces and stage sets, the music borrows from ethnic opera music, and the martial arts action adopts stylized movements in stage art such as Peking Opera.
"Not only does it have the beauty of ordinary American Disney works, but it also has a traditional Chinese art style."
—Commentary in the French newspaper Le Monde
The Chinese school draws on traditional Chinese painting and opera, highlighting two aesthetic characteristics— stylization and imagery.
Stylization is about routines.
Chinese opera, from the story structure to the character costumes, actions, dialogue and music, props, background, there are rules to follow.
Take [Haunting the Heavenly Palace] as an example: the faces of the characters are made, the good and evil moods and angers are clearly recognizable; the background is staged, the symbolism is obvious; the movements are stylized, one board and one glance, with opera music consistent with the rhythm of the action.
Imagery is about mood.
Chinese painting emphasizes the meaning of the image, reaching a lofty realm of "the unity of heaven and man".
China's unique ink animation is deeply rooted in the true tradition.
In [The Little Tadpole Finds Its Mother], the ink-dotted little tadpole expresses its feelings through the frequency of its tail swinging; in [The Flute], the old cow listens intently and blends into nature.
From the perspective of the value system, the Chinese school emphasizes "educational significance".
"The deepest possible ideological content, combined with the most perfect art form possible."
These distinctive Chinese characteristics are what we often call Chinese style.
<h1>Brief recovery is in trouble</h1>
After the end of the "Cultural Revolution", the Chinese animation industry began to recover, with rich themes, diverse creative techniques, and mature production technology, which were the characteristics of Chinese animation creation in this period.
The anime adaptations of classical mythological stories include [Nezha Noisy Sea], [Golden Monkey Descending Demon], [Tianshu Qitan], ethnic minority folk tales [Kind Xia Wudong], [Butterfly Spring], fairy tales [Good Cat Mimi], [Black Rooster], [Old Wolf Treat], [Snow Child], [Monkey Fishing Moon]..
▲ In 1979, [Nezha Noisy Sea], the image of Nezha was recreated, creating a hero who wanted fire and nirvana
Idioms and proverb stories include [Mr. Nanguo], [Cao Chong called the elephant], [Clip to save the deer], [Female Snail PatchIng Heaven], [Fox False Tiger Wei], realistic themes [Elephant Is Not Like], [One Night in the Gallery], [Three Monks]."
Science fantasy themes [My Friend Little Dolphin], [Little Robot], [Nine Colored Deer] using Dunhuang mural modeling elements, ink paper-cut animation [River Mussel Scramble] and so on.
In December 1980, the Japanese anime "Astro Boy" began airing on CCTV.
▲ It is worth mentioning that the author of the iron arm Astro Boy, Osamu Tezuka, watched [Princess Iron Fan] and decided to devote himself to the animation industry
After that, foreign animation, mainly from Japan and the United States, began to flow into China in large quantities.
▲ A large collection of foreign animation dramas that swept the 1980s and 1990s
Japan and the United States have formed a mature animation industry, with a fast output rate, showing a crushing advantage in quantity, and forming a large-scale, full-time TELEVISION coverage.
In terms of content, preaching means less, pays attention to entertainment functions, and the target group is not only children, but also a wider audience, covering teenagers and adults.
In response to market demand, Chinese animation has also begun to try to produce TV cartoons and TV series.
Excellent works such as "The Story of Avanti", "Sheriff of the Black Cat", and "Huluwa", which accompanied a generation of people, were born in this period.
However, the output of animation in the same period was limited, and the violent impact of foreign works and the difficulty of transformation of Chinese animation ushered in a trough.
<h1>Chinese and foreign countries have mixed praise and criticism</h1>
The 1990s became a critical period for the development of China's animation industry.
Large-scale animation series such as "Heroes from Ancient Times", "Legend of the List of Fengshen", "Big Head Son and Small Head Daddy", "Blue Cat Naughty Three Thousand Questions" and so on have appeared one after another.
Released in August 1999, [Pauline Lantern] is not only a summary of the animation transformation of the entire 1990s, but also exposes the inherent problems of Chinese animation after entering the new century.
▲ The character image of [Pauline Lantern] is taken from Disney
The characters of [Pauline Lantern] are from young people in their twenties, and many of them started by making processed films.
They have a better understanding of the production process and fashion trends of foreign cartoons, and understand the preferences of teenagers, which is an advantage.
But at the same time, they lack independent creative ability, and they have no way to start in the face of original works.
In the end, the characters and actions designed borrowed from Disney's style.
It is not only to adapt to the eyes of teenagers who are accustomed to watching Disney animation; but also to better combine the animated characters with the computer-made three-dimensional stereoscopic background.
In this completely Chinese mythological story, it is full of Japanese character modeling, American character modeling, Chinese character modeling, Chinese animation character image, American animation action design.
Ancient plots, modern musical Chinese stories, and American production and promotion methods are intertwined and collaged.
The whole work is neither Western nor imitative of the West; neither Chinese nor very Chinese; it must pursue both national style and internationalization, reflecting another typical feature of the turn of contemporary Chinese animation creation.
After entering the new century, China's animation production has surged.
Chinese animators began to compromise and gradually abandoned the original production method: the characteristic but laborious production of paper cuts, ink painting, puppets, and shadow puppets was shelved, and replaced by fast and convenient computer mass production.
From the form to the content, the all-round imitation of Japanese and American animation has gradually lost the heritage of traditional Chinese culture.
In "I'm Crazy for Song", the character modeling is modeled after the Japanese youth idol cartoon; in [The Secret of treasure gourd], the supporting character Frog imitates the Disney style... There are also some works that are fully Westernized.
▲ The original painting of the [Mobis Ring] cooperated between China and the United States, from the characters to the plot, is Western
Even if we tell China's own story, we must integrate the style, plot and entertainment spirit of Japan and the United States.
"Little Qingtian Situ Gong" is full of shadows of "Detective Conan", [Butterfly Dream: Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai] modeled on American animation music, and the character design of the "Qin Shi Mingyue" series is integrated into the characteristics of Japanese anime... Both present a smorgasbord style.
▲ [The Legend of the Golden Hoop Stick] is based on "Journey to the West", only the costumes barely have some Chinese elements, from the character modeling to the core of the story, the entertainment is carried out to the end
There is also a major criticism: the tendency to low juvenileization is obvious.
Films such as "Pleasant Goat and Gray Wolf" and "Bear Haunting" have been broadcast on television repeatedly in a hegemonic posture.
Although some animations have received more positive reviews, from the overall point of view, Chinese animation with Chinese characteristics has long ceased to be beautiful.
At this time, the appearance of [the return of the Great Sage] in 2015 is so precious.
▲ [The Return of the Great Sage] From the character image to the costume and background, it contains many elements of traditional Chinese culture
The script story is a second rewrite of the classic masterpiece "Journey to the West", and the shaping of the character image and the design of the scene environment are separated from the influence of Japanese animation and Hollywood animation, and truly realize the national originality.
After the release, the praise was overwhelming, and the whole people volunteered to be "tap water", and others in Amway watched the movie.
It has now been three years since the release of [The Return of the Great Sage].
Although there were occasional masterpieces later, it was difficult to find such a phenomenon-level animation work.
Throughout this year's summer file, [Yesterday's Blue Sky] was temporarily withdrawn, and the box office of [Wind Whispering Spell] was inferior to [New Big Head Son and Small Head Dad: Russian Adventure], which vaguely proved the dilemma of the current Chinese animation.