Fine-tuning the 'toons

Surprise hits at the box office don't ease all concerns about the overall quality of China's animated films, Xu Fan reports.

China's long-struggling animation industry is enjoying a strong surge, though insiders warn the future may swing between potential and pitfalls.

More than half of the latest single-day record box office, 435 million yuan ($70 million) on July 18, is powered by two animated titles, the live-action/computer-generated imagery flick Monster Hunt (180 million yuan) and Monkey King: Hero Is Back (60 million yuan).