A week after the “Three-Body Problem” animation was launched, it seems that it did not meet expectations.
On December 10, the “Three-Body” animation, which was postponed twice, was launched on Bilibili (hereinafter referred to as “Bilibili”), and the number of views on the day it went online exceeded 100 million. As of December 16, the number of broadcasts has reached 150 million, and the number of fans has reached 6.424 million.
The popularity has grown, but the word-of-mouth animation of “Three-Body Problem” seems to have failed to meet expectations. Although it is not perfect, the “Three-Body Problem” animation has achieved basic success the moment it was launched.
“With its IP status and production effect, “Three-Body Problem” may open a new starting point for Guochuang’s globalization and drive the domestic animation industry to a new level.” Feng Cuiting, Chief Internet and Overseas Analyst of Cinda Securities Media, said.
《Trisomy》The animation premiere data is impressive
The “Three-Body Problem” animation was exclusively launched on Station B on December 10. It is the first film and television work of the Three-Body Problem IP.
As of December 16, a total of 2 episodes have been broadcast. According to the APP data of station B, its broadcast data performance is outstanding: the number of follow-up episodes reached 6.424 million, the total broadcast volume reached 150 million, and the average broadcast volume of a single episode reached 75 million, far exceeding The average playback volume of other top anime episodes at Station B.
According to the introduction of Station B, the first episode of “Three-Body Problem” is free, and the second episode is exclusive to big members (15 episodes in total). One episode is updated every week, and it is expected to last for more than 3 months.
Compared with other domestic animations, “Three-Body Problem” is obviously different.
“Three-Body Problem” is a series of long science fiction novels created by Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin. The “Three-Body Civilization” outside of it is hailed as a milestone in Chinese science fiction literature.
Zhang Shengyan, vice president of Station B, once had high hopes for the “Three-Body” animation. He said, “This winter, the upsurge of “Three-Body” animation will allow people from all over the country and the world to witness the infinite possibilities of Chinese science fiction IP.”
However, the broadcast effect of the “Three-Body Problem” animation was not as good as expected.
From the perspective of film and television production, the novel “Three-Body Problem” does not cater to the dramatic narrative techniques of film and television adaptations, and has higher requirements for film and television adaptations.
First of all, “The Three-Body Problem” contains a large number of complex scientific concepts and reasonable imagination based on scientific theories, and the narrative is grand. It is very difficult to describe these concepts through film and television techniques, and present the details one by one. Secondly, the adaptation of film and television needs to shrink the imaginative space of the text narrative to the single information conveyed on the screen, which requires very high control of the original idea. Finally, “The Three-Body Problem” has a lot of literary dramas. To maintain a concentrated emotional penetration, there are very high requirements for the sense of rhythm and the precision of the actors’ performances.
Opportunity for domestic animation
From 1922, China’s first advertising animation short film “Shu Zhendong Chinese Typewriter”, to the present, the development of China’s animation industry has a history of 100 years.
Thanks to the protection of national policies and funds, the total output value of my country’s animation industry has continued to grow since 2013, reaching a total output value of 221.2 billion yuan in 2020, and the overall industry has developed rapidly.
From the perspective of the supply side, since 2016, with the continuous emergence of new media animation platforms, online animation has gradually risen, and together with TV animation and animated films, it has promoted the growth of domestic animation production.
From the perspective of demand, with the rise of “Generation Z” and the development of the cross-dimensional economy, the scale of pan-two-dimensional users continues to expand, providing a broad audience base for the development of the domestic animation industry.
From the content point of view, the creation path is mainly divided into original and IP adaptation. According to the research report of Cinda Securities, original works will account for 36% of online animation in 2021, and IP adaptations will account for 64%.
There are two main creative directions: national style and diversification:
On the one hand, the distinctive national style core is an inseparable feature of domestic animation.A large number of traditional Chinese literary texts are used as the motif, and modern interpretations and adaptations are made to generate a new traditional and modern Chinese style cultural IP, which has a hot response in the market.
On the other hand, as the audience of cartoons expands towards all age groups, domestic animations have also begun to develop towards diversified themes.Animation themes are no longer limited to mythology, history, or antiquity. “Out of the Earth”, which will be released in July 2022, and the upcoming “Three-Body Problem”, explore the combination of science fiction and animation, and are expected to lead domestic animation content. Presenting a trend of diversification and type fusion.
