Mon, Nov 10, 2003 page11

• Staying animated about animation

  Many people have seen or heard of the classic Walt Disney animated films such as `Snow White,' `The Little Mermaid' and `The Lion King,' but few know that much of the work on these features was done by Taiwanese animation companies. After producing animation for foreign companies over the last two decades, some local firms have decided to focus on more indigenous work. Last week Wang Film Productions Co's general director Wang Tung met with `Taipei Times' staff reporter Jessie Ho to discuss how his company, the nation's largest animation production firm, wants to push projects with a local flavor onto the world stage

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  Taipei Times: The animation production business in Taiwan is considered to be withering since three-dimensional (3D) computer-graphics technology no longer needs the hand-drawing that gave local cartoonists an advantage. How will the industry weather this challenge?

  Wang Tung (王童): First, I would like to correct that false impression of the industry. Although 3D is replacing the hand-drawing that we have traditionally been good at, this doesn't mean we that we are losing our way of life. In fact, we still have contracts for a lot of US TV cartoon productions because they are trying to save on costs. Good animated films require creativity and brilliant ideas, which are the lifeblood of the work and cannot be replaced by any form of technology.

  

  Wang Tung, general director of Wang Film Productions Co, said Taiwanese animation companies must produce their own original material if they want to survive in an industry that is moving toward more computer-generated graphics and fight off competition from rivals in other Asian countries.

  PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Advances in computer-graphics, however, give us an opportunity to rethink our business model. Therefore, we've been trying to transform the company from a tool, which merely works on other people's scripts, to an independent producer, which comes up with original pieces of work. I think this is a direction the local animation industry should go.

  TT: What made you switch your career from film director -- which you did for the last 22 years -- to a producer and director of animation? Is this because you see an opportunity for the sector to grow?

  Wang: Absolutely. In the last few years, a few Chinese directors and actors such as Ang Lee (李安), Jackie Chan (成龍) and John Woo (吳宇森) have entered the mainstream US entertainment market. Their success also introduced Chinese aesthetics to Western audiences, such as martial arts, which are selling like hot cakes and therefore make our products more marketable than they used to be. In addition to cartoons, animation technology has been used very well in movies such as The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films. Animated features are a trend. This is definitely the right time for us to take the lead in the industry in the Asian region.

  TT: As you mentioned earlier, motion pictures with a Chinese cultural background are now more acceptable to US audiences. Does this mean that Taiwan's animation industry should target the US market instead of Asia, especially the Chinese market?

  Wang: Not exactly. I think the smart way is to work along both lines, and this is what we are doing and testing right now. We've devoted US$20 million to a new animation work, "Marco Polo," which is currently under development. This film is being made to market to the world following in the footsteps of Walt Disney Pictures' Toy Story and other Hollywood hits. With a story that is familiar with both Eastern and Western audiences and powerful marketing, we expect the project, which is estimated to be finished in 2005, to bring in a considerable box office.

  In addition to "Marco Polo," we also adapted the most absorbing segment of the famous classical Chinese story Journey to the West into "Monkey King," a US$6 million-budgeted animation made especially for the Chinese community. We're looking forward to seeing how the dual-business model works after the two films hit the big screen.

  TT: In talking about animation content, the local industry is split into two camps. One likes to adopt ancient Chinese fairy tales or historical stories in a bid to differentiate their work from Western pieces, while the other argues for taking the cultural element out of the films in order to cater to a general audience. Which side are you on?

  Wang: I think I stand between the two. Many traditional Chinese stories are not easily comprehended by non-Chinese audiences, but they are still inspiring and carry valuable notions that may be of interest to others. Thus, I suggest intermingling traditional elements into modern scripts.

  Disney's Mulan is a good example of such a combination. The cartoon series Funky Space Monkey (小學堂) -- a modern version of Journey to the West -- that we are producing now, is another example. We believe the legendary characters of Journey to the West will be appealing to foreign audiences, while [local] viewers won't be confused since we have adopted new storylines instead of using the ancient ones.

  The model is proving workable, as a leading US animation company has contacted us in regard to buying the broadcast rights to the program for the US.

  TT: What is the main difficulty facing Taiwan's animation industry?

  Wang: In the past, local animation companies could only manufacture US companies' projects on a contact basis, but not develop their own work due to the small size of the local market. Now, as we have the potential "greater China" market to exploit, we are in need of money.

  We have discovered that even throwing in every cent we have earned is not enough to support our current projects. We need investment from the private sector. Unfortunately, we have only been able to obtain limited funding, since many local companies see animated films as a money-losing business.

  Another challenge will be the short-sightedness and low self-awareness of the industry. Many companies are reluctant to develop their own films and still prefer contracting work from outside as they have done over the last decade. I understand their refusing to take risks as they don't have money to lose, but if they never seek to change, they will be weeded out by competitors in countries such as South Korea and Thailand, where the animation industry is growing, too.

  Copyright protection is the third issue we are concerned about. Our profits maybe reduced owing to the flood of pirated items in Asian countries, which is definitely a threat to the industry.

  TT: How do you plan to overcome these predicaments?

  Wang: Given the lack of private investment, we will first forge an alliance with foreign animation companies that have more insight to the industry and are interested in our projects. Then, we will try our best to come up with quality work. I believe once we prove that our films are able to bring in considerable profits, investors will be willing to invest in later projects.

  As to how to give a wake-up call to local animation companies, I don't think there is much we can do. Hopefully, the rising competition from outside will drive them to transform. We also can do nothing about the intellectual property rights issue but rely on the Chinese government to make more of an effort to crack down the piracy [there] as Taiwan's government does.

  TT: Just as the manufacturing industry gradually migrated to China in search of cheaper labor and re-sources, the local animation industry has also moved part of its operations there. Your company has opened a branch in Soochow City. Will the local animation industry gradually move out of the country?

  Wang: I don't think so. We just moved our low-end production there to save labor costs. We have kept our creative team in Taipei. One thing that the local industry should be cautious about, however, is the competition from across the [Taiwan] Strait, because the Chi-nese government is also eager to promote its animation industry. Although Chinese-produced cartoons and animated films are not as sophisticated as ours in terms of storylines and drawing techniques, they'll soon catch up as they have a huge market -- a 1.3 billion population to support their industry.

  I think it will take them 10 years to reach Taiwan's [current] level. Therefore, Taiwanese companies should seize this time to develop their own films in order to remain competitive in the world market.

  TT: The rise of South Korean pop culture, especially entertainment and online gaming, has attributed to the strong support from that country's government. Taiwan's government is also keen to push the digital-content industry, which encompasses animation. Do you think the government has done enough to achieve this goal?

  Wang: I think the government has tried very hard to promote the industry. For example, we were given a NT$15 million grant to develop the "Monkey King." We appreciated the help from the government, but the grant was just too small. Since the officials in charge also have little experience in or understanding of animation, they also have difficulty integrating the resources we need. In addition, the government seems to have put most of its eggs into the online-gaming basket, which [most people] consider will rake in the cash more quickly.

  For now, my only hope is that our projects will be the success we expect; then the government will be more willing to allocate money to us.
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