Crowdfunding as a Catalyst for Contemporary Chinese Animation

Abstract

This study explores the online financing forms and practices of contemporary Chinese animation cinema. The research focuses on the use of crowdfunding by this industry, and analyses three recent cases, One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes (2014), Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015), and Big Fish & Begonia (2016), selected based on the perspective of the high economic revenue earned and the artistic and creative singularity of these films, as well as the consideration of the undeniable influence of these productions on the imagination of new generations. Using an exploratory and descriptive research methodology, the authors uncover the main features of the production of animated films based on crowdfunding. The results show that obtaining funds is a secondary objective for these movies that mainly use crowdfunding as a promotional strategy for creating an active fan base and channelling their affective involvement towards the communicative interests of each project.

Reconfiguring a Chinese superhero through the dubbed versions of Monkey King: Hero is Back (2015)

“…The monkey king is projected as "sympathetic, responsible, yet frustrated in the Chinese movie" while the humanised monkey is reprojected "as frustrated, cold and firm so as to suit the taste of the American film viewer" (Wang and Li, 2020, p. 122). To ensure a good reception, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to finance the film's production and promote it on social networks among viewers at home and abroad (Villén et al, 2020).…”