BEIJING — The Walt Disney Co. has pacted with the China Animation Group, which is owned by the Chinese government, and Tencent, China’s largest web portal, to set up a venture aimed at developing Chinese toons.
The aim of the project, the Animation Creative Research and Development Cooperation, is to “advance the animation industry in China, train local talent and promote the development of Chinese content and franchises to an international standard,” Disney said in a statement.
The initiative is “focused on nurturing local talent and recognizes the importance of developing original local animation content, ” said Andy Bird, chairman of Walt Disney International.
China is keen to boost the local toon biz in the face of strong competish from overseas, notably the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, “Spongebob Squarepants” and Japanese anime offerings.
DreamWorks Animation announced a Chinese j.v. for the local market in February, when China’s Vice President and anointed leader Xi Jinping travelled to L.A.
Tencent will help market the productions, which will be developed for television, film and digital platforms.
“Our philosophy is to operate as the Chinese Walt Disney Company and as such will remain front and center to help local creative talent realize their dreams and help to create one of the most dynamic original animation industry sectors in the world,” said Stanley Cheung, m.d. of the Walt Disney Company China.
Disney will provide expertise for story writing, screening and market research to create content to an international standard, the statement said.
Disney is building a theme park in Shanghai, its third overseas after Tokyo and Paris.
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