However, in 1998, Gao, the son who returned from studying in the United States, changed all this and persuaded his father to give up the Christmas tree business that he had been running for many years. Father and son turned to the computer animation industry, ready to try their hand in the Hollywood animation production market. Only then did he realize that the traditional manufacturing industry, which relied on foreign trade for export, had declined somewhat. At first, Gao Changchang did not agree with his son's suggestion or even warning.
In 2000, Gao finally persuaded his father to issue about $6.5 million in new shares to external investors to raise funds for the establishment of Imagi animation studio.
In order to become an expert in the field of animation as soon as possible, Gao went through a difficult learning process, and his career development was not smooth sailing. At first, he hired a group of animators to start the creation of the animation series Zentrix. In 200 1 year, he took a 6-minute sample to attend the Cannes Film Festival in France, but in the end, his booth was so crowded that he didn't even send out his business card. The lack of marketing experience has caused these passionate entrepreneurs to hit a bag. After doing enough preparation and reflection, they went to see an exhibition the next year and brought a complete sample. This time, they made an appointment with customers and gained a lot. Publishers in France, Germany, Britain, Hong Kong and Japan bought the rights to distribute the film.
There is no doubt that 2002 is a crucial year for Yima. Gao and his son sold the Christmas tree business of Baotu Lake Group to Carlyle Group for about 654.38 million US dollars+55 million US dollars. After compensating the shareholders and repaying the relevant taxes, the net income from stock sale was 90 million Hong Kong dollars, all of which were invested in the newly established animation production company. Baotu Lake Group was also renamed Yima International. Then Gao bought a controlling stake in a computer animation studio in Japan that was in financial crisis. This company has an unusual business relationship with SKG DreamWorks, which laid the foundation for Yima to enter Hollywood. Soon, an excellent opportunity fell on Yima. DreamWorks invited them to bid for the production of the prime-time TV show "Father of Pride". In the end, Yima International stood out from more than a dozen competitors.
The success of the bidding strengthened Gao's road to independent creation, but at the same time he began to hire some insiders from the United States to help him promote the film. Gao hired Tom Gray, vice president of production of Jiahe Entertainment Company, as the CEO of the American subsidiary. Gray participated in the production of the first three episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with live performances in the early 1990s. He introduced Gao to Phantom Group, the designer and copyright owner of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and then led Gao to contact Mr. Weinstein and Warner Corporation. Dan Fei Erman, president of Warner Bros.' s domestic distribution department, said, "I saw the films made by Yima International, and we thought it was worthwhile for them to make these films." In the end, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles earned 654.38 billion dollars (55.5 million pounds) at a cost of only 35 million dollars. The average cost of Pixar movies is $94 million, and DreamWorks is $654.38+$30 million.
Yima International Holdings Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yima Animation Studio, laid off a quarter of its staff in mid-February 2009/KLOC-0, and the market repeatedly reported that the company had financial problems. On February 5th, Yima Company held an internal meeting and officially announced the liquidation. All employees can pack their personal belongings and leave on the same day, and don't have to go to work from Monday (February 8). The animation company has indicated to its employees that it is unable to pay severance payment and compensation, and asked employees to apply for bankruptcy protection fund on their own. Some members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong estimated that the incident involved at least 6.5438+0.2 million Hong Kong dollars (about 6.5438+0.054 million yuan) in unpaid wages and compensation.
The liquidation of Yima Animation is closely related to the global box office failure of Astro Boy. According to relevant data, Yima Animation spent about 500 million yuan on the production of Astro Boy. Together with its distribution and promotion expenses in 14 countries and regions around the world, the total cost is as high as 820 million yuan. However, by the end of 65438+February 2009, the box office income of the film released in more than 8,000 theaters around the world was only1.90 billion yuan, which was a serious loss.
On February 2, 2065438+00, Yima International said that some investors proposed to invest in Yima International, and if implemented, it would become the controlling shareholder of Yima International, which made the company's share price rise for two consecutive days. The company still plans to invest in another animation, Brave Eagle Man.