A Tom and Jerry style animated cartoon featuring a heroic goat who constantly saves his fellow goats from a wolf who has gastronomic designs over the members of Goatville, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (喜羊羊与灰太狼) seems an unlikely target for the culture-cleansing campaign that is underway on China Central Television (CCTV). However, the children’s cartoon series, long been lauded for its commercial success and potential to lead China’s soft power vanguard, and boost the less-than-robust Chinese animation industry, was criticized for “excessive violence and vulgar language” by CCTV’s seven o’clock Network News program on October 13.
In response, the producer of the cartoon series said that it had undertaken to re-edit the entire series. Pleasant Goat is not the only title that was criticized. Another popular cartoon Boonie Bears (熊出沒) which is also broadcast on CCTV was also slapped with the same charge in the CCTV program. Boonie Bears is produced by Shenzhen Huaqiang Holding Limited (华强数字动漫), a privately held company.
Shenzhen listed Guangdong Alpha Animation and Culture Co Ltd (002292.SZ) currently owns Pleasant Goat, which it bought from Hong Kong-listed Imagi international holdings ltd. (0585.HK) for 540 million yuan in September.
Companies affected
Alpha Animation and Culture Co Ltd (002292.SZ)
Imagi international holdings ltd. (0585.HK)
Shenzhen Huaqiang Holding Limited (privately held)
Links and sources
China Daily: Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf – a guide to the characters
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