A poster for "Ne Zha". (Photo/Yangcheng Evening News)

China’s animation industry has been inspired by the success of “Ne Zha,” with insiders saying it means a bright future for Chinese animation.

As of Aug. 31, Chinese animated film “Ne Zha” had grossed nearly 4.7 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland in just 37 days, according to Maoyan, a professional box office tracker.

The film replaced sci-fi blockbuster “The Wandering Earth” in second place, setting a new record for home-made animation movies. The previous top-grossing Chinese animation film was “Monkey King: Hero is Back,” which earned 956 million yuan in 2015.

The unexpected success of “Ne Zha” has added confidence within China’s entire animation industry, sending a signal to the market that there is still massive potential for the sector.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the market value of the country’s animation industry is now 170 billion yuan.

However, there remains a huge talent gap in the sector. In 2018, the animation research and development team had fewer than 50,000 talents in China, and the industry was in sore need of around one million professionals.

To facilitate the development of the sector, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television has established 17 animation industry bases and allocated special funds to support the production of quality, original works and technical services.

In addition, the sector needs to improve innovation, technology development and protection of intellectual property rights.

Experts also called for an entire animation industrial chain during the 11th China International Animation Copyright Fair, which was held on Aug. 19.

The output value of China’s animation industry is expected to double in future years, with growth lying in an improved industrial chain, said Song Lei, director of the development research department of China Animation Comic Game Group.

Advancements in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, big data and artificial intelligence also offer fresh opportunities for the development of China’s animation industry in the future.