Light Chaser Animation

What Light Chaser Animation does

Light Chaser Animation (追光动画) is a Beijing-based privately-held animation studio founded in March 2013 by Gary Wang (former Tudou.com CEO) and Yu Zhou. The company produces 3D animated feature films with Chinese cultural themes, operating an annual release cadence since 2016 that has yielded nine theatrical features organized into three franchise universes: New Legends (新传说), New Gods Ranking (新神榜), and New Culture (新文化). Its filmography spans Little Door Gods (2016), Tea Pets (2017), Cats and Peach Blossom Source (2018), White Snake Origins (2019, co-produced with Warner Bros), Nezha Reborn (2021), White Snake 2 (2021), Yang Jian (2022), Chang'an Three Thousand Li (2023), and White Snake: Floating Life (2024).

The studio operates a proprietary end-to-end 3D animation production pipeline with self-developed rendering and lighting systems, in-house scripting, animation, and lighting capabilities, and full Dolby Atmos sound (a first for domestic Chinese animation). Notable technical achievements include 80 million render hours for a single film, procedural city modeling for Chongqing-inspired landscapes, and high-precision CG fur rendering. The company employs approximately 390 people and has recruited senior Hollywood talent including Colin Brady (former Pixar) and Han Lei (former DreamWorks).

Light Chaser generates revenue through domestic theatrical box office (distributed via Alibaba Pictures), international theatrical licensing (via Weinstein Company), co-production arrangements (with Warner Bros), and emerging derivatives/merchandising streams. Ticket pricing is theater-controlled; the company's per-film production budgets run approximately $12 million (RMB 70-75 million) with break-even targets around RMB 250 million in domestic box office. Primary customer segments are Chinese family audiences (the 'big hand pulls small hand' model targeting parents aged 30-40 with children aged 5-10), broader Chinese animation audiences, and limited international markets through distribution partnerships.

Name

Light Chaser Animation

Legal name

Light Chaser Animation

Website

https://zhuiguang.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Light Chaser Animation is a Beijing-based 3D animation studio founded in 2013 that produces world-class animated feature films with Chinese cultural themes at approximately one-tenth of Hollywood production costs, releasing one film per year across three franchise universes for family and general Chinese audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animated Film Production

NAICS

Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Feature Film Production (MPADACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

3D Character Animation (MPAHACAB)

Keywords

• 3D animation production
• Animated feature films
• Visual effects services
• CG animation studio
• Animation IP licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Domestic Theatrical Box Office: Primary revenue stream from theatrical releases in Chinese cinemas. Light Chaser targets box office returns to cover production costs and generate profit. Little Door Gods was produced at $12 million with marketing spend of similar magnitude, targeting 250 million RMB box office for profitability.
2. International Distribution: Overseas theatrical distribution through partners like Weinstein Company generates additional box office revenue and expands market reach beyond domestic China.
3. Film Derivatives and Merchandising: Discussions with video game companies and toy manufacturers for derivative products. Light Chaser maintains high standards for products, example given was an alarm clock from the short film with monitoring capabilities.
4. IP Franchise Value: Established three major franchises: New Legends (新传说), New Gods Ranking (新神榜), and New Culture (新文化), with nine films released creating ongoing IP value across multiple releases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Light Chaser Animation is a Beijing-based animation studio that produces world-class 3D animated feature films with Chinese cultural themes. The studio self-produces scripts, animation, and lighting entirely in-house and releases one feature film per year, building interconnected franchise universes (New Legends, New Gods Ranking, New Culture). The company generates revenue primarily through domestic theatrical box office, international distribution partnerships, and film IP licensing.

