China is one tough nut for Disney to crack, but to give the Walt Disney Company credit they have been bound and determined for over a decade now. Yesterday, Disney announced that they would be launching a new strategy in the Asian country designed to entertain and entice the Chinese public. Part of their new strategy includes the upcoming release of the Chinese-language film in cooperation with the China Film Group called The Magic Gourd.
The Magic Gourd
This film, a first of it’s kind as the Disney Company works in conjunction with the state-run film group is a mix of animation and live action. The Magic Gourd is a departure from Disney’s more typical strategy of featuring their stable of characters from Goofy to Mickey Mouse to Cinderella.
The Magic Gourd is based on a novel written by Zhang Tianyl. The story is about a young boy who discovers a wish-granting gourd. The state-run television station CCTV features a cartoon based on the story as well.
Animation Station
Disney’s animators are not featured heavily in the film, instead Centro Digital Pictures, the Hong Kong special effects house that worked on the Kill Bill movies did a great deal of the work. Will The Magic Gourd come across the Pacific to the United States? At the moment there are no indications that this will happen, but that’s always subject to change.
Disney hasn’t proven very successful in penetrating the Chinese market despite the publishing of cartoon books, 4200 Disney corner merchandise stores, Disney on Ice and other life stage productions not to mention Hong Kong Disneyland that opened in 2005. China maintains a strict control on their products and media markets and does not allow foreign cartoons on their primetime television.
The challenge facing Disney is access as their next goal includes launching a Disney Channel that will require state approval on content and more. Wang Ran, the chief executive of China eCapital Corp stated that:
In China, because it can’t fully enter local media and entertainment due to legal restrictions, the spread of Disneyland culture is greatly limited.
The Magic Gourd is designed to help Disney’s penetration of the market because the co-producing credits with the state run film group means they don’t have to meet the quote of the 20 foreign movies allowed in the area. They also won’t have to worry about China’s censors disallowing sections of the film because the movie isn’t political and instead focuses on common cultural denominators.
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