The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
DAISY SHANG
Beijing-based studio Fantawild Animation, led by chairwoman Shang, has earned the enviable — and highly lucrative — distinction of being a beloved staple of China’s Lunar New Year holiday, the country’s most important traditional family holiday and biggest annual box office period. At the start of the festive season every year, Fantawild releases the latest installment in its long-running Boonie Bears animated movie series — featuring the lovable duo Briar and Bramble facing new challenges in stopping Logger Vick from destroying their forest home — and every year, filmgoers show up in droves. In February, Fantawild unveiled its 10th title in the series, Boonie Bears: Time Twist, which earned $271.7 million. Whereas most franchises in China tend to fizzle after just two or three films, the Boonie Bears series has collectively brought in nearly $1.2 billion in ticket sales over the past decade.
“The audience always says that if they didn’t see the new Boonie Bears movie during the New Year holiday, it’s like something is missing,” says Shang.
Established in 2000, Fantawild got its start in the theme park business, creating China’s first generation of destination entertainment while also developing and producing theme park ride equipment for global export. Today, the company is China’s best-known national theme park brand, operating more than 20 large parks across the country. Shang joined Fantawild in 2002 and describes herself as one of its longestserving executives. Among the company’s only bilingual staff in the early days, she began in the group’s international sales division, negotiating deals with overseas buyers of roller coasters. In 2008, as Fantawild’s parks business grew, the decision was made to develop original animated IP to populate the company’s attractions. Shang transitioned to the subsidiary as its first head of marketing, eventually rising to oversee the whole studio.
The characters that would become Boonie Bears first emerged as mere background players in the 2010 animated series Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac. But Shang and her colleagues quickly recognized the bears’ potential. “Despite their limited screen time, they were incredibly endearing and left a profound impression on the audience,” she says. By 2014, Shang’s team had released its first feature film, Boonie Bears: To the Rescue!, which earned $41 million, doubling the record for China’s top-earning animation.
“Initially, Boonie Bears was seen as a family animation brand, mainly watched by children and their parents,” Shang says. “But over the years, the brand has successfully broken out of its original audience, attracting an increasing number of adult viewers who don’t even have kids.”
Shang attributes the studio’s long-running winning streak to a tireless competitive focus: “We have consistently set our sights on matching the production standards of top international companies, striving to elevate our production quality each year.”