‘Panda’ Charms China
Despite accusations that “foreigners were profiteering from China’s national symbol” and despite a call for a boycott as revenge for Steven Spielberg quitting his role as Beijing Olympics artistic advisor, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda is a big hit in China and, according to Reuters, some Chinese artists are wondering why such a film had to come from the United States.
Said Wu Jiang, president of the China National Peking Opera Company, “The film’s protagonist is China’s national treasure and all the elements are Chinese, but why didn’t we make such a film?”
Film director Lu Chuan points to the government, accusing it of stifling creativity. Lu quit a project to make a film for the Olympics because of government interference.
I kind of wondered whether the Chinese would be offended or charmed by our affectionate take on their culture. It sounds like it’s more the latter, but who knew a tubby slacker panda could inspire an artistic revolution?
So far Panda has made $16 million at the Chinese box office. According to Reuters, $15 million or more is considered a big hit in China.
Skidoosh.
On a side note, I wonder how Japan is responding to Speed Racer which opened there this week. US and European audiences couldn’t be bothered but will the country that created the character embrace it?
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I still cannot believe how awesome “Panda” was myself…and I am going to try give “Speed Racer” another go soon, I just don’t want to have deemed it “mediocre” without trying to see it from a different perspective.
Wow, I’m a little surprised it’s doing that well. I bet Speed Racer does better in Japan than here. I haven’t seen it, but the look of it seems very Japanese.
The Chinese snozzt, they lost. Yeah, KFP was surprisingly good, especially given that it’s the same studio that gave us Madagascar and the Shreks.
National symbol and oriental tapestries aside it is debatable whether Chinese animators (in view of the long-running artistic discouragement) could have succeeded with such a venture at this point in time. Of course that’s the entire point of the argument in the first place–the outcry as to “why” as a swipe against the government’s indifference.
Well of course, on a technical level, they couldn’t have. China simply doesn’t have the resources to compete, animation-wise, with Japan and the U.S.
Exactly the point Jeff, which of course makes the Chinese artistic community’s protestations (which admirable) a futile outcry on this level. Even if the authories revised their political philosophy, the country’s artists would have a lot of catch-up.
a few points that might add some context:
1. public protests more in Chengdu, Sichuan than in other areas–sensitivity having to do with the recent earthquake and the loss of life. made the use of the panda (whose home is in Sichuan) and the inherent profit-making motive of selling tickets rub some people the wrong way. protest in beijing as well, but not exactly a mass movement by any means, not compared to say boycotting Carrefour or French products.
2. artistic community? Nope–more like a couple of outspoken people, like the Zhao Bandi (not sure if that’s the right name)–who, if you look him up on the internet, has had a “history” of pulling off these stunts. On the Chinese blogosphere a lot of ppl criticized him, saying that of course movies are out there to earn cash (duh) and questioning why Zhao, despite not even having watched the movie (this was a few weeks ago, when the controversy began) was so against it. anyhow, my sense from reading the Chinese press is that it’s not a huge deal to most of the people in China.
Thanks for that Peijin. I didn’t imagine a huge anti-Panda protest, but I can also see how it might be a sensitive subject and I was genuinely curious to see how it would be received by Chinese movie-goers, particularly in light of recent frictions between the two countries.
It’s a very interesting phenomenon that I think speaks to the rising freedom in the still guarded Chinese blogosphere. Peijin’s site is a good example.