Disney Joins Initiative to Boost Chinese Animation Industry

BEIJING: The Walt Disney Company in China, the Ministry of Culture’s China Animation Group and the Internet service provider Tencent have teamed up in an effort to advance the country’s animation industry by forming The National Animation Creative Research and Development Cooperation.

The organization will work as an incubator, helping to train local talent and develop original content. As part of the efforts, Disney will share its know-how in the areas of storytelling, from concept creation and story development to market research. The trio of companies will work together to foster local content across mediums for distribution in China and Internationally. Tencent will provide the online marketing support.

“The National Animation Creative Research and Development initiative is focused on nurturing local talent and recognizes the importance of developing original local animation content,” said Andy Bird, the chairman of Walt Disney International. “Disney’s involvement builds on our expertise and long term commitment to nurture the local original animation industry. As founding partner we look forward to working with this new creative partnership in creating content for the Chinese and international marketplace.”