China's animation revolution

THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY “Mr Deng Goes to Washington”, which premiered in Beijing on Tuesday, not only reveals the details of an attempted assassination of Deng Xiaoping, but is also the first time animated images of China’s leaders have been depicted on film.
It recounts Deng’s nine-day visit to the US in 1979, only a month after China established diplomatic relations with the US for the first time after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
Telling stories of Chinese leaders through animation is very rare in China, but “Mr Deng Goes to Washington” interweaves historical footage, interviews and animated images of the former statesman.
Producer Lu Muzi says it includes 12 animated sequences of Deng, drawn in French, American and Japanese styles, as well as in China’s traditional shadow puppetry style.
The animated images of the late leader were approved by his family.
“We specially asked Deng Lin, the eldest daughter of Deng Xiaoping and also a renowned artist, to give the final approval. Shortly after we sent her the tape, she phoned us and said we were good to go,” Lu says.
Zhu Yuchen, 24, a graduate student in animation at the Beijing Film Academy who has also drawn cartoons for leaders including former premier Wen Jiabao, is the mastermind behind the animated images of Deng.
Among the three versions of images he drew, director Fu Hongxng chose to use the version that was moderately realist.
“Deng’s animated images are not static in the film. When he’s at meetings, the images are more serious, and when he’s at a gala, he’s portrayed in a more lively way,” Zhu explains.
For the young animator, a cartoon can tell the story of that period of history better to younger viewers.
“At fist glance, animation may seem simple, but in reality, we need to do a large amount of homework, like checking what dishes were served at a dinner or what paintings were displayed in a particular room.”
Zhu says he and the team went through a lot of historical documents and reviewed video footages in the process of creation.
The film includes footage of an attempted assassination by a Ku Klux Klan member as well as scenes of protesters rallying against Deng.
Details of the visit, including TV interviews with US President Jimmy Carter and national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, are also woven into the film.
Fu says the film is in honour of Deng’s influence on generations of Chinese people.
Production was completed last year, which marked the 110th anniversary of Deng’s birth and also the 35th anniversary of Sino-US diplomatic relations.