Magnolia Awards Still Calling for Entries, and Domestic Animation Breaks Through to Live Up to Passion

In 2021, the animation film I AM WHAT I AM rose to be a "dark horse" in the New Year movie season with an inspiring theme and authentic Chinese aesthetics. Among the entries for the animation unit of this year's Magnolia Awards, there are also an array of reputed domestic animation works that tell the stories of China and convey the spirit of China with unique perspectives and sophisticated productions: THE ISLAND OF SILIANG creates a new world of myth with unique aesthetics; HUAJIANGHU BULIANGREN SEASON 5 continues the passionate and unbridled legend of Chinese martial arts; FENGQILUOYANG SHENJISHAONIAN reproduces the magnificence of ancient Luoyang, capital of the Tang Dynasty; AGENT OF TIME comes up with the view of happiness - “seize the moment and cherish everything” through a dialogue with history; BREAKING THE SPHERE: A THREE-YEAR COVENANT rekindles the inextinguishable fighting spirit of the heroic youth... These masterpieces, unique in themes and styles, is committed to exploring new languages to interpret traditional Chinese culture and oriental aesthetics. Combining the beauty of the quintessence of Chinese culture and the charm of the Chinese style in every frame, they have become a vivid way for the young generation to show their cultural confidence.

THE ISLAND OF SILIANG

The work tells a story about the conspiracy and freedom on the Siliang island in the fairy land, and depicts a group of young people who change and grow in the process of throwing off the shackles of fate. Set in the Southern and Northern Dynasties in ancient China, this work values the "image, manner, and style-based" aesthetics in the creative process, bringing forth a one-of-its-kind mythological world of "island of Siliang". The work, exquisitely modeled, is delicate in painting, with even the hair details of the characters being clearly visible. And the "fair profiles" of the protagonists have attracted a large number of face obsessed fans.

HUAJIANGHU BULIANGREN SEASON 5

Among a wide range of fantasy and mythological themes, HUAJIANGHU BULIANGREN, with the spirit of martial art as the core, commands a unique position in the domestic animation field. The fifth season of the work is based on the history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and tells the story of the protagonist Li Xingyun, who, under the dark rule of the Lord Protector Li Siyuan, leads the fellows of BULIANGREN to destroy all kinds of tricks. In the grand narrative of homeland and country, the work shapes a group of young people who dare to love and fight, and have affection and faith. The HUAJIANGHU series has always been the most recognized work among original domestic animations. Its martial arts style is elegant and fabulous, and the long shots borrowed from live-action movies are also natural and smooth. The high reputation of the fifth season once again proves that the HUAJIANGHU series is still all the rage.

FENGQILUOYANG SHENJISHAONIAN

The work, adapted from Ma Boyong's original novel LUOYANG, tells the adventure story of Pei Kun, a young man in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, who came to Luoyang alone to find out the truth of how his master was framed. Retaining the style of the drama FENGQINGLUOYANG, the animated version, while creating a tense and exciting suspense atmosphere, applies more sketches to the sincere emotions of the young who are ready to sacrifice their lives for faith, freedom, friends, family, love, etc. In terms of the production, the work refers to a large number of text descriptions and paintings in the Tang Dynasty, and strives to restore the gorgeous style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty in terms of the art design and model making, showing the encompassing and ultimate charm of the capital Luoyang, the important position of the Tang civilization in the 5,000-year history of China, as well as the pioneering and innovative spirit of the Tang people.

AGENT OF TIME

In the corner of the bustling city, two men with special abilities run a small shop called "Time Photo Studio". They perceive the past through photos, travel through time and space, and complete various commissions from customers. However, things always go athwart. The setting is novel by breaking through the stereotype of traditional traversal themes, and casting the spotlight on suspense and reasoning elements. The content of the story, being faithful to the real-life of young people today, reflects their difficulties in growth and their efforts to change their own destiny, inspiring the audience from within - instead of indulging in the happy memories or regret of the past, it is well to cherish the present, and to create and embrace a new life.

BREAKING THE SPHERE: A THREE-YEAR COVENANT

The work, adapted from the novel of the same name by Tianchan Tudou, is about the story of Xiao Yan, a young man who persisted in hard training and finally achieved brilliance after various blows. As the third special section of the BREAKING THE SPHERE series, BREAKING THE SPHERE: A THREE-YEAR COVENANT continues the igniting and hard-core storyline of the previous works. The characters are portrayed in great detail with lifelike movements and demeanor. And the special effects unique to the characters have also received a lot of praise, especially the abstract concepts in the novel such as teleportation, airwaves, and skill, which are restored one by one in the animation and create great visual impact. As a classic domestic animation IP, each season of BREAKING THE SPHERE will arouse the heated discussion and pursuit of domestic animation fans. There are still many surprises in the work of the third season, which once again pushes forward the boundary of domestic animation.

In recent years, the rise of domestic animation has been universally recognized, and excellent original animation works have sprung up one after another. From the initial reference and imitation to the independent creation of today, fine domestic animation works have explored a new creative path step by step, and also opened up a blue ocean in the market.

Among the domestic animation works submitted for the Magnolia Awards, they, either seeking inspiration from China's five thousand years of historical and cultural heritage or zooming in on the great changes in the development of contemporary China and the daily life of the people, tell the stories of China and spread Chinese culture to the world through high-level industrial production, as well as fine and sincere emotional expressions. These masterpieces of domestic animation not only add imaginative wings to China's animation industry, but also approach the cultural life of the public in an unprecedented way that breaks through. And sought after by the young, they’ve also boosted the audience's confidence in domestic animation works.

Which domestic animation works can stand out and receive Magnolia Awards this year? Let’s wait and see when magnolias are in full bloom!