Nicole Keeb: Chinese Animation Doesn’t Need to Imitate U.S. or European Styles

The German animation producer Nicole Keeb is the jury president of Magnolia Animations for this year’s Shanghai TV Festival. She has produced popular animated movies like Peter Pan and Robin Hood and is currently Head of International Coproduction, Development and Acquisitions at Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF). In her view, Chinese animated movies are short on talent with an international vision. “Chinese culture, technology and the market is enough to maintain the development of Chinese animations, so there is no need to imitate US blockbusters or European styles,” she said.

Daily News: What are your thoughts about being the jury president for Magnolia Animations?
Nicole Keeb: It’s such a pleasure to come to Shanghai. I rushed to the review of the animation works on my arrival and I still feel excited because I have never seen so many Chinese animations.

Daily News: How much do you know about Chinese animated productions? Do they lack originality or marketing skills?
Nicole Keeb: I have an in-depth understanding of Chinese animations and I’ve watched some nice productions as well as cooperated with Chinese animation companies. For example, I participated in the production of Shaolin Wuzang produced by Fantasia Animation. My personal view is that Chinese animations are still too localized without enough international vision. Many productions originate from traditional Chinese stories with a lot of fairytale flavor, which is undoubtedly reflective of Chinese characteristics. But there is too much emphasis on Chinese characteristics which makes it hard for foreigners to understand what is going on.

Daily News: In the context of this year’s Pitch & Catch Forum, what’s your view on the market positioning of animated products? Should they be profound artistic masterpieces or popular commercial products?
Nicole Keeb: I think animated production has to be a combination of art and commerciality. These films are produced for market sales so they cannot aim for a too-high-to-be-popular taste. If they mainly aim at kids and teenagers, they have to be artistic. On the other hand, purely commercial animations are not meeting the needs of special high-taste audiences.

Daily News: Are there opportunities in Germany like Shanghai’s animation Pitch & Catch that focus on promoting young animation talents?
Nicole Keeb: We have the Stuttgart Animation Festival and attach great importance to the cultivation of new talent. My company, for example, has set up a special fund for young students to help make their dreams come true.

Daily News: What do you think of the current 3D trend in light of new technology and new media? Have you ever used micro-blogs or other new media to promote your movies?
Nicole Keeb: I am personally open to 3D but I still stress technology is there to serve stories and art and is not always necessary. For new media, however, I am, like most others, gradually adapting to it. Our company regularly releases projects on the website and we have created a mobile App. We need to keep up with young trends, after all.