A scene in the animated film "The Dreams of Jinsha" [Photo: CFP]

"The Dreams of Jinsha", a Chinese animated film, is in the running for an Oscar, after being accepted by the Academy Awards as a contender. Facing 14 other qualifiers, including DreamWorks' "Shrek Forever After" and Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story 3", "Jinsha" signals the growing maturity of the country's animation industry.

Made at a cost of 80 million yuan (about US$12 million), over five years, the film revolves around a selfish middle-school boy, Xiao Long, who travels 3,000 years back in time to an opulent ancient kingdom named Jinsha. There he experiences a change of heart, and helps the princess and an elf protect the beautiful land from dark forces.

Writer and producer Su Xiaohong says the film is a purely hand-drawn work and is China's first animation featuring images in "2K resolution", a technique that ensures clear and smooth images when magnified.

"The production process involved 500,000 hand drawings by more than 500 devoted professionals. It was a complicated project as hand-drawn pictures take more time and energy than computer-generated images," Su says.

She adds that a Shenzhen-based studio that has worked with Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's celebrated animator, also contributed to the high-quality images.

"The technical expertise that went into creating the dazzling images is what has helped 'Jinsha' make it to the Oscar shortlist," says Chen Changqing, a researcher with www.dongman.gov.cn, the Web platform of the nation's animation industry.

"The technical breakthrough has been made possible by Chinese talents. In the animation circuit, we now have people who can take their craft to a new level."

In 2004, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a series of policies aimed at bolstering animation and cartoon talents.