• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.47
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• pp.53-79
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• 2017

This study explored Chinese traditional art aesthetics in the , focusing on three elements 'principle', 'dance', 'blank' which consist of the artistic conception of Zong Baihua. In addition, this paper is aimed to prove that Chinese traditional aesthetics is still available as a creative element that can provides future direction and implication for modern animation movies by analyzing how the components of these three elements were used in the and how the artistic beauty of the animation was presented. In the critiques of Chinese art, the scope of 'conception' is the 'qualified' standard about art. This 'qualified' standard includes not only external similarity in forms but also internal similarity in spirits. The authors of the early Chinese animations integrated the artistic conceptions with the animations and expressed the national cultural contents of the Chinese animations, so that the audience could deeply understand the characteristics of Chinese animation with cultural and spiritual contents. Based on the artistic conceptions that Zong Baihua proposed, this study analyzed the character setting, the ideas that connotes and the scene composition. succeeded to the innovative spirits about Chinese early animation conceptions. The animation presented the view of life that includes the absolute freedom from Zhuangzi's "A Happy Excursion" and the oblivion of external objects. The heroine Spring's change from human to dolphin was presented by dancing. Besides, in the animation, the sea of clouds, the sky full of stars, sea, the sea melting into the sky were also presented in quantity. The large area of colors fantastically presenting in 'blank' scenes fully expressed the stories and sentiments of this animation. According to the analysis in this study, by identifying the traditional atmosphere that included heavy Chinese characteristics and harmonious conceptions in through the wisdom of Chinese classics and artistic conceptions, it can be confirmed that nowadays the artistic tradition of the classics still works as an extending innovative element in the future animations.