Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 572 Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education (ICADCE 2021) The Artistic Design of Chinese Film and Television Animation Characters — The Aesthetics of Semiotic and Realistic Re-creation Jingjun Xu1,* 1 Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing 401331, China *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT In recent years, Chinese film and animation has grown to a large number, and all major children's channels broadcast a variety of low-age cartoons every day. The emergence of a variety of high-quality Chinese film animation in recent years has also shown people that Chinese film and animation is slowly reviving. From these films, it can be seen that the artistic design of Chinese film and animation characters has its own characteristics, and on the basis of people's original impressions, the reconstruction of the inner quality is carried out in an innovative way, which not only enriches the connotation of the characters, but also realizes a new interpretation of the aesthetics of reconstruction from the perspective of semiotics and realism. This is the core of the revival of Chinese film and animation. This thesis will start from the artistic design of the characters of Chinese film and television animation, and discuss the aesthetics of semiotic and realistic reconstruction in detail through the explanation of several Chinese film and television animations. Keywords: Chinese film and television animation, Artistic design of characters, Semiotics, Realism, Reconstructive aesthetics. 1. INTRODUCTION television animation works. Through its unique artistic language and under the control of the Film and television animation is a communicator, the image fully carries and conveys comprehensive art, collecting the characteristics of a variety of established content, playing the role of film and television audiovisual as well as covering a carrier to promote cultural communication and the artistic characteristics of many art disciplines transmutation, and becoming a unique symbol of such as comics and literature. The expressiveness cultural layer rich in realism. On the other hand, in of these different artistic features is reflected in the terms of its commercial symbolic function, the character image of animation, which constitutes an successful transformation of film and television aesthetic and cultural value different from the animation image as a commercial symbol is based traditional single art form. In this regard, the on its cultural symbolic function, but its cultural character image of film and television animation mission must be realized and maintained through belongs to the most important part of the content of commercial means. Therefore, it needs to be film and television animation, and is also the most interpreted with a new aesthetics in the middle of indispensable symbol in film and television semiotics and realism, so that it not only serves as animation. Therefore, the image of film and the most core relationship of film and television television animation works as the most powerful animation communication, but also reflects that to medium of cultural communication in film and reflect the central idea which film and television animations really want to spread is also a unique *Project: Research on technological innovation and medium. application of panda Digital Cultural industries (Project No. kjcx 2020042), a scientific and technological innovation project of "construction of Chengdu and Chongqing double City Economic Circle" of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 575 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 572 2. SEMIOTICS AND CHARACTER has been endowed within the process of continuous DESIGN FOR FILM AND dissemination. Additionally, it has been given a ANIMATION deep connotation and cultural qualities. However, the animated movie "The Return of the Great Sage" In a film and animation work, the design of has a new perspective on its interpretation of character image is the core, and it carries the soul of justice, so that people feel refreshing when they see the work. Animation character image is a symbolic it, and at the same time, there is more online and language, and it has an important symbolic offline constant exclamation: the return of the Great meaning. For example, when it comes to Black Cat Sage ... This is where the value of semiotics lies. Sheriff, people think of justice, bravery and wit; Thus, in this respect, the value of semiotics is when it comes to Porky Pig, it is lazy and timid; that it places the simple animated characters in a when it comes to Pleasant Goat, it is smart, friendly broader cultural context, thus making the social and kind. There is a symbolic relationship between value of animation creation get a boost. The the image of animation characters and the cultural semiotic study of film is not a distillation of the characteristics of the works. The character image of abstract film grammar, but an open symbolic animation exists in the form of symbols, or it is a system for reality and audience. Under the cross- collection of cultural traits symbolized. cultural perspective, each film can be seen as a Today, China is in a phase of deep cultural text, and each image symbol is a carrier of transformation in the field of animation, and a clear a certain culture, and the director will inevitably goal has been seen to achieve a real renaissance, so inject a certain cultural element into each image the creation of the Chinese film and animation symbol in the process of using the image symbol to image is no longer a mere cartoon image, but the express. cultural connotation which will be the soul of the character. The meaning of the animated image 3. REALISM AND CHARACTER depends precisely on the symbolic meaning, in DESIGN FOR FILM AND other words, the cultural value of the character. ANIMATION In his treatise on semiotic aesthetics, Roland In the process of production and dissemination Barthes suggests that "in the contemporary form of of film and television animation, there is another aesthetics and literature, it is difficult to grasp the inescapable point — realism, and the most realistic different aspects of art without the semiotics of art in film and television animation is the role in language and its communication, without the study animation. Therefore, film and television animation of the special role of symbols in art and the character design, no matter in adult animation, or in interrelationship between symbols and meaning in children's animation, contains the quality of realism creation, and without the revelation of the dual to some extent, which is inevitable. structure of symbols in various cultural systems. It is difficult to grasp the laws of art creation and For example, in reality, young parents are appreciation, of linguistic and non-linguistic constantly busy with working and making money phenomena from different aspects without the study from day to night. When they go back home, they of the special role of symbols in art or the have been exhausted, so reasonably in the interrelation of symbols and meanings in creation, education of their growing-up children, they may and without the revelation of the dual structure of slacken. If it continues for a long time, it will make symbols in various cultural systems. Each artistic the next generation grow up crooked, thus making expression constitutes a symbolic system of society more complicated. At this time, many films specific meanings. In this sense, the study of and animations are based on this realism to produce symbolic analysis is indispensable for aesthetics the role. Through the character in the animation and art theory." story behavior, these films and animations want to teach the growing children tell the right from the For example, the "The Monkey King", as early wrong. A good example is the film and animation as the 1960s, was interpreted in a new and "Confucius". righteous way in the form of " The Monkey King ", and after that, through the continuous performance At the beginning of the film, one does not see of TV and movies, it has long formed a fixed role the image of the old man with white hair and a image in people's mind, which is, a role symbol, stooped figure seen in the scroll. Instead, it is an and in the process of continuous dissemination, it image of a young Confucius with his hair in a bun 576 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 572 and dressed in brown rough linen. Through the screening. It is inevitable that it naturally carries the surrounding environment and Confucius' dress, the characteristics of realism. realistic situation of Confucius' poor family when he was young is restored, showing the image of a 4. RE-CREATIVE AESTHETICS AND good young man who is still diligent and studious CHARACTER DESIGN FOR FILM in a difficult environment and is not ashamed to ask AND ANIMATION questions, which helps to educate today's children and youth. Then comes the image of a young People who like film and television animation Confucius with firm eyes, dressed in a green shirt, have seen countless animation films. Especially in studying and discussing with others, mainly recent years, they will find a phenomenon that highlighting his character and excellent qualities. whether it is newly created film and television The last appearance is the image of Confucius in animation, or in Chinese mythology or historical his middle and old age. At this time, Confucius stories based on the new interpretation of film and already appears to be calm and dignified, with his television animation, its role design has a unique eyes revealing a grave and solemn look, and his aesthetics.