The China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, drew many enthusiasts who played their part in the event by getting into the spirit of the occasion and donning the dress style of their heroes. CHINA DAILY

Exploring breakthroughs

The Golden Monkey King Awards, the festival's highest honor, have once again served as a bridge for exchanging animated cultures between China and the world.

This year, all 34 awards have been selected from a pool of 73 shortlisted works, which were chosen from an initial selection of 620 projects created in 15 countries and regions, including France, Switzerland, Hungary, Japan and Canada.

Josh Selig, a veteran television producer from the United States, says he is impressed by Frontier, a sci-fi tale which took home the Golden Monkey King's best animated short film award.

Under the helm of young director Zhu Xiaopeng, a native of Chaoshan area in Guangdong province, the 9-minute movie recounts a crisis caused by the out-of-control behavior of an AI system, delving into the ethical boundaries between human beings and robots.

As a multiple Daytime Emmy Award-winner for the hit shows Sesame Street and Wonder Pets!, Selig has developed a strong connection with China since his first trip to the country around 30 years ago. Prior to the pandemic, he regularly visited the country, averaging around five trips each year.

"I have developed a deep love for China. I think it's a wonderful country. The growth in China over the last 50 years has been extraordinary. History has never seen a country lift so many people out of poverty so quickly," says Selig. "From my perspective, China is a forward-thinking, generous, and socially conscious place."

Also, as the founder and president of the China Bridge Content, a New York-based company specializing in international coproductions, Selig believes that international audiences would be interested in watching animated shows depicting modern China and its contemporary culture. He suggests that Chinese animators should not limit their imagination to overused images like pandas and the Monkey King.

"I think the animated content that comes out of China is unique because it reflects a generation that is growing up with the internet and instant social networking applications like WeChat," says Selig. "Everything here happens on a phone. It's a very fast and very digital culture. That is not always the case in other countries."

Exemplifying one of his efforts to showcase modern China, Selig reveals that he has collaborated with a Chinese creator on Peaches & Creaminal, an animated comedy that follows the adventures of an 8-year-old girl from Shanghai who wins a trip around the world. Throughout her journey, she is accompanied by Creaminal, a bighearted bulldog, as they visit various countries like France and Japan.

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