Shanghai Animation Film Studio

Also known as:

SAFS, Shang Mei Ying (上美影)

Founded:

1957

Closed:

present

Description

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Foundation
Northeast Film Company (东北电影公司), SAFS’ predecessor, was founded in Changchun, China, on October 1st, 1945 (Yan 72). During the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949) between the Communist and Nationalist Parties, the company relocated to Xingshan and was renamed Northeast Film Studio (东北电影制片厂), which included an animation department (Yan 73). Later, after the civil war concluded with the Communist Party’s victory and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the animation department of Northeast Film Studio moved to Shanghai and was incorporated into the Shanghai Film Studio (SFS) in 1950 (Sun 99). In 1957, SAFS was founded as a sub-division of Shanghai Film Studio, becoming the sole animation studio in socialist China (Yan 75).

 

Early Works (1957-1966)

Chairman Mao’s Speech at the Yan’an Symposium on Literature and Art (1942) had a profound impact on socialist China’s early art policies and creation. “National style” was encouraged to appeal to the proletarian masses while conveying Communist ideology. Animations such as The Magic Brush (神笔马良) (1955) and The Conceited General (骄傲的将军) (1956) were produced right before the official foundation of SAFS established the what so-called “Chinese School of Animation” (中国学派) emphasizing the national style (Sun 104). These two animations helped SAFS receive additional support from the government and further experiment with different Chinese art forms in response to contemporary cultural nationalization policies (Liu 246).

Since its establishment in 1957 to the dawn of Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), SAFS created animations inspired by traditional Chinese art included paper-cut animations Pigsy Eats Watermelon (猪八戒吃西瓜) (1958) and The Adventure of the Little Fisherman (渔童) (1959); and ink painting animations Where is Mama (小蝌蚪找妈妈) (1960) and Buffalo Boy and the Flute (牧笛) (1963).

The studio’s most renown work during this period is the cel animation Havoc in Heaven (大闹天宫) (1961, 1964). Inspired by the story of the Monkey King’s rebellion against Heaven from the classical novel Journey to the West (1592), Havoc in Heaven adopted designs from Chinese opera, Buddhist cave paintings, and fresco paintings of imperial palace Yongle (Liu 250).

 

Interval: Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)

With the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution when all traditional Chinese arts were condemned and destroyed, many of SAFS’ works were either censored or molded to appeal to communist propaganda. In 1964, Buffalo Boy and the Flute and Havoc in Heaven were criticized and banned (Du 153-154). Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland (草原英雄小姐妹) produced in December, 1965, initiated the aesthetic of propagandistic animation during the Revolution (Ibid.). In August, 1966, the Red Guards took over SAFS and renamed it Red Guard Film Studio while establishing an affiliated film magazine RedGuard Cinema (Du 154-155). According to Sun, “The animation industry was stagnant until the Cultural Revolution ended” (98, I). Since many crew members were forced to resign as they were sent to conduct labour work in the countryside, the studio produced only a few animations from 1966 to 1971 such as The New Sprouts of a Village (山春小苗)(1996) and The Great Declaration (伟大的申明)(1968) (Du 154-155.).

Animations during the Cultural Revolution were heavily influenced by contemporary revolutionary opera (样板戏) characterized by an emphasis on class struggle and accordance to the idea of the Three Prominence (三突出): “prominence of positive characters, of heroes among all positive characters and of the most outstanding hero among the heroes” (Ibid. 155-154). Unlike previous works, animals completely disappeared from SAFS’ production as a result of animals as fantastical figures were considered antithesis to revolutionary realism dominant during the Revolution (Ibid. 155; 157; 159). With SAFS’ resumed production in 1976, the revolutionary style started to dissolute with the release of The Golden Wild Goose (金色的大雁)(1976) and The Fox Hunts the Hunter (狐狸打猎人)(1978) (Ibid. 153-155).

