A Study On The Evolution Of Cultural Ecology And The Development Of China’s Animated Films

In the recent century, the socio-historical contexts, including the political, economic, cultural and technological circumstances, which are closely related with the animated films, have changed significantly. Chinese animated films, which can be defined as, in this paper, all the animations before the birth of TV animations and all the cinema animations in China mainland, have been largely and greatly influenced by the changing socio-historical contexts in the aspects like meaning expression patterns, works construction/composition and artistic style, etc. In a sense, the history of China’s animated films have been deeply impressed with the imprint of the times in the aspects of subject or content selection, trends of artistic concepts and the aesthetic style evolution in its extensive course of cultural-ecological development, and meanwhile, the films reflect and influence the contemporary cultural ecology with their own creations and progress. Therefore, without a doubt, it is a relatively novel, distinct and valuable viewpoint to study the development of Chinese animated films from the perspective of cultural ecology, and try to outline an interactive prospect in-between clearly.This dissertation tries to combine the cultural ecology and the development of China’s animated films to make some observations and research through careful investigation in its closely related socio-historical contexts and cultural ecology background, i.e., via a study on the relevant historical explanations, reviews and analyses try to describe the organic and correlative phenomena between China’s cultural-ecological realities of different times and corresponding developments of animated films, rather than a simple description of some related works and data. This thesis divides the major historical development phases of Chinese animated films as follows, the imitation and development of China’s animations (1926—1948)—the glory of nationalized animated films (1949—1966…1978)—the adherence and decline of Chinese School (1979—1994)—the industrialization in the context of globalization (1995—2010). Concerning such separation and denomination of the phases, it is important to note that, firstly, the separation and definition of phases is made mainly according to the development of China’s animated films, largely coincides with the political and historical phases of China’s society, which demonstrate the close relations between the evolution of Chinese animations and the historical development of China’s society with corresponding cultural ecology; secondly, the major characteristics of the phase of Chinese animations in question are not absolutely pure or exclusive because actually they share the whole integrity and common kinship, and are always in fluctuation, so it’s no surprise for the saying of“it is so strikingly similar to that in history”and the inevitable spiral development; and thirdly, animated films in the ten years of Cultural Revolution were in the great depression, which is also true for all literature and arts, and the traits shown in a few works of that time come down in one continuous line with those of the former 17 years, and as a result, it is not necessary to divide otherwise. Moreover, this paper puts Princess Iron Fan as the beginning masterpiece of the so called“Chinese School of Animation”with its original thoughts, and it would be of great practical significance t and far-reaching historical influence for its achievement of organic and perfect combination of art and commerce.Through the study on the cultural ecology and related historical progresses of China’s animated films, we can make clear its past achievements and shortcomings, and distinguish the vision and the inevitable course of development and promote and uphold the concepts and practices of nationalized art, industrialized culture and globalized marketing in order to create new glories for the Chinese animated films continuously in new historical and social contexts and the improved cultural ecology.