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Shanghai Animation Film Studio

Shanghai Animation Film Studio

Industry	Entertainment
Predecessor	Changchun Film Studio
Founded	Shanghai, China (April 1957 (1957-04))
Headquarters	Shanghai , China
Key people	Wan Brothers, Te Wei Yu Zheguang
Products	Animated feature films (anime), Motion pictures, Television, Music
Website	www.ani-sh.com

Shanghai Animation Film Studio (simplified Chinese: 上海美术电影制片厂; traditional Chinese: 上海美術電影製片廠; pinyin: Shàng Hǎi Měi Shù Diàn Yǐng Zhì Piān Chǎng) also known as SAFS (simplified Chinese: 美影厂; traditional Chinese: 美影廠; pinyin: Měi Yǐng Chǎng) is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, by the lead of pioneer animators and artists including Te Wei, and Wan Brothers. It has produced around 500 films with over 40,000 minutes of original animation data source, covering 80% of China's domestic animation production.

SAFS produces a number of animated films in various art forms with Chinese artistry characteristics, including Jianzhi, Shuimohua, Puppetoon, Zhezhi (also known as origami), Shadow puppetry, etc. It also had international cooperations with various studios around the world.

History

Establishment (1949-1957)

In 1949, at the time of the People of Republic China has established, the Ministry of Culture sent a group of young animators, including Te Wei (1915-2010), the caricaturist, and Jing Shi (1919-1997), the painter, to Changchun Film Studio, as known as Northeast Film Studio before 1946, to start an animation team. As Te Wei described, the pioneers had lack of knowledge and technique regarding animation, so at the time Te Wei led the team to study animation productions done by Soviet Union.

In 1950, transferred to Shanghai, where advanced animating equipments and human resource were available, the animation team was expanded by the join of new young artists from Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Suzhou and other leading institutions. Meanwhile, as the political situation got stabilized in China, the Wan Brothers, Wan Chaochen and Wan Laiming, the earliest Chinese animators, returned to Shanghai to join the group. In 1957, Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially set up as an independent department under the Ministry of Culture. Te Wei as the director and the head of the studio, led over 200 workers at the time to create educational and entertaining animated films for children. While learning animation technique from overseas, the pioneers started to explore new methods to reflect Chinese cultural characteristics, including using puppet, paper-cutting, traditional Chinese art elements such as Beijing Opera masking. The Magical Pen (1955)and The Conceited General (1956), two of the most representative films at the time, brought up attention world widely and won a series of domestic and international awards.

The founding of Shanghai Animation Film studio was also promoted by the "Hundred Flowers Campaign" in 1956, that the government of Communist Party encouraged the development and innovation of technology and art in China.

The Golden Age (1957-1966)

After the success of he Magical Pen (1955)and The Conceited General (1956), the studio got additional supports from the government which encouraged them to study Western animations and develop its own models and methods that are truly Chinese. The period of 1957 to 1966 was described as the golden age of Chinese animation films especially because of the high productivity and quality of Shanghai Animation Film Studio. Along with the creative techniques and outstanding Chinese artistry, a number of animated films have reached the top level internationally.

Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, pointed that "Animation films are rather outstanding with their special and unique style in the Chinese Film Industry"At the period of "Golden Age", the studio developed various innovative techniques expressing national style. In 1958, Wan Guchan, with young animator Hu Jinqing, and his crew developed a new animating technique, Jianzhi, based on Chinese traditional paper-cuts and produced the first Jianzhi style animation, Piggy (Zhubajie) Eats the Watermelon (Zhubajie Chi Xi Gua)(1958). Te Wei, inspired by the famous ink wash artist Qi Baishi, directed first ink-wash and brush-painting style animated film - Where is mama(Xiao Ke Dou Zhao Mama) (1960), which won high valued awards at movie festivals including the Locarno International Film Festival in 1961, the 4th Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 1962 and 17th Cannes Film Festival in 1964. In 1963, Te Wei and Qian Jajun produced the second ink-wash and brush-painting animation, Buffalo Boy and the Flute (1963). At the same period, Yu Zhenguang (1906-1991) directed first folded-paper animation, A Clever Duckling(1963), featuring a folk craft technique, Zhezhi(also known as Japanese Origami).

The most well-known animation produced at Shanghai Animation Film Studio is Havoc in Heaven (Da Nao Tian Gong)(1961,1964), directed by Wan Laiming as his second cel animation. He adopted many features from Chinese stage art for environmental design, character design, movement reference (especially in Beijing Opera's military style)and the beautiful rich color palette. The movie was shown at the Locarno Film Festival in 1965 and won wide praises from international audience.