 

Works in 1980s 

The Cultural Revolution officially ended with the arrest of its primary conductor, the Gang of Four, in October, 1976 (Sun 3 II). Following the disbandment of forced labour in the countryside, many of SAFS’ crew members return to the studio. Artists had more freedom in exploring diverse subjects featuring satirical social commentary, reflection of Cultural revolution and representation of ethnic minorities while continuing to adopt myths and folktales from ancient China (Ibid. 6 II; Macdonald 205). There was a continuation of national style along with experimentation with increasingly cinematic forms and techniques exemplified by montage (Ibid. 3-5; Du 181). Representative works during this period include Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (哪吒闹海)(1979), The Snow Child (雪孩子)(1980), Three Monks (三个和尚)(1980), A Deer of Nine Colours (九色鹿)(1981), Ginseng Fruit (人参果)(1981), Legend of Sealed Book (天书奇谭)(1983), and Monkey King Conquers the Demon (金猴降妖)(1985).

SAFS started to produce animations of various duration and release strategy. Other than short and feature-length animated films, TV animated series emerged to prominence as television became increasingly available in Chinese households. Renowned TV series produced during the 1980s included The Story of Avanti (阿凡提)(1979), Sheriff Black Cat (黑猫警长)(1984), Calabash Brothers (葫芦兄弟)(1986), and Dirty King Adventure (邋遢大王历险记)(1986).

 

Works in 1990s – 2000s

Starting in the 1990s, multiple factors contributed to the downturn of SAFS: immigration of talented artists since 1970s, increasing competition from large-scale entry of commercial animations from Japan and United States, loss of status as the sole animation studio of China with the rise of more privately funded studios, low production resulted from continued use of traditional and yet costly production method, and financial crisis from engaging in outsourced projects (Sun 4; Du 181-182, 184, 192). SAFS started to engage in co-production with foreign studios as a measure of maintaining its financial state. SAFS processed 7,000 coloured and lined images for Toei Company Ltd., and in 1986, co-produced The Nightingale with Canada Atkinson Film Arts (Sun 138-139).

SAFS still produced both feature animated films and TV animated series individually from the 1990s to early 2000s, however integrated Japanese and American-style narrative to appeal to the masses. Representative works during this period include Lotus Lantern (宝莲灯)(1999), Music Up (我为歌狂)(2001), and Big Ear Tutu (大耳朵图图)(2004).

 

Works in 21st century (2010s-2020s)

During the 2010s, SAFS mainly focused on re-franchising and restoring earlier works. Other than digital restoration of Sheriff Black Cat in 2010, Havoc in Heaven in 2019 during Shanghai International Film Festival, and Legend of Sealed Book in 2021, the studio also created a 3D rebooted version of The Adventure of Avanti in 2018 ((“这一版的《大闹天宫》，多数人都没看过”; (“动画电影《天书奇谭》4K纪念版定档11月5日”; “《阿凡提之奇缘历险》上海首映”).

In the 2020s, SAFS initiated collaboration with Bilibili, China’s biggest animation streaming platform, by producing Music Up: Reborn (我为歌狂之旋律重启)(2020), the sequel of Music Up (2001), and Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)(2023), a collection of 8 independent animated shorts inspired by traditional Chinese folklore (“我为歌狂之旋律重启开播”; Milligan). The latter went viral in China by reaching 10M views in 3 days since the release of its first episode (Milligan). Yao-Chinese Folktales competed in Animafest Zagreb World Panorama in 2023, and was awarded Best Web Animation of the 19th Chinese American TV Festival (“《中国奇谭》海外上线”).

Select filmography:

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The Magic Brush (神笔马良) (1955)

The Conceited General (骄傲的将军) (1956)

Pigsy Eats Watermelon (猪八戒吃西瓜) (1958)

The Adventure of the Little Fisherman (渔童) (1959)

Where is Mama (小蝌蚪找妈妈) (1960)

Buffalo Boy and the Flute (牧笛) (1963)

Havoc in Heaven (大闹天宫) (1961, 1964)

Nezha Conquers the Dragon Kings (哪吒闹海)(1979)

The Story of Avanti (阿凡提)(1979)

Snow Child (雪孩子)(1980)

A Deer of Nine Colours (九色鹿)(1981)

Ginseng Fruit (人参果)(1981)

