HONG KONG: As US animation titans such as DreamWorks set up business in China, a local studio is hoping the fortunes of a plucky goat will take the battle for box office supremacy straight to its big rivals.
Imagi a company that almost went bankrupt after the dismal failure of its take on the Japanese TV series "Astro Boy" in 2009 is home to the champion of China's animation industry: Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.
Based on the antics of a goat called Pleasant and his valiant bid to thwart a scheming wolf, the franchise has produced four films in the past four years taking a combined domestic box office haul of 548 million yuan ($87 million).
In terms of animated films screening in China, that amount has only been bettered by DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda franchise, whose two films have commanded takings of 744 million yuan since the original's release in 2008.
"We welcome competition, we are looking forward to it," said Soh Szu Wei, executive director of Hong Kong-based Imagi International Holdings Limited that owns the Pleasant Goat franchise, which has also been spun-off into a television series.
"We have broken away from the locals. We are now competing with the internationals."
The Chinese box office expanded by around 30 percent last year, meaning it accounted for an estimated RMB13 billion in takings, third in the world behind Japan and the first-placed United States and closing fast.
That potential has encouraged DreamWorks to set up its very own Chinese operations.
In February, the company announced it was forming a Shanghai-based partnership with China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment.
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