At this point, everyone’s seen the newest rendition of Ne Zha 2, or at least heard of the rebellious demon on the big screen. The numbers certainly suggest so, as currently, Ne Zha 2 is iMax’s highest-grossing animated release, according to Variety. In Chinese theaters, this animated masterpiece stood out in this year’s New Year slate of films with its awe-inspiring visuals, mind-bending twists and turns, and a humorous touch for children and adults (but let’s be honest, the Ne Zha series should definitely not be relegated as a children’s movie).
The imaginative capabilities of animation enlivened a tale originating in the 16th-century Ming Dynasty. Behind the success of Ne Zha is also a feat of technology. Ne Zha 2 boasts over 2,000 special effects shots and uses a variety of cutting-edge techniques of 3-D animation. Almost 140 Chinese animation companies were behind the production of the film, comprising a collective effort of over 4,000 people, reported the Global Times. Ne Zha certainly placed Chinese animation on the map against dominant Western animation giants, like Disney and Pixar, and the booming anime industry from Japan.
Of course, this glossy, fantastically detailed, and computer-generated animation is only one corner of the craft. Working outside the bounds of big studios and blockbuster contracts are independent animators who offer new artistic possibilities in craft and storytelling, pushing the limits of filmmaking.
We’ve curated six independent animators coming out of Asia who are reenvisioning the artistry of animation. They work with a variety of mediums within the practice, including stop-motion, traditional ink-brush painting, and chemical manipulations. Without the confines of production companies, independent animators are telling stories without the pressure to justify, often producing work that’s deeply personal and provocative. Take a peak into the eccentric minds of independent animators, for whom there are no confines in storytelling – if it can be dreamt, it can be animated.
Charlene Xu
Chinese-born and Los Angeles-based artist Charlene Xu’s films animate the dreamscapes of girl- and womanhood, unraveling the turbulence between the two. Originally from Suzhou, China, Charlene was introduced to Chinese calligraphy and ink-brush painting from a young age. She graduated with an MFA in animation & digital arts from the University of Southern California and a BFA in film from New York University.
Her first animated short, How Small! (小孩), which won the NOWNESS China Talent Award, tells a young woman reminiscing on the passing of her grandmother through surreal sequences. Charlene’s latest work, Words of Her (MEIYU 梅雨), a meandering meditation on sex and motherhood that evokes traditional Chinese ink-brush painting, will have its North America premiere at SXSW this March.
Dena Springer
The expansiveness of animation allows time, space, and their inhabitants to be folded into dynamic collages that offer entirely new perspectives. Bi-racial and Asian American animator Dena Springer’s work is kaleidoscopic, vibrant, and nostalgic for children familiar with cartoons of the late twentieth century. Her animation, Boys Clap, Girls Dance is an introspective piece on the artist’s experience growing up bi-racial in the United States, culminating in an evocative sequence where the girl’s face begins to glitch and distort as she finds herself not fully accepted by either identity. The piece uses elements such as old cartoons, such found educational footage, lo-fi video game soundscapes, and hand-drawn retro animation.
Dena’s latest piece for NOWNESS features one of China’s most exciting musicians Lexie Liu. Drawing on the theme of moonlight as a source of power, Dena animates the inner mind of Lexie to find a fantastical maze of memories and dreams. Her animated films have been screened at festivals such as GLAS Animation Festival, Cork International,and Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Hyungjin Lee
From Seoul, Korea, animator and storyteller Hyungjin Lee turned to animation for the first time to fill in the visual voids of her late grandfather’s story as a teenager during the Korean War. The resulting piece, I Miss You (보고싶어요), brought an old recording of her grandfather to life.
Animation’s expansiveness, the ability to conjure and capture worlds that did not, or no longer, exist, allows Hyungjin to tell tales of nebulous themes like belonging, connection, and the nuances of love. Using hand-crafted drawings that breathe warmth and texture into her art, Hyungjin’s stories extend from her experiences living in the Korean diaspora. In her piece, My Names, the animation is distorted using uses salt and other chemicals, while the manipulation is a physical manifestation of her own shifting identities through the evolution of her many English names.
Hyungjin’s work has been recognized worldwide at festivals such as the Asian American International Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, and UNICA Korea International Film Festival. Her most recent work, 빛 (Inheritance), won Best Experimental Animation at Korea International Short Film Festival.
EXYL
Born, raised, and currently residing in Singapore, Exyl is a filmmaker and animator who’s never made two films with the same medium or process. Their medium bending, genre defying practice includes hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, and 16mm film that allude to visceral, emotional experiences grounded in the artist’s lived experiences. Their psychedelic, mix-media film, Acid Green, is simply described as, “A person brushes the teeth of a dog and turns into a bus,” and the film itself certainly lives up to this absurdist claim, taking the viewer on a wild ride alongside the pulsating visuals.
Their films have been shown at the Slamdance Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Encounters, San Diego Underground, Linoleum and more. They were awarded the Terry Schwartz Award at Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2023.
Soo Park
Soo Park describes her art as a playground where, “Childhood memories morph into mischievous creatures.” Originally from Seoul, Korea and now based in Brooklyn, NY, Soo’s art practice spans digital animation, video production, and sculpture to craft whimsical and playful wonderlands that veer on the absurd. By infusing multiple mediums into her animation, Soo’s work may first fool the eye as purely digital creations, but a closer look reveals the use of 3-D animation techniques such as metal fabrication and stop motion. The interplay between tangible textures and digital imagination creates the unique dynamism in Soo’s animations.
Their latest ButterFly reimagines caterpillars as born from dough and shaped by sizzling frying pans only to be disturbed by an unexpected intruder. Every character is meticulously rendered using paper to create hundreds of frames that construct this mesmerizing stop-motion spectacle. While this process is monotonous, Soo describes it as a labor of passion to toil over every detail.
Soo’s animations have been screened at Slamdance Festival and Ivy Film Festival. Their sculptures have been exhibited at galleries in New York City, Providence, RI, and Seoul, Korea.
Sahana Vathsa
Originally from Bangalore, India, Sahana Vathsa is a multidisciplinary artist and musician whose work is irreverent and childlike, with an obsession with the color green. Their latest work, Dishkiyaaon!!, is all at once comedic and anxiety-inducing, capturing a math test that drives one boy crazy, all sparked by the loving, “gentle” encouragements of a family WhatsApp group. Sahana describes the characters she creates as pathetic but unfortunately resonant. Their work experiments with sound and the moving image, creating an immersive experience into the artist’s inner mind.
Sahana has a BFA in Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Beyond the wondrous world of blockbuster animation, independent animators are crafting worlds of their own that experiment with wide-ranging media to tell stories from their honest experiences or wildest dreams.
These artists are clearly pushing boundaries and showing us just how creatively far the fringes of animation can get. They’re epitomizing what we’re showcasing this month: all things Fringe Culture. Check out what other pockets of far out subcultures we’ll be exploring throughout March and beyond, much like our coverage on the drag queens of Guiyang.
Cover image via Soo Park.
