Making Animations Appealing to the Domestic Audience: A Case Study of the Ne Zha Franchise (2019-) and Learning Points for Vietnam

Abstract

After decades of servicing for world-renown animation industries like Japan and the U.S., Chinese-made animations start to break the world highest-grossing record with the start of the Ne Zha franchise in 2019. Such a record is made possible because the franchise is able to attract the entire Chinese population to the cinema, making itself China’s national pride. This is a valuable case study for a country with an animation industry still in its infancy but full of potentials like Vietnam to explore and learn. In order to do so, the paper contextualizes the link between Chinese and Vietnamese animation industries through a series of similarities and differences. Then the paper focuses on analyzing strategies in which the Ne Zha franchise (2019-) used to achieve its immense success, specifically in appealing to its domestic audience. Concurrently, the paper draws out key takeaways from such strategies as potentials and challenges that Vietnamese animators can consider to develop a profitable and sustainable industry in the future.