Legend of Sealed Book (天书奇谭)(1983)

Sheriff Black Cat (黑猫警长)(1984)

Monkey King Conquers the Demon (金猴降妖)(1985)

Calabash Brothers (葫芦兄弟)(1986)

Dirty King Adventure (邋遢大王历险记)(1986)

Lotus Lantern (宝莲灯)(1999)

Music Up (我为歌狂)(2001)

Big Ear Tutu (大耳朵图图)(2004)

Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)(2023)

References:

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Du, Daisy Yan. “2. Mochinaga Tadahito and Animated Filmmaking in Early Socialist China”. Animated Encounters: Transnational Movements of Chinese Animation, 1940s–1970s, edited by Allison Alexy, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2019, pp. 68-113. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824877514-005

Du, Daisy Yan. “Appendix 2: Leaders of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio”. Animated Encounters: Transnational Movements of Chinese Animation, 1940s–1970s, edited by Allison Alexy, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2019, pp. 189-190. https://doi-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1515/9780824877514-010

Du, Daisy Yan. “4. Animals, Ethnic Minorities, and Villains in Animated Film during the Cultural Revolution”. Animated Encounters: Transnational Movements of Chinese Animation, 1940s–1970s, edited by Allison Alexy, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2019, pp. 152-180. https://doi-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1515/9780824877514-007

Lijun, Sun. “Founding of Shanghai Animation Film Studio.” The History of Chinese Animation I, 1st ed., Routledge, 2020, pp. 99–131, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367854867-11.

Lijun, Sun. “Overview.” The History of Chinese Animation I, 1st ed., Routledge, 2020, pp. 97-98, https://www-taylorfrancis-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780367854867-10/overview-sun-lijun?context=ubx&refId=8c22dac4-d9e1-4308-83ca-6ca6486609c2

Lijun, Sun. “Overview.” The History of Chinese Animation II, 1st ed., Routledge, 2020, pp.3-4, https://www-taylorfrancis-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780367855031-2/overview-sun-lijun?context=ubx&refId=e134cfb2-af26-48e4-b85a-3bf718bab479

Lijun, Sun. “Creation and Exploration.” The History of Chinese Animation II, 1st ed., Routledge, 2020, pp. 5–22, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367855031-3.

Macdonald, Sean. “Animation as Intertextual Cinema: Nezha Naohai (Nezha Conquers the Dragon King).” Animation : An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 10, no. 3, 2015, pp. 205–21, https://doi.org/10.1177/1746847715605608.

Ying, Liu. “From 1950s to 1980s: The Formation, Development and Practice of the ‘National Style’ Animation Concept of Shanghai Animation Film Studio.” International Journal of Social Science Research, https://doi.org/10.5296/ijssr.v10i2.20158.

“《阿凡提之奇缘历险》上海首映.” 上美影, 27 Sept. 2018, www.ani-sh.com/new-detail.html?id=42.

“这一版的《大闹天宫》，多数人都没看过.” 上美影, 26 May 2019, www.ani-sh.com/new-detail.html?id=44.

“动画电影《天书奇谭》4K纪念版定档11月5日.” 澎湃, 14 Oct. 2021, web.archive.org/web/20211019054553/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_14897749.

“我为歌狂之旋律重启开播.” 上美影, 14 Sept. 2020, www.ani-sh.com/new-detail.html?id=48.

Milligan, Mercedes. Chinese Folktale Toon Hits 10M Views on Bilibili in 3 Days. 9 Jan. 2023, www.animationmagazine.net/2023/01/chinese-folktale-toon-hits-10m-views-on-bilibili-in-3-days.

上影集团. “《中国奇谭》海外上线，向近200个国家展现中式想象的奇境之美和中国动画的原创力量.” Weixin Official Accounts Platform, 11 Apr. 2024, mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tNBROWJXha4xnQCnCDydOw.

External Links:

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Official Website: http://www.ani-sh.com/

MyAnimeList Webpage: https://myanimelist.net/anime/producer/471/Shanghai_Animation_Film_Studio

Imdb on Yao-Chinese Folktales: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26007176/