Why Is the Crow Black-Coated () is the first Chinese animation short film in color produced at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio by Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan.
Plot The story is about a very arrogant bird that enjoys life. He sang and danced in the forest in China, showing off his beautiful tail to everyone. Autumn would come and the other animals in the forest are busy preparing food for the winter. The bird continues to live life leisurely.
The winter would come instantly with a heavy snow storm. The bird is now homeless in the cold without preparation. To warm up, he found a random wild fire in the forest. The bird accidentally burned his tail and also lost his singing voice. From there on, the bird is no longer beautiful and is known as the black crow.
Creators English Production Original Version Romanized Crew Screenwriter 編導 Yifan 一凡 Directors 導演 Li KeweiQian Jiajun 李克弱钱家骏 Design 設計 Liu FengzhanShang ShishunThunderstorm 刘凤展尚世顺雷雨 Animation 动画 Lu Qing 陆青
Background Two of the Wan brothers took part in the production. The film was created right before Shanghai Animation Film Studio became a government sponsored division which would later be affected by the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong.
Awards It is the first Chinese animation to be recognized internationally in 1956 at the Venice Film Festival. In 1957 it was also awarded by China's Ministry of Culture.
See also Chinese animation History of animation History of Chinese animation
References CCTV cartoon history
External links Why Is the Crow Black-Coated at China Movie Database