Unraveling 'secrets'

For most animators and industry insiders, the festival's intense schedule, filled with master classes and forums, offers a glimpse into lesser-known facts behind some of the latest hits.

Earlier this year, Zhongguo Qitan (Yao-Chinese Folktales), an anthology animated series comprising eight stand-alone short stories, became a phenomenal hit, amassing 300 million clicks on the streaming site Bilibili and receiving a rating of 8.7 out of 10 on the review platform Douban.

Li Zao, chief producer of the series, says that the second season of the series, and a feature-length remake of Nobody, is in production.

Loosely inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel Journey to the West, Nobody tells the story of a low-ranking pig monster who not only endures heavy workloads but also deals with his demanding bosses.

Many from the audience remarked that the monster reminded them of their own struggles, of moments of exhaustion when they were feeling unworthy at work. This resonance has propelled the story to become one of the most popular episodes of the series.

"We have been discussing why the series is such a huge success. It could be because of several reasons, from the usage of Chinese aesthetics to the animation techniques uniquely created by Chinese animators, and the growing interest in traditional culture among the young generation," says Li.

For instance, in the episode titled Goose Mountain, which depicts a vendor's fantastical encounter with a literatus who can spit out his wife, the sketch-like technique is used to evoke the effect of traditional Chinese ink painting.

Besides, in the story of Ship Down the Well, its animation technique incorporates traditional art forms like paper-cutting, shadow puppetry and printmaking. The episode's music takes inspiration from Tang Dynasty (618-907) court music, creating a delicate and exquisite soundtrack featuring string and bamboo instruments, according to Li.

In addition to drawing inspiration from tradition, Chinese filmmakers are also casting their gaze toward the future.

Shang Linlin, chief producer of the prolific Boonie Bears franchise, reveals that the 10th feature-length movie, Boonie Bears: Time Twist, will be released during next year's Spring Festival.

Speaking of previous Boonie Bears movies, which have touched on highly advanced technological subjects such as outer space exploration and artificial intelligence robots, Shang expresses her belief that the future of the Chinese animation industry will involve further exploration of fields like virtual reality characters.