At the period of "the golden age", Shanghai Animation Film studio produced good amount of remarkable animated films in various forms including The adventures of The Little Fisherman(1959), The Spirit of Ginseng(1961), Red Army Bridge(1964), More or Less(1964) and so on. These films has brought Chinese animation to the world stage at the time.

Nevertheless, the anti-rightist Campaign, started in 1964, and the following Cultural Revolution in 1966 gave the animation film industry a hard strike, and took away the glory of the studio.

The Cultural Revolution (1966-1975)

During the period of Cultural Revolution, the whole studio was shutted down by the Red Guards from 1965 to 1972. Almost all the animated film produced before were prohibited only except The Cock Crows at Midnight(1964) by Yiou Lei, a puppet film about overthrowing evil landlords, and Two Heroic Sisters of the Grasslands(1964), directed by Qian Yunda and Tang Cheng, singing the praises of Chairman Mao and Communist Party:

"There area countless stars in the sky. But greater by far is the number of the commune's sheep. In the sky are pure white clouds. But whiter yet is the wool of the commune's sheep. Whiter yet is the wool of the commune's sheep. Our beloved President Mao Dear President Mao , under your sun the prairie prospers. Our beloved Communist Party, Dear Communist Party. The little shepherdesses grow under your leadership. The little shepherdesses grow under your leadership…" [Two Heroic Sisters of the Grasslands (1964)]

Famous movies such as Buffalo Boy and the Flute(1963) and Havoc in Heaven (Da Nao Tian Gong)(1961,1964) are banned because of the "ignorance of class struggle" and implication of overthrowing the government. Many of the leaders and artists devoted for previous production of the studio were accused and forced to be sent into prisons or peasant villages to self-reflect their anti-revolutionary action. In 1973, animators were gradually sent back to the studio, but most animations during this era were made for propaganda use in order to educate illiterate groups of the masses about contemporary political affairs, including Support Vietnamese to Fight Against America, Expose the Peace Negotiation Conspiracy of America, and After School. At the same year, Wang Shuchen and Yan Dingxian made The Little Balu(1973), a story of a boy joined the liberation Red Army. The bold graphic style of characters and background corresponded to the style of prevailing propaganda posters around the country at the time.

Not until the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976, the studio finally recovered itself under the stabilized political situation. Returning animators started to work on the projected that they left for years.

Key People

Wan Brothers (Wan Laiming, 1990-1997, Wan Guchen, 1990-1995, Wan Chaochen, 1906-1992, Wan Dihuan, 1907 - ?), the founders and pioneers of the Chinese animation industry. Made the first Asian animation feature-length film, Princess with the Iron Fan (1939).

Te Wei (22 August 1915 – 4 February 2010), caricaturist, animator, director, the first head of Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

Jing Shi (1919-1997), painter, animator.

Qian Jiajun (1916 - 2011), animator, director, one of the founders of ink-wash animation.

Qian Yunda (1928-?), animator, director. character designer.

Jin Jin (1915-1989), children's writers.

Yan Dingxian (1936-?), animation director and head of Shanghai Studio from 1985-1989

A Da (Xu Jingda), animator, cartoonist, film producer

Featured Films

1955 The Magic Paint-brush

1956 The Conceited General

1958 Piggy (Zhubajie) Eats the Watermelon (Zhubajie Chi Xi Gua)

1960 Where is mama(Xiao Ke Dou Zhao Mama)

1961,1964 Havoc in Heaven (Da Nao Tian Gong)

1963 Buffalo Boy and the Flute

1963 A Clever Duckling

1964 Red Army Bridge

1964 The Cock Crows at Midnight

1964 Two Heroic Sisters of the Grasslands

1973 The little Balu

1979 Nezha Conquers the Dragon King

1981 Monkeys Fish the Moon

1983 Snipe-Clasm Grapple

1985 Monkey King Conquers the Demon

1999 Lotus Lantern (Bao Lian Deng)

International Cooperation

1989 Reynard The Fox with Manfred Durniok Filmproduktion (German), and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (German)

1998 Around the World in Eighty Days with Manfred Durniok Film (German)

1997 The Toothbrush Family with Southern Star Entertainment (Australia), and Film Australia

2000 A Miss Mallard Mystery with Cookie Jar Entertainment (Canada)

See also

• History of Chinese Animation
• Chinese Animation
• Changchun Film Studio
• Northeastern Film Studio

References

- Quiquemelle, M., & Gaurichon, J. (Directors). (2007). The Lost Magic of the Shanghai Art Studios [Video file]. Filmakers Library. Retrieved from Art and Architecture in Video database. - Lent, John A. Animation in Asia and the Pacific. John Libbey, 2001.