From the perspective of technological development, in 2017, there will be no more than 30 Chinese animation companies that can complete animation. In 2022, there will be nearly 1,000 content chain companies active in China, and more than 120 companies that can produce high-quality animation.
Animation overseas reference
In 2021, more domestic cartoons will explore global distribution.
Reasonable selection of Chinese elements that are popular with global audiences, highlighting China’s aesthetic purport, presenting excellent works that can show contemporary Chinese values and reflect the common value pursuit of all mankind, and reap better broadcast effects.
“Hundred Monsters”, “Those Years I Opened the Zoo”, “Yuanlong”, “Sinicization Diary” and other more than ten online cartoons have reached overseas copyright cooperation with overseas companies such as Netflix, Funimation, Sony Music Solutions, Aniplex, involving nearly 200 people around the world countries and regions. Works such as “Wu Liuqi: Xuanwu Kingdom” have been launched simultaneously on a global scale and have been well received. Works with strong Chinese elements are gradually being recognized by more overseas audiences.
However, looking at the development of the global animation industry, the United States and Japan are still the two most successful giants. American and Japanese animation not only brought objective economic benefits to their own countries, but also successfully promoted their own culture to the world.
The development idea of American animation is to incorporate animation into the film and television industry system, and use long-term accumulation of production experience and marketing strategies to help the development of the animation industry.
At the very beginning, American Animation was known for its efficient division of labor and collaboration and the development of derivative products. Dividing the animation production process into different interlocking processes is conducive to the timely completion of large-scale operations, while ensuring production efficiency and relatively stable quality of works.
The prerequisite for the development of derivative products is the success of animation works. The development of derivative products in the United States started with Felix the cat, and then Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, etc. were born. The cartoon star system has gradually become the core mechanism of the American animation industry.
Nowadays, “senior” cartoon stars such as Mickey Mouse are still active in today’s pop culture vision, and they are full of vitality in the co-rental with major well-known brands and manufacturers. “New Generation” cartoon stars Buzz Lightyear, Princess Elsa, Minions and other cartoon characters are authorized to various products, which can be seen everywhere in daily life.
In addition to the cartoon star mechanism, the linkage between animation, comics and live action is also known as a significant feature of the American animation industry in recent years. Taking superhero movies as an example, Marvel heroes and DC heroes have transitioned from comic book form to animation form, and have achieved commercial success with live-action movies.
In addition, the pioneering move of American animation is that it does not stop at the authorized development of general products, but combines the virtual world and the real world of the work in the form of a theme park, creating a dreamland that exists in the real space for the audience. This move not only expanded the influence of American culture, but also established a revenue-generating model that included the world market.
The animation industry is the economic pillar of Japan. Unlike other countries, Japan has formed a production model of animation and manga linkage.
Japanese cartoon stars generally have a long life cycle, and the continuous marketing of cartoon stars will help to continuously absorb a new generation of consumers and strengthen and deepen the emotional connection between the two. For example, characters such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon, and Pikachu are not only cute images that appear on various products, but also carry people’s memories and emotions.
Advanced Chinese comics
“In recent years, domestic animation has indeed achieved some outstanding achievements. Currently, domestic animation is in a rising or breakthrough period, but if it wants to lead the development of the global animation industry, it still needs to make breakthroughs in content and production technology.” China Young playwright and director Xiang Kai told Caijing.com.
The domestic animation industry needs to start to have a global perspective and exercise the ability to cooperate with overseas production capacity. The “Three-Body” IP with international influence may become a starting point.
In recent years, the production level of domestic animation has advanced by leaps and bounds. There is no shortage of high-quality works with overseas potential in the industry. The next step is to increase investment and continuous improvement in operations, and enter a positive cycle of commercialization that feeds content production.
“The “Three-Body Problem” animation and Bilibili’s global co-creation plan may promote the further development of Guochuang’s globalization, and put forward new requirements for the domestic animation industry with a global perspective.” Feng Cuiting said.
Cinda Securities pointed out that “The launch of “The Three-Body Problem” may drive domestic animation to the next stage, promote the further development of the globalization of Guochuang, put forward new requirements for the domestic animation industry with a global perspective, and lead Guochuang to start from the core content. From a deeper level of change to technical means, on the basis of inheriting the content of local cultural concepts, the audio-visual technology is in line with international standards, and constantly produces works with international competitiveness in form and content.”
Wang Miaomiao/Text