Huang Jun talks about the "return to tradition" of domestic animation and animation, the most important thing is still the story itself

These days, the animation "Big Fish Begonia", known as the "Promise in Twelve Years", is popular in domestic theaters, triggering another wave of domestic animation craze after last year's "Return of the Great Sage". However, corresponding disputes are also pouring in. Some people question that although this film is beautiful, its comprehensive imitation of Japanese anime in style is a big failure. Some people have also suggested that the "toddler" journey of domestic animation has gone too far and it is time to return to tradition.

these days. The animation "Big Fish Begonia", known as the "12-Year Promise", has been popular in domestic theaters, triggering another wave of domestic animation craze after last year's "Return of the Great Sage". However, corresponding disputes are also pouring in. Some people question that although this film is beautiful, its comprehensive imitation of Japanese anime in style is a big failure. Some people have also suggested that the "toddler" journey of domestic animation has gone too far and it is time to return to tradition.

When the author threw this question to Huang Jun, general manager of China Film Animation Industry Co., Ltd., he smiled and immediately said: "This is a cliché question. However, the older the problem, the more it needs to be clarified."

From "The Return of the Great Sage", which is based on the story of the Journey to the West in the Four Famous Books, to "The Big Fish and Begonia", which is based on the ancient Kunpeng myth, traditional elements have stunned the audience again and again, and many people have begun to call for animation to return to tradition, thereby achieving industrial breakthroughs. But in Huang Jun's view, return requires not just enthusiasm, but more rationality.

"China style and traditional elements are indeed big attractions. But not all traditions can be welcomed today." Huang Jun said that a few years ago, he and his colleagues in the animation industry held a retrospective exhibition of classic China animations. Unlike what they expected, some films dubbed "classics" actually had very few viewers. "Many traditional art forms, such as paper-cutting and New Year paintings, will be difficult to succeed if they are copied intact."

Huang Jun's words do have his truth. In the big animation market, Huang Jun is an authentic "person in the Jianghu". His sense of smell is sharper than most people for the audience's preferences, the trend of the times, and the appearance of products. In his view, art and aesthetics are both products of flow. Today's animation is very different from the past in terms of technical level, aesthetic characteristics and narrative methods. Just like "Big Fish Begonia", although full of emotions, what really catches people's eyes is the solidity and breakthrough in production quality.

In fact, as a senior animation practitioner, Huang Jun has a lot of feelings for tradition. He has loved ink painting since he was a child and loved the oriental charm therein. The ancient mountains and rivers and paintings of beautiful women also made him admire the first-class imagery and shapes. However, once he switched to the role of animation operator, Huang Jun's eyes became instantly sharp. "Can traditional elements be integrated into animation? I think it can and should be promoted, but we must clarify the issue of 'how to integration'."

Take the classic ink short animation "Landscape Love" decades ago as an example. "Artistically, this film has high achievements, but the problem is also obvious. It is too niche." He pointed out that the reference to tradition cannot be narrower and narrower and too "lofty". If animation wants to develop, it must appeal to the public and make the public "pay the bill." What he has always dreamed of is to turn his favorite ink art into the "darling" of the market. However, in addition to the high technical cost, aesthetic style and narrative methods are both "thresholds" that need to be crossed.

Of course, there are many successful examples in this area-inadvertently, Huang Jun mentioned "Return of the Great Sage".

"It is both full of China characteristics and popular. This is indeed a special case of China animation in recent years." Huang Jun scoffed at some claims that the success of "Return of the Great Sage" was entirely a technical success. "This film is full of national character from narrative, characters, modeling to lens expression. More importantly, it interprets ancient feelings in a modern way. Facing the injustice of destiny, the protagonist has both helpless complaints, resistance and anger. Isn't this the most touching thing about that monkey?"

In Huang Jun's mind, although the pace of China animation is slow, it has indeed been improving. The attitude of insisting that "classics" are not allowed to be changed is tantamount to holding on to their ruins and digging their own grave. Only through the transformation of modern concepts and aesthetics can traditional elements truly shine, as can narrative and aesthetics. He revealed that in fact, long before "The Return of the Great Sage", he and his team had made a sample called "The Return of Wukong". Unfortunately, due to funding and other aspects, it could not be finalized in the end.

"In the dailies, we created a different monkey because everyone's interpretation of the characters and feelings may be different. But the Great Sage of 'other people's home'still moved me. I think the same is true of the relationship between tradition and modernity, which not only retains the unchanging essence of spirit, but also allows for personalized interpretation. As long as your interpretation is popular and down-to-earth, it will naturally be recognized by the audience."

From this point of view, the most important part of "returning to tradition" is still the story itself_telling the story of China well, but also telling the story of our contemporary countrymen_this is our truly great and long-standing tradition from ancient times to the present. "China people have been very good at telling stories since ancient times. For example," The Romance of the Three Kingdoms "and" The Romance of the Gods "are all stories told by people in the Ming Dynasty. Although the stories are ancient, the spirit is very contemporary. I think this is a good reference for us." Huang Jun said.

Editor: yvette