CATDOLL: The secret behind the success of "Go Away! Tumor" - A conversation with the CEO of Micromanhua

The recent hit movie "Go Away Tumor King" has been all over the WeChat Moments, with box office revenue exceeding 200 million yuan in just four days. While winning sincere praise from fans of the original comic, it has also made the comic "Go Away Tumor King" a hot topic again after three years.

In 2012, Xiong Dun, who was suffering from cancer but optimistic by nature, turned all her joys, sorrows, anger, and moving experiences into comics with her pen, and created the comic "Go Away Tumor" with a strong will and super cute style. In November of the same year, Xiong Dun unfortunately passed away. As the holder of the comic IP of "Go Away Tumor", Weimanhua has been working hard to bring the comic "Go Away Tumor" to the big screen in order to spread Xiong Dun's touching story and optimistic spirit.

To this end, we invited Mr. Sun Yuqian, the owner and promoter of the comic IP (comic intellectual property) of "Go Away Tumor", CEO of Weimanhua, to talk about the secret behind the success of the comic IP of "Go Away Tumor".

CEO of Micromanga

What is the relationship between Xiong Dun and micro comics?

Sun Yuqian: In 2011, after learning about Xiong Dun's story, Weimanhua asked Xiong Dun to donate money to help her overcome the difficulties. But Xiong Dun was very admirable and said that he would not accept money without merit and would not accept the money until the creation was completed. So, in August 2012, Xiong Dun and Weimanhua planned and published "Go Away! Tumor King". Unfortunately, Xiong Dun passed away three months later. Later, "Go Away! Tumor King" was widely circulated on the Weibo platform, and Xiong Dun's story attracted the attention of the majority of netizens.

The adaptation of "Mr. Tumor" took nearly three years. What kind of story is there in the meantime?

Sun Yuqian: Xiong Dun's idea of ​​turning "Go Away Tumor" into a movie came from a conversation between her and her friends, but this wish was not fulfilled during her lifetime and became an unfulfilled wish of Xiong Dun. The movie script actually went through many revisions, and many people thought that this film could not be made into a movie after reading the script. We were also worried that the movie would become a sensational and sad drama. At the same time, Xiong Dun's parents were very concerned about the adaptation of the script, so the script modification needed to be very cautious, taking into account the feelings of Xiong Dun's family, maintaining the original tone of the comics, and making it acceptable to the public, which was very difficult.

What do you think is the reason for the success of the movie "Mr. Tumor"?

Sun Yuqian: The success of the movie "Mr. Tumor" depends on the very positive energy of the story itself. During the production process of the movie, whether it was the meticulous crafting of the script or the invitation of super stars like Bai Baihe and Daniel Wu, it all reflected the sincerity and rigor of the film production team. Therefore, it took more than two years before the movie was released.

I heard that part of the proceeds from the film will go to charity. Which field specifically?

Sun Yuqian: For Weimanhua, all the proceeds from the comic books will be used for charity. We will donate all the proceeds that should belong to the Weimanhua platform, and the film and television companies will also donate part of the proceeds. Because Xiong Dun is a cartoonist, the charity funds will support the growth of some cartoonists. At the same time, it will also help some freelancers like Xiong Dun, and provide them with corresponding assistance when they encounter such unpredictable situations.

So what do you think of the Chinese animation industry? Can it get rid of the predicament of being too young?

Sun Yuqian: The Chinese comics market will get better and better, just like Chinese movies. The development of anything requires time and accumulation. The success of Japanese and American comics we see now is actually the result of accumulation, so the development of Chinese comics requires effort and time. In fact, Chinese comics are already developing in the direction of IP, and the success of "The Return of the Great Sage" and "Go Away Tumor" is proof of this. A lot of the gaps in Chinese comics are still at the content level. From a technical perspective, the level of Chinese comics is no worse than that of Japan and the United States in terms of style and painting. I believe that with the development of the industry, Chinese comics will get better and better. Here I still hope that everyone will support Chinese comics with a peaceful attitude.

What do you think about the IP fever that is popular in China?

Sun Yuqian: The domestic IP craze has actually existed for a long time, and the price of literary IP has also been rising. But we are more optimistic about comic IP, because comics have intuitive character images and vivid storyboard performances, which are easier to accept and easier to adapt than static literary works that are mainly based on thinking. In addition, judging from the current situation of the Chinese comic market, the alliance cooperation method is more conducive to the successful operation of IP.

What is IP Alliance?

Sun Yuqian: We hope to pool resources from literature, animation, film, TV, and game companies to jointly cultivate an IP, rather than sell it. When selecting topics for the project, we communicate with film and television companies and game companies in advance to understand their ideas, and even operate an IP in the form of co-production to form an industrial chain. This has always been the case in Japan.

What kind of platform is Weimanhua? What are its advantages compared with other comic platforms?

Sun Yuqian: As an animation vertical platform of Sina Weibo, Weimanhua has the advantage of having a large number of animation users. The accumulation of these users can provide a good display platform for the new generation of cartoonists. The second advantage is that Weimanhua has been committed to the original work of fine Chinese comics for many years and has an excellent editing team. The research and development of original fine content of Chinese comics that we have been doing is more inclined to discover a story comic that has been serialized for a long time. We will provide professional guidance to cartoonists in many aspects such as storyboards, scene design, and plot development. The third advantage is that Weimanhua, as a vertical platform of Sina Weibo, has rich publicity resources and exclusive channels in the fields of film, television, games, and animation, and can achieve precise delivery to the target group. "Mr. Tumor" is the first joint promotion of Weimanhua, Wanda Pictures, and Fruit Films on the Weibo platform. It has achieved a perfect fusion of comics and movies and created a new way of movie marketing. I believe it will definitely bring huge growth to the word-of-mouth communication and box office of the movie.

When will the second micro-comic suitable for movie adaptation be released to the audience?

Sun Yuqian: I think it will take at least a year, because it takes a long time for the artists to draw, and it takes time from script selection to filming and then to release. However, web series and TV series may be relatively faster.

Appendix: Development history of the comic IP "Go Away Tumor"

In August 2011, Xiong Dun suddenly fell and fell into a coma at home. He was subsequently rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In March 2012, the comic "Go Away! Tumor" created by Xiong Dun while he was ill was posted on the micro-comic platform, causing a huge sensation and garnering over 30 million hits.

In May 2012, Xiong Dun's illness relapsed and he was hospitalized again.

In August 2012, Weimanhua and Xiong Dun jointly planned and published the comic book "Go Away! Tumor", which received support from big V celebrities such as Yao Chen, Chen Kun, and Faye Wong.

In November 2012, Xiong Dun unfortunately passed away due to illness. Her last wish was to make the comic book "Go Away Tumor" into a movie.

On July 20, 2015, Weimanhua launched the "Go Away Tumor" movie collector's edition book set and used all royalties for charity.

On July 22, 2015, Weimanhua adapted Xiong Dun's work "A Middle School Girl's Flower Growing Diary" into a comic MV, which was sung by Bai Baihe. The fresh and cute style of the music was widely popular.

On July 23, 2015, Weimanhua and Beijing Century Huapeng Cultural Media Co., Ltd. launched the stage play "Go Away! Tumor King", which was performed in Shanghai, Beijing and Changsha. Xiong Dun's family was very satisfied with the image of Xiong Dun played by Jiang Xiaohan in the stage play.

On August 13, 2015, Weimanhua, Wanda Pictures and Fruit Films brought "Go Away Tumor" to the big screen, starring Bai Baihe and Daniel Wu.