ResearchontheAnimationDevelopment PathwaysofTraditionalChineseCulturalIPs:FocusingontheAnimatedFilmsNeZha : Birth oftheDemonChildandChang ’ anThirty ThousandMiles

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Against the backdrop of enhanced cultural confidence and elevated cultural soft power among the Chinese nation, alongside the explosive growth and high-quality development of the digital creative industry, the animation-based development of China's traditional cultural IPs has emerged as a crucial cultural practice pathway for embodying national spirit and connecting with younger generations. It serves as a pivotal entry point for the creative transformation and innovative evolution of China's outstanding traditional culture, as well as a key fulcrum for building a modern cultural dissemination system. This study focuses on the ＂animation development pathways of China's traditional cultural IPs＂ as its core topic for discussion, systematically tracing their evolutionary journey since the 1950s from a multidisciplinary perspective, examining their accumulation phase, and analyzing their recent rapid growth. Building on this foundation, it analyzes the structural characteristics of the current market ecosystem—including positive trends such as increased concentration of flagship works, diversified platform distribution channels, and heightened user engagement —while also addressing underlying contradictions and practical challenges, such as content homogenization, superficial cultural interpretation, uneven professional competence among creators, weak cross-media narrative capabilities, inadequate copyright protection mechanisms, and regional development disparities. This study focuses on the core development pathways for animating China's traditional cultural IPs. Leveraging a multidisciplinary research perspective, it systematically elucidates the evolutionary trajectory of traditional culture animation across all stages, accurately assesses current market dynamics and positive trends in the industry, and delves into underlying contradictions and practical challenges within the sector. By conducting benchmarking empirical analyses using two landmark animated works, the study identifies the fundamental creative principles enabling traditional cultural IPs to resonate with contemporary markets, establishing a comprehensive, multi-dimensional analytical framework. Addressing systemic shortcomings throughout the industry chain, the research develops actionable, forward-looking, and collaborative optimization strategies that align with industrial realities, policy directives, and youth audience needs. These efforts aim to enhance the quality and sustainability of traditional cultural IP animations, strengthen the dissemination platform for national-style animation culture, and facilitate the ongoing revitalization and inheritance of China's outstanding traditional heritage. This study integrates multidisciplinary theories from cultural industry studies, IP development, and communication science to trace the evolution of traditional Chinese cultural IPs adapted into animations. It traces its origins to the classic animated works produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio in the 1950s, examines the industry's consolidation phase during the reform and opening-up period through the early 21st century, and analyzes recent growth driven by policy support, capital investment, technological advancements, and consumer demands from Generation Z. The research highlights positive trends in the current domestic animation sector—including concentration of flagship titles, diversified distribution channels, and enhanced user engagement — while identifying persistent challenges such as content homogenization, superficial cultural interpretation, uneven professional competence among creators, inadequate cross-media storytelling capabilities, incomplete copyright protection frameworks, and regional development disparities. Through comparative analysis of two phenomenon-level works, “Ne Zha: The Demon Child Comes Into the World“ and “Three Thousand Miles to Chang' an“ , the study explores differences in creative approaches and aesthetic expressions, summarizing key principles for preserving cultural authenticity while innovating in IP adaptation. A six- dimensional analytical framework is established, covering cultural heritage exploration, narrative transformation, visual design, technological integration, industrial expansion, and brand management, clarifying their dynamic interrelationships. Additionally, the study identifies industry opportunities, addresses developmental bottlenecks, and proposes targeted optimization strategies. Research indicates that, bolstered by policy support, digital technologies, capital investment, and talent development, the adaptation of traditional cultural IPs into animations faces a golden opportunity for growth. The key to successful Chinese-style animation lies in preserving cultural authenticity while aligning with contemporary aesthetics, achieving a balance between tradition and innovation. Current industry challenges—including superficial appropriation of cultural symbols, insufficient exploration of core themes, stereotypical visual styles, lack of original visual systems, fragmented industrial chains, and inadequate long-term IP management— all hinder the simultaneous realization of cultural and commercial value. The proposed five-dimensional integrated analysis framework serves as a reference for academic research and industry practice. The study proposes four optimization strategies: establishing a cultural think tank, developing an original Chinese visual system, creating a collaborative platform integrating government, academia, industry, and application, and implementing a full-cycle IP
