"Uproar in Heaven"

Kids who crave cartoons, and adults too, can get their fix this month when China's first dedicated cartoon shopping mall and fun center opens in Baoshan District. China's animated film industry will get a much-needed shot in the arm this month when a cartoon-themed shopping mall, entertainment and creative center throws open its doors to kids in northern Shanghai's Baoshan District.

The aim is to employ savvy merchandising to create a craving for Chinese cartoons - old standards like the Monkey King and new ones like the "The Magic Aster," "McDull Kung Fu" (about a kung fu piglet) and "Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf."

The city block-sized project for all things animated will be the first in Shanghai and is believed to be the very first in China, according to officials of the 9295 Animation Studio, a joint effort by Shanghai Chiyu Industry Co Ltd and the Shanghai Animation Cartoon Industry Park.

Opening is expected around September 26-27, the last weekend before the National Day holiday when kids are expected to flood the center. Two more cartoon center/shopping malls by 9295 are expected to open in major residential communities later this year.

Much has been said about the need to revitalize China's animation industry with vivid new characters that can appeal to Chinese and international audiences - but effective brand building, marketing, sales and an industrial chain are essential, too. So far they have been lacking.

Dedicated and permanent cartoon center/shopping malls are virtually unknown in China, though animation activities and by-products are enjoying increasing popularity. They are common in Japan and the United States.

The 9295 Animation Studio is stepping in.

The project covers 4,200 square meters on Dahua Road in the Dahua residential community.

It will offer sales outlets for by-products of Chinese and foreign animation (comic books, DVDs, toys, clothing, stationery, housewares), regular cosplay shows, interactive games, lectures for children about animation, lessons in drawing and dubbing, appearances by animation characters, and other events.

There will be cartoon-related food and beverages as well.

The idea is to market Chinese animation and promote the domestic industry.

"The center aims to link up the industry chain of cartoon production, cartoon TV broadcasting, and cartoon products sales," says Ma Renhang, director of 9295 Animation and a major investor.

"These animation centers are the inevitable trend for the domestic cartoon industry," he says. "They build a platform for domestic animation brands and attract more cartoon fans."

One of the major problems faced by China's animation industry is lack of a mature marketing and industrial chain - as well as the much-discussed absence of compelling Chinese cartoon characters to compete with Hollywood and Japanese figures.

China enjoyed a golden age of animation from the 1950s to the 1980s, excluding the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), and is trying to regain those glorious days.

Recent animation features such as "Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf" and "McDull Kung Fu" have not inspired international audiences.

Domestic animation

Since it debuted in June, the animation film "The Magic Aster," based on a Chinese legend, has taken more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in box-office sales.

Though the figure isn't much compared with the Hollywood animation blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," which earned 100 million yuan in China, it is fairly good for a domestic animated film.