Also on the no-no list is raciness—for instance, Po’s joking use of noodle bowls to simulate breasts. Another creative gap centres on the film’s portrayal of teachers. The idea that Po would lift a hand to his kung fu teacher, a raccoon named Shifu, is beyond the pale in Confucian China.

“If Kung Fu Panda were produced in China, audiences would be sniping at the director for not setting a good example,” said Cao Sidong, a movie critic and promoter. Some experts blame China’s lack of animation success on small film budgets, less advanced technology and the widespread availability of pirated DVDs.

Others express frustration with censorship rules. In 2006, film director Lu Chuan agreed to produce 100 five-minute cartoons for the 2008 Beijing Olympics built around the five fuwa, or friendly children, mascots—one of which is a panda. One script called for a fuwa to act badly, realise his mistake and be redeemed. When Lu submitted it to censors and the Beijing Olympic Committee, however, it was rejected as too negative, he said, as were virtually all of the other 99 mini-plots. “Every character had to be perfect,” Lu said. “It was impossible to create anything. I didn’t want to waste two years on this propaganda, so I quit.”

The industry’s lacklustre results come despite Beijing’s support for the animation industry. This year, the government has doled out more than $28 million in animation subsidies and preferential financing. It has banned foreign cartoons during prime-time hours.

... contd.