A Long Way to Go

    Some critics feel that the success of the Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf TV series and movie lies in safeguards adopted by the Chinese Government in the last few years, which set the prime time (5 to 9 pm) slot for Chinese-made programming only and stipulates that the ratio of homegrown to imported content aired on the Chinese small screen should be at least 7: 3. Although the policies undoubtedly played a part in the revival of the Chinese animation industry, critics believe that such a revival cannot help the industry gain competitive edge on the international market.

    Though feeling elated about the movie’s success, Lu Yongqiang, general manager of the CPE, and Li Ruigang, president of the SMG, are both exercising caution: “The domestic feature animation is an industry still in its infancy. We still have a long way to go.”

    However, the movie’s success is a good start. It has enabled domestic animators to gain more experience in animation design and promotion. More important, it encourages domestic cartoon producers to seek the rewards of well-crafted creations. “Next year will see Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf II and more episodes of the TV series,” Chen Yingjie gives us a sneak preview of the sequel by saying that the old rivals will transform from foes to friends; with the help of the goats the wolves narrowly escape a gang of baddies. Audiences will witness how natural enemies cooperate with each other, and give animators a chance to keep their interest with new ideas.