Chongqing International Animation Film Week: Animators Debate How to Preserve Craftsmanship in the Digital Age

Chongqing - The 2026 Chongqing International Animation Film Week drew to a close last week in Yongchuan District, bringing together more than 40 film and television institutions from around the world and facilitating the signing of 53 industry projects. But beyond the deal-making and screenings, a deeper question animated the discussions: As technology reshapes the industry, how can animation filmmakers stay rooted in cultural tradition and preserve the art of craftsmanship?

Ancient Myths, Hand-Drawn Frames

For many attendees, one film embodied that tension more than any other: Ran Bi Wa (A Story about Fire), a new feature from Shanghai Animation Film Studio that many see as defiantly traditional. The film draws from a millennia-old Qiang ethnic myth. It took five years to complete and required more than 50,000 sheets of hand-painted Xuan paper - a material that cannot be erased or revised once the brush touches it.

"It's not about mechanically applying intangible cultural heritage symbols," said Yu Shui, director of the animated feature Lang Lang Shan Xiao Yao Guai (Nobody). "The Chinese aesthetic in a work isn't something deliberately 'designed.' When you're truly creating, the cultural DNA of the Chinese people naturally bridges the gap between creators and audiences."

Wang Anyi, producer at Shanghai Animation Film Studio, noted that the team behind Ran Bi Wa went beyond visual homage: they invited inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to embroider traditional patterns, which were then adapted into stop-motion animation, and traveled extensively for musical fieldwork, incorporating mouth harps, Qiang flutes, and folk songs into the score.

"At Shanghai Animation Film Studio, there is a very important principle - 'Don't imitate others, don't repeat yourself,'" Wang said. She believes this is the key to Chinese animation's enduring vitality.

During a roundtable forum at the film week, many creators reached a consensus: Chinese animated films should not rely on superficial visual symbols to assert their identity. Instead, that identity must be rooted in the fundamental values beneath the cultural soil.

Record Box Office, but a Hunger for Better Stories

In 2025, China's animated film box office surpassed 25 billion yuan (approximately $3.5 billion), accounting for nearly 50% of the country's total film revenue - a record high for the sector. But industry insiders are not resting on their laurels.

"Technology is advancing rapidly, but stories that audiences can revisit time and again are still in short supply," the host of a forum on "Shaping Dreams Through Light and Shadow" said bluntly.

Under pressure to produce hits, capital and platforms often lean on data. Zhang Yuanqiang, general manager of Hong Li Animation Studios, argued that "a good film still needs some impulse, some risk-taking, and some trial and error." Yu Shui added: "In my view, a blockbuster isn't a measure of a film's quality - it doesn't represent artistic merit."

Chen Liaoyu, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, noted that many in the industry today immediately ask "does it have an IP?" when considering an animated project, as if only myths and literary classics are worthy of adaptation. "Even 'three-no' productions - no IP, no star power, no big-name cast - can move audiences with their simple core," Chen said. "The blockbuster hits of the past decade share one common trait: they don't blindly follow big data, but retain their most precious authenticity."

As creative direction returns to rationality, the focus of content must shift from "showing off technology" to "telling stories."

"We see a lot of animation today where the emphasis is on dazzling techniques, rather than on narrative," said Rob Minkoff, the American director best known for co-directing Disney's The Lion King, who served as jury chairman for the film week. "What truly moves audiences are the vivid characters."

"Chinese animation already has the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world in terms of technology," Yu Shui said. "Box office performance and word-of-mouth are often positively correlated - it's quality that truly achieves both commercial and critical success."

The Tool and the Hand That Wields It

Adjacent to the main venue at the Yongchuan International Convention Center is the Yongchuan Technology Studio, a virtual production facility where animated scenes shift in real time on LED screens as cameras move. Leveraging virtual production, AI-generated content, and other digital tools, Yongchuan has participated in the production of more than 140 films and television works, including the animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2.

But even as the industry embraces these technologies, many argue that craftsmanship cannot be automated away.

"While embracing technology, we must also hold on to the 'slow' craftsmanship," said Yu Shui. "When technology makes ideal images readily accessible, the commitment to craftsmanship becomes all the more precious."

"AI is a very useful tool, but it needs the artist's hand," said Mike Mitchell, director of Kung Fu Panda 4.

That spirit is also being carried forward by a new generation. Yan Ziqi, a young director from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, ventured into AI-generated short film creation and reflected: "What truly brings a work to life is our slow hands, every step we take, and every piece of land we've truly touched."