10 | Friday,August 16, 2019 CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION CULTURE HK

Movies

Animating the next generation With an immersive show by Japan’s Studio Ghibli running in HK and local filmmaker Yonfan’s newest flick all set to compete in Venice, the city’s animation artists do not need to look far for inspiration, says Mathew Scott. ong Kong has long had a fascina- works such as God of War. tion with animation. The genre He says that the key to success is to get was fi rst showcased in Chinese- the basics right which then allows artists to language cinema in 1941 with create characters and stories that make them HPrincess Iron Fan, which had a story lifted stand out. from the pages of the 16th-century Chinese “There are courses that teach you how to novel Journey to the West. draw but most people are self-taught. That’s In the years since, Japanese animation has what gives you that individual look,” he says, become the dominant force in Asia, led by adding that the internet gives artists more directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata opportunities to get their work seen. and producer Toshio Suzuki at Studio Ghibli. Hong Kong director Yonfan’s No. 7 Cherry Alfonso Wong’s Old Master Q series Comics creator Mark Tin-kit says local “You have to develop your story so that Hong Kong is currently enjoying a rekin- Lane will compete at Venice Film Festival has inspired many Hong Kong artists to artists should not get put off by the small people are interested in your characters and dling of its love a air with Japanese animated later this month. venture into animation filmmaking. size of the Hong Kong animation industry. what you want to say. The market is tough fi lms thanks to The World of Studio Ghibli’s but that doesn’t mean people should give up. Animation exhibition. ever before. working for the Hong Kong Observatory, with the aim of inspiring young artists. If you love it you will fi nd a way.” The showcase taps into Hong Kong’s obses- “Today, animation can involve many di er- which is now using animation. Another is As the forebearer of animation, comic strips sion with the characters created by the studio, ent things,” says Yu, who worked as a technical working in creating animation for casinos. So such as Alfonso Wong’s Old Master Q series dating back to the release of My Neighbor director on animated Hollywood hits such as the scope has expanded. You can fi nd the term and Tony Wong Yuk-long’s Little Rascals Totoro in 1988. The fi lm, about two young girls Shrek 2 and the Ice Age series before turning ‘animation’ everywhere these days.” have a rich history, giving many animators IF YOU GO and the forest spirits that befriend them, was academic. the grounding and skills they need to further The World of Studio Ghibli’s a box-o ce success in Hong Kong. Follow-ups “Most of our students are inspired by Japa- Art of the matter their crafts. Animation Dates: Through Nov 3 include the Oscar-winning Spirited Away nese animation and aspire to be animators Even with the advent of new opportunities “The industry is hard, the market is small,” Venue: Portal 6311, 1/F, (2001), about a young girl who must save her and directors, but they soon see the pros- says Mark, who has more than 30 years of and technology, including computer-gener- 18 Sheung Yuet Road, Kowloon Bay parents from a parallel universe. Visitors can pects today are broader, from visual e ects to ated imagery, art still remains at the heart comic-art experience under his belt and has www.ghiblihk.com get up close and personal with 3D installa- motion graphics,” says Yu. of animation. To illustrate this point, veteran produced tions of scenes from these two fi lms and seven With Studio Ghibli and other Japanese comic artist Mark Tin-kit is co- hosting other Studio Ghibli classics, including Kiki’s studios being in the forefront of Asian ani- a workshop on comic design Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle. mation for the past three decades, distinctly at the Lockhart The exhibition is also a timely reminder Hong Kong productions have been few and Road Public of just how far the boundaries of animation far between. Notable exceptions are the Old Library on can be stretched. Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Master Q series from the 1980s and the ongo- August 17 Hoshino says it is a constant source of pride — ing McDull franchise. In the past 12 months, and amazement — for the studio’s fi lmmakers however, the massive mainland market has to be told that their work made a huge impact shown a growing audience for animated on popular imaginations across the world. fi lms from Asia. “It’s been a tremendous experience for me In June, Spirited Away saw a wide personally to see these fi lms loved and accept- general release 18 years after it was origi- ed globally, and to know that they inspire nally screened in other global markets. It people too,” says Hoshino, speaking on the took in $28 million at its opening weekend. The Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, realeased in 1988, eve of the exhibition’s opening. “It’s a tremen- A month later, the Spirited Away became was a box-office hit in Hong Kong. dously rewarding feeling and we hope we can the biggest-ever animated hit across Chi- keep inspiring.” na. This retelling of a famous myth took audiences by storm as well Ticket to Venice as more than $460 million at the Animation has long played a relatively box o ce. small but vital part in Chinese-language cin- Albert Yu of CityU believes ema. Recently No. 7 Cherry Lane by Hong Hong Kong’s young animators Kong’s acclaimed arthouse director Yonfan can look for opportunities across was selected to compete at Venice Film Festi- the Chinese mainland, Macao and val later this month. Early publicity suggests Taiwan and even across di er- the fi lm will tap into a contemporary sense of ent industries, such as video Spirited Away, released recently in China 18 nostalgia for Hong Kong’s past with a story of games, advertising and televi- years after it was made, grossed $28 million at romance set in the turbulent 1960s. sion. the opening weekend. The nod from Venice has set off a buzz “Not everyone ends up doing about the film in local and international what we might call traditional media — to the extent that it is likely to inspire animation,” says Yu. “One of a new generation of Hong Kong animators. our for- Albert Yu Ka-ho from City University mer stu- of Hong Kong’s School of Creative Media dents believes the animation scene in Hong Kong is will always be restricted by its small domestic market. Animated fi lms are expensive and time-consuming to make, and the fi nancial rewards from a city of approximately 7.4 mil- lion people may not be enough to cover the costs. Despite these obstacles, however, Yu Scenes based on Ghibli classics, Howl’s Moving Castle believes there are actually more opportuni- (left) and Kiki’s delivery Service (above) at The World of ties for the city’s animation artists now than Studio Ghibli’s Animation exhibition in Hong Kong.

