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From June 8 to 14, local time, the 49th Annecy International Animation Festival was successfully held. Zoland Animation, which has been participating in overseas exhibitions for over two decades, once again made its presence felt at this premier global animation event this year. Wu Jia, a member of the Leading Group of the National Cultural Export Base – Zhejiang Digital Culture International Cooperation Zone and Chairwoman of Zhejiang Zoland Animation Co., Ltd., led the company's delegation to the festival, engaging in extensive exchanges with animation organizations and professionals from over 30 countries and regions, and achieving fruitful results.
New stage
Zoland Animation successfully organized and managed the China Joint Pavilion at the MIFA market of this year's Annecy International Animation Festival, along with the China Outstanding Animation Showcase and exchange activities.
Under the guidance of the State Council Information Office and the National Radio and Television Administration, and organized by the China Animation Association, the China Joint Pavilion – meticulously undertaken by Zoland Animation – brought together over 20 outstanding animation projects from multiple leading animation companies and festival organizers, including CCTV Animation Group, Zoland Animation, Huaqiang Fangte, Younuo Animation, the Animation and Digital Arts College of Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, and the China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF). The pavilion comprehensively showcased the full-chain development achievements of China's animation industry, receiving wide acclaim from international counterparts.
The China Joint Pavilion attracted over 3,000 visitors, including representatives of animation institutions and professional audiences from more than 30 countries and regions, such as France, the UK, Germany, the US, and Russia. Over 220 business negotiation meetings were held on-site, resulting in dozens of preliminary cooperation intentions covering animation production, co-production, distribution, and investment – achieving a dual breakthrough in cultural exchange and commercial collaboration.
With the goal of "showcasing outstanding works and facilitating precise business matching," the China Joint Pavilion grandly launched the "When Eastern Aesthetics Meets the Digital Age – China Outstanding Animation Showcase." Through parallel tracks of both work presentations and platform promotions, the event highlighted the creative breadth and intellectual depth of Chinese animation, providing important opportunities for international resource connection. Ma Li, President of the China Animation Association, attended and delivered a speech.
The International Animation Professionals Exchange Session, specially organized within the joint pavilion, featured in-depth discussions on topics such as animation creation, technological innovation, market trends, and cross-cultural storytelling. It served as a bridge for exchanges among international peers in the industry.
Zoland Animation's original historical animated feature Legend of King Qian made its international debut at the festival, participating in the outstanding works showcase. Following last year's well-received presentation of Legendary Su Dongpo, this marks another Chinese-style masterpiece brought by Zoland Animation to the global stage. Legend of King Qian tells the legendary story of Qian Liu – the founder of the city of Hangzhou and the first king of the Wuyue Kingdom – along with his descendants, capturing the unique charm of Wuyue culture.
The Chinese-style trailer for the film was unveiled overseas for the first time, accompanied by a presentation of cutting-edge AI technologies including the "Zhijiang No.1" motion capture studio and voice-driven facial expression systems. These innovations drew recognition from international peers. A number of organizations expressed strong interest in actively collaborating to bring outstanding Chinese stories to global audiences through joint production and cross-cultural storytelling.
New trends
The Annecy International Animation Festival serves as both a showcase stage for animation works and a platform for international exchange and cooperation among animation professionals. As the operating entity of the National Cultural Export Base – Zhejiang Digital Culture International Cooperation Zone, Zoland Animation not only brought works from the base's member companies to the festival but also engaged in extensive exchanges with international peers on topics including international co-productions and co-creations, industry-education integration in animation, and talent development.
Zoland Animation reached consensus on-site with several international animation enterprises to strengthen international co-production efforts from the creative stage onward – not only promoting cross-border collaboration but also aiming to build a new animation ecosystem that fosters shared human values and cooperative synergy. In addition to promoting its own original production plans, Zoland Animation held in-depth discussions with peers from more than 10 countries and regions, including France, Italy, Singapore, Russia, the UAE, and Ecuador, on co-production and joint project development. The parties will further explore the feasibility of collaborative projects based on new media distribution channels, evolving technological conditions, and updated market strategies.
To advance industry-education integration and international cooperation in animation education, Zoland Animation held on-site discussions with numerous international animation education institutions, presenting the outcomes of the 2025 New Animation Vocational Education Week, and reached multiple cooperation intentions covering co-productions, animation workshops, and industry-education integration.
Zoland Animation also promoted the iABC (International Animation & Game Business Conference) of the China International Cartoon & Animation Festival and the Global Digital Trade Expo on-site, inviting multiple industry organizations and professional attendees to participate in the 4th Digital Trade Expo and the next edition of iABC professional events.