ABSTRACT
In October 1976, the Gang of Four was completely shattered, which ended the Cultural Revolution. A large number of film creators returned to the Animation Film Studios from Gan Xiao. They actively invested in new animation creations with more enthusiasm. In just two years, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio (SAFS) launched more than a dozen animations. Animators deeply excavated national themes and contents rather than merely exploring them, which generated many kinds of animations, including the Monkey King Conquers the Demon. The themes and styles of animated short films became diversified, and their expression methods and techniques became increasingly innovative. Three Monks realized the successful transition from formal beauty to role-making, which used skillful film lens language. However, due to the reforms, the market competition has become increasingly fierce. The large-scale entry of overseas commercial animations exerted great impacts on China, so the SAFS gradually fell apart and China’s second animation creation climax ended.