Product overview

Light Chaser Animation is a Beijing-based Chinese animation studio founded in 2013 by Gary Wang (王微) and Yu Zhou (于洲), creating world-class 3D animated films with Chinese cultural characteristics. The company operates as a film production studio releasing one animated feature per year, organized into three distinct franchises: the 'New Legend' series (新传说), the 'New Gods' series (新神榜), and the 'New Culture' series (新文化). Its film portfolio includes nine released animated features: Little Door Gods (小门神, 2016), Tea Pets (阿唐奇遇, 2017), Cats and the Peach Garden (猫与桃花源, 2018), White Snake Origins (白蛇：缘起, 2019, co-produced with Warner Bros.), New Gods: Nezha Reborn (新神榜：哪吒重生, 2021), White Snake 2 (白蛇2：青蛇劫起, 2021), New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬, 2022), Chang'an Three万里 (长安三万里, 2023), and White Snake: Floating Life (白蛇：浮生, 2024), plus the foundational short film Little Yeyos (小夜游, 2014). The studio employs approximately 390 people and maintains a global-standard CG animation production pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Little Yeyos (小夜游) A 3-minute 3D animated short film produced to demonstrate the studio's initial production capabilities. Targeted at Chinese online video audiences and animation enthusiasts.
• Little Door Gods (小门神) Light Chaser's first feature-length 3D animated film about two Chinese door guardian spirits facing unemployment in modern-day China who journey to the human world to prove their value. Targeted at family audiences for theatrical release.
• Tea Pets (阿唐奇遇) Second feature-length 3D animated film featuring a Chinese tea pet and a robot on a fantastical adventure. Features traditional Chinese porcelain aesthetics. Nominated for the Golden Goblet Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
• Cats and the Peach Garden (猫与桃花源) Third feature-length 3D animated film about a cat father and son adventure. The film uses procedurally modeled cityscapes and high-precision CG cat fur simulation to tell a story of growth, dreams, and parent-child bonds. Family-oriented family entertainment.
• White Snake Origins (白蛇：缘起) Fourth feature-length 3D animated film, co-produced with Warner Bros, serving as a new origin story for the legendary White Snake and Xu Xian. Targeted at mythology enthusiasts, young adults, and family audiences.
• New Gods: Nezha Reborn (新神榜：哪吒重生) Fifth feature-length 3D animated film and first entry in the 'New Gods' (新神榜) franchise. Set 3,000 years after the original Nezha legend, following a young man with Nezha's soul in his battle against the Dragon King. Targeted at mythology and action animation fans.
• White Snake 2: Green Snake (白蛇2：青蛇劫起) Sixth feature-length 3D animated film and direct sequel to White Snake Origins. Follows the green snake Xiaqing's journey through a mysterious city to save her sister Bai Suzhen.
• New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬) Seventh feature-length 3D animated film and second entry in the 'New Gods' franchise. Set 1,500 years after the Battle of the Gods, following Yang Jian's journey to uncover the truth about his past.
• Chang'an Three Thousand Li (长安三万里) Eighth feature-length 3D animated film set during the An Lushan Rebellion, following the lifelong friendship between poet Li Bai and general Gao Shi.
• White Snake: Floating Life (白蛇：浮生) Ninth feature-length 3D animated film released in 2024, continuing the White Snake franchise.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 million render hours for single film production, first domestic film with Dolby Atmos sound
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Warner Bros (华纳兄弟)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2019Joint production partnership with Warner Bros for White Snake (白蛇：缘起), combining Light Chaser's animation expertise with Warner Bros international distribution network.
• Weinstein Company (韦恩斯坦国际影业公司)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 May 2016International theatrical distributor for Little Door Gods, announced at Cannes Film Festival 2016. Weinstein assembled Hollywood A-list voice cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Edward Norton for international version 'The Guardian Brothers'.
• Alibaba Pictures (阿里影业)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2015Alibaba Pictures served as co-producer and domestic distributor for Little Door Gods, the first animated film in Alibaba Pictures portfolio. Leveraged Alibaba Group's massive user base and ecosystem including Taobao Movies for promotion and ticket sales.
• Hollywood Animation ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2014Former Pixar and DreamWorks employees serve as advisors and consultants, including Colin Brady (former Toy Story 2 director) as Animation Director working remotely from Los Angeles.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DreamWorks Animation: Hollywood animation studio (now part of NBCUniversal) with a comparable 3D feature-film model and family-audience focus. Light Chaser has hired DreamWorks veterans (Han Lei, 7+ years on Kung Fu Panda). Strong technology and IP-franchise parallels.
• Pixar Animation Studios: The global benchmark for 3D animated feature films, owned by Disney. Light Chaser explicitly positions itself as 'China's Pixar' and has recruited Pixar alumni (Colin Brady). Comparable in technology leadership, family-audience targeting, and theatrical franchise model.
• Illumination (Universal): Global animation studio (Despicable Me, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets) and key Hollywood competitor in family-audience 3D animated features. Comparable as a benchmark for technology-cost economics and global IP franchise scale that Light Chaser aspires to match.
• Studio Ghibli: Iconic Japanese animation studio producing culturally rooted, hand-drawn feature films with strong global fan bases. Comparable as a culturally anchored, feature-film-led animation studio targeting family/arthouse audiences — relevant for understanding culturally-themed animation IP at global scale.

Emerging players

• Bilibili: Chinese video platform increasingly commissioning and producing animated features and series. Adjacent competition for Chinese animation talent and audience attention, though not a direct feature-film competitor to Light Chaser; relevant as both a potential distribution partner and competitive content producer.
• iQIYI: Chinese streaming platform investing in original animation including feature films. Plays a dual role as a potential Light Chaser distribution channel (per the data, trailers are placed on iQiyi) and as a competitor developing its own animated IP.

Direct peers

• Fantawild Animation (华强方特动漫): Chinese animation studio known for the Boonie Bears franchise and other Chinese-themed animated features. Directly comparable target audience (Chinese families, Chinese cultural themes) and theatrical release strategy, with the additional advantage of a parent theme-park business.
• Original Force (原力动画): China-based 3D animation studio producing both feature films and contract VFX/3D services. Comparable as a Chinese 3D animation production company with feature-film ambitions, similar technical orientation to Light Chaser.
• Shanghai Animation Film Studio (上海美术电影制片厂): Historic Chinese animation studio (state-affiliated) producing Chinese-themed animated features. Directly comparable as a domestic Chinese animation studio leveraging traditional Chinese cultural themes, though more legacy/2D-focused vs. Light Chaser's 3D CG pipeline.
• Beijing Enlight Pictures (光线传媒): Beijing Enlight operates the Colorful Butterfly Animation (彩条屋影业) label, the leading domestic rival to Light Chaser in feature-length Chinese animated films. Directly comparable in target audience (family/general Chinese audiences), cultural-rooted IP strategy, and theatrical distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lightchaseranimation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/light-chaser-animation-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Light Chaser Animation