Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation Studios' upcoming Curious Tales of a Temple, which features six stand-alone stories adapted from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Pu Songling's Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), is one of the most anticipated. The creators of the movie are best known for Chang'an, a box-office sensation in the summer of 2023, which chronicles the decades-long friendship between poets Li Bai and Gao Shi during the golden era of literature in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

　　Nobody — the first feature-length film of the phenomenal hit animated series Yao-Chinese Folktales — will re-create the series' iconic roles, such as a piggy monster who resonates with many fans who see themselves in him — an average individual. The film is produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, one of the oldest animation companies in China, which gained international recognition more than half a century ago.

　　Some popular foreign animated movies are also competing for the Chinese mainland market, such as the American title Elio, Pixar Animation Studios' new tale which recounts an 11-year-old boy's cosmic journey; Japanese feature Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback; and French hit The Little Prince, a 2015 classic scheduled to be rescreened in a Mandarin-dubbed version voiced by celebrities like Yi Yangqianxi and Zhou Xun.

　　Lai Li, a veteran analyst with the showbiz information tracker Maoyan Pro, says that most industry insiders hope these animated films will spark domestic theatergoers' enthusiasm for animated films, especially following the huge box-office success of Ne Zha 2 earlier this year.

　　“The summer is packed with appealing films, which could largely boost theater operators' confidence and might even push box-office revenues beyond expectations,“ says Lai.