The leadership of Pearl Studio, a renowned international animation company and a member of the China Media Capital Group (CMC), visited ShanghaiTech University on November 21. They came to explore the possibility of cooperating with ShanghaiTech in cultivating animation talent and scientific research collaborations. President Feng Donglai expressed a warm welcome to the Pearl Studio delegation. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on leveraging their respective strengths.
During the meeting, Feng Donglai highlighted the contributions made by Pearl Studio, ever since its establishment, in promoting Chinese culture globally. He praised the company’s successful strategic transformation in the past years and emphasized that its operational philosophy would provide valuable insights for ShanghaiTech. Feng noted the many opportunities for both sides to collaborate in areas such as creativity, design, information technology, project management, and humanities. He expressed the willingness to leverage ShanghaiTech’s technological and human resources to work with Pearl Studio on student cultivation, AI application scenarios, and animation project cooperation.
President Feng Donglai
Li Ruigang, CMC chairman and CEO, founding partner of CMC Capital, and founding dean of the School of Creativity and Art (SCA), reflected on the development of Pearl Studio. Since its founding in 2012, the company has rooted itself in China, consistently producing high-quality animated films of an international standard. Today, it stands as one of China’s largest animation companies and a significant player in the global animation market.
Li Ruigang, CMC chairman and founding dean of SCA
Ying Xujun, CMC vice chair, CEO of CMC Pictures, and CEO of Pearl Studio, elaborated on the company’s strategy of “bringing Eastern stories to the world.” She outlined its positioning as a platform-centric animation company focused on original content and shared insights into its recent strategic transformations.
Pearl Studio CEO Ying Xujun
The team also detailed the Pearl Studio’s end-to-end production system, ongoing animated film projects, and the application of AI tools in animation.
In the afternoon, Ying, along with core members of Pearl Studio—Vice President of Production Liu Lu, Producer Cao Linlin, Animation Director Wang Jing, and Production Director Cai Nina—delivered a captivating lecture at the University Auditorium, revealing the secrets of crafting animated films.
Core members of Pearl Studio shared their stories with the audience. From left: Wang Jing, Cao Linlin, Ying Xujun, Liu Lu, Cai Nina.
Ying shared the growth story of Pearl Studio, from its origins as China’s first joint-venture animation company to becoming a fully Chinese-owned entity which conducts ongoing strategic transformation and produces world-class animations.
Wang provided insights into the evolution of international animation, the current state of the industry, and the global distribution of 3D artists. Addressing students’ concerns about career prospects, she shared her personal career journey as an animation filmmaker.
Cao discussed the production process of animated films from a producer’s perspective and outlined the challenges faced by the domestic industry. She highlighted the immense effort behind creating an animated film—budgets exceeding 100 million RMB, over 1,600 participants, and a production cycle of at least three years.
As a seasoned expert, Liu explored the application of AI technology in animation production, including text, voice, image, asset, and video quality control, while also discussing current challenges.
Cai introduced the dynamic and passionate working environment at Pearl Studio, inviting ShanghaiTech students aspiring to the animation industry to join them in creating outstanding animated films that tell Chinese stories.
The lecture concluded with the Pearl Studio team addressing students’ questions about managing cultural differences, balancing commercial and artistic goals, and meeting audience expectations for quality content.
In today’s globalized world, telling compelling Chinese stories is both a challenge and an opportunity. As the creating team behind globally acclaimed animations such as Kung Fu Panda 3, Abominable, and Over the Moon, the “dream makers” of Pearl Studio impressed the audience with their understanding of Chinese cultural essence, passion for animation, and commitment to quality content. Their stories inspired students and faculty to embrace innovation, explore the integration of technology and art, and work together to bring captivating Chinese stories to the global stage.