Music Up also known as Crazy for the Song, is the first Chinese animation

Chinese animation

Chinese animation or Manhua Anime, in narrow sense, refers to animations that are made in China. In broad sense, it may refers to animations that are made in any Chinese speaking countries such as People's Republic of China , Republic of China , Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.- History :The...

 idol TV series in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It was distributed by Shanghai Animation Film Studio

Shanghai Animation Film Studio

Shanghai Animation Film Studio is the animation division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese animations.-History:...

 and produced by Welkin-Animation

Welkin-Animation

Welkin-Animation Development Co, Ltd is primarily engaged in prophase devising,intermediate and step-phase producing all kinds of animation as well as completely working for all aspects of animation business....

.

Background

This is the first animation production from China with an emphasis on the life of singers, bands and pop stars

Pop icon

A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...

. It is the first high budget domestic Chinese animation that lean close to Japanese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 materials. Production investment is estimated to be 18 million RMB

Renminbi

The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...

 (about US $2.3 million). In 2001 66% of its profits came from selling merchandise related to the series.

Story

Four young teenage boys share a common vision and passion for music. They come together overlapping their own personalities and ideas. In the process, they encounter a lot of difficulties as any youth might have. The story is unfolded as the band grows up. Academic, personal conflicts, family, friendship and emotional problems are all intertwined. With the help of teachers, students, and friends they try to achieve their dreams.

Merchandise

The TV series was not as successful as expected, but the associated merchandise of books, cards, CDs were extremely popular among teenagers in China. The book series sold 350,000 copies in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 alone. A video game was released in 2002 by Ubi Soft China titled "Music Up - Summer Rainbow".

External links

• http://welkin-animation.com/
• "Music Up" Info at Newmovie CNBB