management model to address industry bottlenecks. This research aims to shift the industry's focus from individual works to a holistic IP ecosystem approach, fostering high- quality, sustainable, and ecologically sound development of the Chinese-style animation sector.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER 1. Introduction １
• 1.1 Research Background １
• 1.2 Research Objective ３
• 1.3 Research Methods ４
• 1.4 Research Content ５
• 1.5 Review of Domestic and International Research ６
• 1.5.1 Review of Foreign Research ６
• 1.5.2 Domestic Research Review ８
• 1.6 Innovations of the Study 1０
• CHAPTER 2. Relevant Theoretical Basis １４
• 2.1 IP Development Theory １４
• 2.1.1 Theoretical Concepts and Characteristics of IP Development １４
• 2.1.2 IP Development Theory: Development Process and Significance １５
• 2.1.3 Core Components and Internal Logic of IP Development Theory １７
• 2.1.4 The Application Value of IP Development Theory in the Animation Development of Cultural IPs １８
• 2.2 Concept and Characteristics of Traditional Cultural IP Animation Development ２０
• 2.2.1 The Concept of Animating Traditional Cultural IPs ２０
• 2.2.2 Core Characteristics of Traditional Cultural IP Animation Development ２３
• CHAPTER 3. Development Trends of China's Traditional Cultural IPs Being Adapted into Animations ２６
• 3.1 The Development History of China's Traditional Cultural IPs Adapted into Animations ２６
• 3.1.1 Incubation and Boom Phase ２７
• 3.1.2 Low Point Period ２９
• 3.1.3 Resuscitation and Exploration Phase ３０
• 3.1.4 Development and Innovation Phase ３２
• 3.2 Current Status of the Animation Development of China's Traditional Cultural IPs ３４
• 3.2.1 Market demand and the rise of China-fashion drive IP popularity ３４
• 3.2.2 Technological Empowerment and Diverse Development of China's Traditional Cultural IPs into Animations ３６
• 3.2.3 Polarized capacity distribution with severe homogenization ３７
• 3.2.4 Weak industrial chaincollaboration leads to laggingdevelopment. ３９
• CHAPTER 4. Analysis of the Framework for Animating China's Traditional Cultural IPs ４１
• 4.1 Selection of Development Framework and Research Design ４１
• 4.1.1 Theoretical Basis and Practical Value of Framework Selection ４１
• 4.1.2 Logical Path and Implementation Steps of Framework Analysis ４４
• 4.2 Analysis of the Animation Development of Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child （2019） ４９
• 4.2.1 Work Overview ４９
• 4.2.2 Prototype Resource Mining and Application Analysis ５２
• 4.2.3 Analysis of Narrative Transformation Pathways ５９
• 4.2.4 Image Construction and Visual Symbol Analysis ６４
• 4.2.5 Industrial Chain Integration and Derivative Development Analysis ７４
• 4.2.6 Analysis of Branding and Marketization Effects ８０
• 4.3 Analysis of the Animation Development of ＂Chang’an Thirty Thousand Miles＂ （2023） ８３
• 4.3.1 Work Overview ８４
• 4.3.2 Prototype Resource Mining and Application Analysis ８７
• 4.3.3 Analysis of Narrative Transformation Pathways ９１
• 4.3.4 Image Construction and Visual Symbol Analysis ９５
• 4.3.5 Industrial Chain Integration and Derivative Development Analysis １０１
• 4.3.6 Analysis of Branding and Marketization Effects １０８
• 4.4 Main Issues in the Animation Development of China's Traditional Cultural IPs １１３
• 4.4.1 Insufficient excavation depth leads to a tendency toward surface-level exposure １１４
• 4.4.2 Severe visual style convergence and homogenization １１６
• 4.4.3 Insufficient cross-domain collaboration and weak resource integration capabilities １１９
• 4.4.4 Ambiguous brand positioning and lack of long-term planning １２０
• 4.4.5 Summary of Insufficient IP Animation Development Using ＂Big Fish ＆ Begonia＂ as an Example １２２
• CHAPTER 5. Recommendations for the Development Strategy of China's Traditional Cultural IPs into Animations １２６
• 5.1 Deepening Cultural Core Exploration—Establishing the IP's Cultural Roots １２６
• 5.1.1 Building a Professional Creative Team to Enhance Story Power １２６
• 5.1.2 Development and Application of a Traditional Cultural IP Resource Database １２９
• 5.1.3 Implementation of an Expert Collaborative Development Mechanism １３３
• 5.2 Developing an Original Chinese Visual System – Enhancing IP recognizability １３４
• 5.2.1 Building a Traditional Aesthetics Transformation Library １３４
• 5.2.2 Encourage innovative differentiation in style １３８
• 5.2.3 Promoting the Establishment of Multi-source IP １３９
• 5.3 Establish a Multi-stakeholder Collaborative Platform—Enhance Industrial Chain Integration １４２
• 5.3.1 Establish a collaborative platform for government, enterprises, cultural institutions, and businesses １４２
• 5.3.2 Implement a pre-planning system for IP development １４５
• 5.3.3 Establishing Cross-Regional Industrial Collaborative Development １４８
• 5.4 Precisely Position Brand Value—Develop a Long-Term IP Development Path １５１
• 5.4.1 Implement the Three-Definition Method for IP Brand Positioning １５１
• 5.4.2 Establish an IP lifecycle management model １５２
• 5.4.3 Implement refined and continuous fan engagement operations １５４
• CHAPTER 6. Conclusion １５５
• 6.1 Research Summary １５５
• 6.2 Research Limitations １５９
• 6.3 Research Outlook １６２
• Reference 165
• 국문초록 177