Summary
Two Chengdu companies presented AI-assisted animation projects during Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market. Zhengying Culture and Shike Interactive jointly produced Painted Skin Prequel: Renewed Fate, described as a “half-AI” animated film even though chief executive Zhang Xi said more than 70% of its content remains human-made. The team says generative tools assist production while artists retain control of narrative, aesthetics and detail. Its trailer and selected footage were shown at the market, and the producers reported signing distribution agreements with organizations from South Korea, Thailand and Italy. Shike also introduced multilingual versions of panda-themed comic drama The Seven Heroes’ Journey Home and reported overseas cooperation intentions.
Hana’s perspective
I find the 70% human-production figure more informative than the vague “half-AI” label. It suggests these teams are using generation as one layer inside a conventional pipeline rather than presenting automation as the product. Signed distribution agreements are a stronger signal than festival attention, but neither proves audience demand. The next useful evidence will be the finished film, credits that explain the workflow and whether international partners actually release it.
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