The Middle Kingdom's Cartoon Flu

Apparently animation isn't quite the draw it needs to be in China.

China's booming box office is a major draw, but there are regulatory issues to contend with and cultural prejudices to be overcome, U.S. animation executives told a panel at Beijing Screenings. ...

Jo Yan, The Walt Disney Co.'s senior vp studio distribution for greater China, ... said that the celebrity effect was missing from animation in China, making it difficult to promote animated films. This, combined with the fact that there can be as few as eight weeks between when importers find out whether their film has been approved and the release date of the film, makes marketing difficult. Plus, ... "[Chinese audiences] think animation is immature and for kids,"

Oriental DreamWorks has four projects in the works right now, two of which are co-productions and one of which is Kung Fu Panda 3, which will be produced in China in 2016 by Oriental DreamWorks Animation and its local partners. ...

No self respecting Hollywood mogul is going to walk away from an audience in the billions.

So our fine, entertainment conglomerates will keep flinging themselves against the Great Wall until they find a way to pull sizable revenue out of the wallets of China's film-going public.