Animated Dreams

Even the lobby of Beijing Hutoon Animation Ltd. is eye-catching， decorated not just with oversized posters of animated films， but also graffiti art. At its office in Beijing’s 798 Art District， Pi San， the company’s animation director， founder of the China Independent Animation Film Forum（CIAFF）， and a pioneering animator， sat down for an interview.

Festival for Independent Animation

“The concept of independent animation derives from independent film，” explains Pi. “The budget is often raised by the artist alone， so independent animation is free from intervention by executives. However， independence isn’t the goal. Independent animation embodies its creator’s imagination and dreams， and has become a method of vividly expressing independent thoughts about life and society.”

Pi， born Wang Bo， graduated from the Department of Art of Shanxi University， where he studied oil painting. Two of the artist-turned-animator’s online series， Miss Puff and Kuang Kuang’s Diary， have been viewed over 200 million times over the past three years.

Independent animation began to boom in China around the turn of the 21st Century. In 2002， Bu Hua’s flash animation， Cat， was posted on websites such as Flash Empire， TOM Arts， and Sina.com， and attracted millions of clicks. Ever since， independent animation has drawn increasing public attention in China. Today it is considered an important driving force in the country’s animation industry. Not only have a number of Chinese independent cartoons spread across the internet， but some have won acclaim at international festivals， such as Lei Lei’s This Is Love and Liu Jian’s Piecing I.

The turning point for independent animation in China is usually attributed to two major factors： Many colleges and universities including China Central Academy of Fine Arts， Beijing Film Academy， Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts， and Communication University of China began to offer animation education programs around 2001， which has resulted in a greater number of highly-skilled professionals. The other factor is that due to the popularity of the internet， a wave of flash animation swept across China around 2005. Flash technology makes animation production much easier. With only a computer and a sketchpad， one can produce cartoons with flash software. Nationwide flash fever lured enormous numbers of amateur animators into the mix.

The emergence of independent animation inspired Pi to launch CIAFF. “Animation is a category at many domestic film festivals，” he sighs， “but few provide a chance for animators to communicate each other. They just receive their awards and walk away. CIAFF is a non-profit animation biennale. Instead of an elaborate opening ceremony， it has many seminars. I hope it will become a festival for independent animators and offer an opportunity for open dialogue.”

Individual Expression

Like independent filmmaking， independent animation affords individualism and personal expression. It is a niche art with limited viewership. “The market leaves an extremely small space for independent animation，” opines contemporary Chinese artist Zhang Xiaotao. “Primar- ily， independent animation is screened at film festivals， animation events， and some galleries， and only a few ever draw public attention.”

Even at film and animation events， independent animation is often left out in cold. “At animation festivals I’ve attended， independent animation accounts for only 5 to 10 percent of all screenings，” Zhang adds， “and some shut out independent animation completely.”

According to Pi， about 70 percent of Chinese independent animations are created by students， 20 percent by individual amateurs， and 10 percent by commercial companies or studios. Every animation requires a tremendous investment， even if it’s only time and labor. However， it would be difficult for independent animation to become commercially viable while maintaining its expressive freedom. Many artists involved in the craft face such a dilemma： Stick to their authentic voice or seek economic returns？ As a matter of fact， many young artists make their livings elsewhere while devoting their spare time to animation.

Lin Jiaxing， 26， is one such example. His A Wolf in the Tree took the Forum Award at the 2nd CIAFF. Lin studied animation at a Guangzhou university. His 9-minute animation took two years to make. He now works for a mobile game company while saving to produce his next cartoon. “Animation is my dream，” he declares. “I’ll stick to the dream as long as I can， and I’ll do everything I can to make this happen.”

A Place for Dreams

Chinese independent animation has yet to find its place in the entertainment market， and struggles to survive in limbo between contemporary art and commercial animation. Along with the internet， independent animation is primarily displayed and spread via galleries， art museums， and some film events.

“China has neither an independent animation festival nor a television channel devoted to independent animation，” laments Pi. “However， independent animation needs more opportunity to be screened if it is to develop and provide working artists some return on their dreams. Fortunately， some art museums have shown increasing interest in independent animation films and have begun to collect them as video art.” Several of Pi’s animations have been acquired by private collectors and foreign galleries.

Nevertheless， the internet remains the primary channel and home for independent animation. A website launched by a group of young animators in May 2009， AnimeTaste has become a favorite platform for sharing independent animation in China.

“We expect to inject fresh vitality into China’s animation industry， and introduce viewers to different animation from what they see on television or in cinemas，” asserts Cai Bo， a co-founder of AnimeTaste.“Our website respects the copyright and work of every animator. We reach oral or written agreements with authors before broadcasting their animation on our site. No matter the length， we don’t cut the credits at the end of each film.”

In fact， the efforts of both AnimeTaste and CIAFF complementarily enhance independent Chinese animators’ ability to hold fast to their dreams. “What should we do in the future？” asks Pi San. “Maybe we just need to sit quietly and work patiently， producing a sound like heartbeat， pounding gently but persistently.”