Animation Conjuring up the Ghibli mystique

By MATHEW SCOTT ney Japan in 2008 and has witnessed fi rst- Miyazaki and Takahata prefer to not really oftentimes ambiguous.” hand Ghibli’s growing infl uence beyond the explain things much, or set things up too The ambiguity Hoshino describes is most Imagine immersing yourself in the fan- home country. The big splash in the global much in advance. It’s more about deliver- apparent in characters who seem to serve tasy worlds created by some of the world’s market happened when Spirited Away ing (the message) in such a way that the no purpose at all. In Howl’s Moving Castle most inspired minds on a daily basis. won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature audience can judge (for themselves). The (2004), for example, there is a separate That’s exactly what Koji Hoshino gets Film in 2001 and raked in $360 million at meaning is up to the individual (viewer).” universe of dust mites and a chubby dog to do as his job. As chairman of the multi- the international box o ce. Since then, the There’s a narrative fl uidity that Hoshino who’s supposed to be a spy but does little million dollar Studio Ghibli, his duties rapid rise of technology — such as that used says refl ects the working habits of the stu- more than sigh. include interacting with animation film in the exhibition to make 3D recreations dio’s creators, particularly Miyazaki, who The character from Ghibli’s fi lms that legends Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, of fi lm scenes — has expanded the scope seemingly likes to keep everyone guessing resonates with Hoshino the most and prob- besides introducing weird and wonderful of the studio sharing its products with the about what exactly is going on. ably serves as a metaphor of the studio’s characters, such as Totoro the forest spirit, world, be it through fi lms, touring shows “His approach is that he doesn’t com- continued success across three decades and to the world. or merchandise. plete the story until right near the end,” more is that of Totoro. “It is often quite amazing,” Hoshino says Hoshino believes the studio’s success says Hoshino. “He keeps on thinking about “It is completely different to other of his work. “It’s been a pleasant, tremen- stems from its core belief that stories can things. It’s di cult and time-consuming symbolic Western characters like Mickey dous surprise over all these years.” be interpreted in many di erent ways, and and cost-ine cient… but it works.” Mouse,” he says. “Mickey Mouse is a tre- In Hong Kong for the launch of The that having a diverse range of characters Miyazaki’s fi lms mean di erent things mendous entertainer. He speaks, he dances, World of Studio Ghibli’s Animation 3D in each fi lm ensures a connection is made to di erent audiences as a result. “That’s he does everything. Whereas with Totoro, exhibition earlier this month, Hoshino with someone, or something, by everyone. maybe the reason why they have become what is he thinking? Is it a he or a she? Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Hoshino says the admitted to being more of a businessman “Mostly I think our popularity comes accepted globally,” says Hoshino. “It’s a Is he really visible or invisible? It’s such a company’s succes is owed to the ambiguity and than an artist during a freewheeling chat from themes that all the Ghibli films completely di erent approach than Disney mysterious character yet has that warm mystery about some of the favorite film characters. on the sidelines of the show. depict,” he says. “It’s all about living. To animation or Pixar animation which seem feeling that appeals to all ages. It refl ects CALVIN NG /CHINA DAILY He joined Studio Ghibli from Walt Dis- live is oftentimes challenging and di cult. to be much more clear-cut. Ghibli fi lms are what we do best.”