When watching "Chinese Restaurant" a few days ago, Wang Junkai asked Yang Zi if he knew how many episodes of "Black Cat Sheriff" were available. There are more than 80 episodes of Yang Zi Guess, but Wang Junkai revealed that all 5 episodes were revealed. Not only Yang Zi and Huang Xiaoming, but even me outside the screen was stunned. When I was a child, I felt that the animation that I watched over and over was only 5 episodes. The memory of "Black Cat Sheriff" was thus adjusted. Yesterday, seeing the news of Director Dai Tielang's death, I couldn't help feeling full of emotions. I remembered the childhood that these conscientious animators had created for us.
Dai Tielang (1930-2019)
Childhood Memories "Black Cat Sheriff" is an unfinished animation. At the end of the fifth episode of , as in the previous episodes, the Black Cat Sheriff held the gun and typed the words "please look at the next episode", but the next episode never appeared again. This is related to Dai Tielang's personal experience and also to the times.
Dai Tielang was born in Singapore in 1930, and returned to China with his father when he was 10 years old. When he was in his early 20s, he was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy's first animation major in the Fine Arts Department, with Ada (director of "Three Monks"), Yan Dingxian (director of "Nezha Naohai"), Lin Wenxiao (director of "Snow Child") and Hu Jinqing (director of "Snipe and Clam Fighting" and "Gourd Brothers") and others became classmates.
Shortly after graduating from university in 1953, Dai Tielang was invited by Sheng Tewei (director of "Little Tadpoles Looking for Mother"), who was then the factory director, to join Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio ("Mei Studio") and participated in "The Proud General" Production of animations such as "Little Tadpoles Finding Mother", "Shepherd Flute", "Little Sisters of Prairie Heroes". He once said that the beauty studio is to him, is a "have bad memories, but it is also the place where I grew up. Without them, I would not grow up like this. I no longer have the courage to encounter difficulties."
"Stills
"Little Sisters of the Prairie Heroes" stills
Although in the past two years because of the appearance of "Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage" and "Nezha: The Devil Boy", everyone is crying for the rise of the country, but it must be traced back to Chinese animation. The pinnacle is naturally the former Shanghai Art Film Studio. In the 1950s and 1980s, a series of fine animations with ethnic characteristics produced by the US Film Studio won the reputation of "Chinese Animation School" for local animation in the world. even known as the godfather of Japanese animation, Osamu Tezuka, only after seeing the "Princess Iron Fan" created by the important representative of the US Film Studio, the Wan Brothers, he decided to devote himself to the animation industry.
"Little Tadpoles Looking for Mother" stills
During the Tewei period, many of the animations produced by the US Film Studio were the products of planned economy and polished the best works regardless of cost. In the mid-1980s, theaters gradually turned to the market, and the popularity of television also put forward new requirements for animation. In 1984, Yan Dingxian succeeded Te Wei as the director of the Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio, and proposed several reform goals, one of which was the "development series." The directors of the US Film Studio also have greater freedom than before to choose their favorite themes. "Black Cat Sheriff" was born in this period.
At this time, Dai Tielang has been sitting on the "cold bench" at the US Film Studio for many years. Because before 1949, Dai Tielang's father followed Pan Hannian to do intelligence work for the underground party, so his family was implicated in the Pan Hannian issue in the 1950s and 1960s, and Dai Tielang did not have the opportunity to serve as an independent animation director. It was not until after the end of the "Cultural Revolution" that Pan Hannian was rehabilitated, and the 50-year-old Dai Tielang had the first opportunity to direct "My Friend Little Dolphin". This animation won the presidential silver medal at the 1982 Italian International Children and Youth Film Festival. prize.
Dai Tielang once expressed his preference for popular science animation types. Although he has served as the styling design of "Little Sisters on the Prairie", the action design of "Little Tadpoles Finding Mother" and "Shepherd Flute", these are all focused on the expression of ethnic style. and "Black Cat Sheriff" "completely understand It is scientific, not purely preaching, but interesting...so what I am better at is to inspire the love of science for children's education. Because I like science very much."
and produced by Meiying Studio Most works are different, z9The z84 version of "Black Cat Sheriff" is not a very traditional animation. The characters in it were all stylish, modern, and full of imagination at the time. This is because Dai Tielang hopes to make this series into a style that is different from the traditional style that audiences generally see at the time. "Artistic is not just the kind of spring and snow, but as a series, it is a new wave."
However, the initial production of this animation, which gained great recognition among the audience, was not smooth. Dai Tielang once recalled, “I objected to every work in the factory. From "My Friend Little Dolphin" to "Black Cat Sheriff", "My Friend Little Dolphin" was not in line with the'more traditional and ethnic themes' at the time. The main theme of "Black Cat Sheriff" was reported, but did not get the support of the US Film Studio. However, Dai Tielang relied on his own enthusiasm to adapt the script and design the scene. The newcomer, completed the production of the first two episodes in ten months.
However, this was quickly stopped internally, on the grounds: "The fighting inside is not in line with traditional aesthetics, and the scientific principles inside are not artistic." It was not until a year and a half later that a film bureau leader watched it. I thought it was good, and after giving it a try to some children, the response was also very enthusiastic. So without any publicity, "Black Cat Sheriff" was finally broadcast. And because the effect was very good after the broadcast, three more episodes were produced and broadcast in 1987.
According to Dai Tielang’s recollection, when the "Black Cat Sheriff" was submitted to the Film and Television Department of the Beijing Film Bureau for trial, there was a rumor that the Film and Television Department said that the US Studio would never make a film like "Black Cat Sheriff" again. Because it is "foreign". But Dai Tielang insisted that the national form develops at every stage according to the evolution process, and sometimes children need some super-conscious images.
and "Black Cat Sheriff" became an animation that influenced the generations born in the 80s and 90s, proving Dai Tielang's advanced cognition. However, in 1988, the US Film Factory suffered a market transformation failure, a large loss of animation talents, and a serious economic decline. All kinds of realistic conditions make it difficult to make the sequel of the "Black Cat Sheriff" series on the agenda.
Although he has been involved in the animation industry since he was young, Dai Tielang has only been a director for only 10 years. However, he has continued to create, never stopped. When was interviewed in his later years, he often sighed, "This is a good time, so good that I often regret it. It would be nice if I was younger."
was just earlier this year, on May 13th, "Gourd Hu Jinqing, the director of "Brothers", died of illness at the age of 83. At that time, Dai Tielang also sent the wreath, signed "Old Classmate Black Cat Grandpa Dai Tielang", and the couplet read "Gourd Grandpa Hu Jinqing Go All the Way". In a blink of an eye, within 4 months, this old classmate also passed away, and the Black Cat Sheriff will be a memory forever.
