A press conference was held at the China Cartoon and Animation Museum to announce the upcoming 19th China International Cartoon Animation Festival (CICAF), which will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, from June 20 to June 24.

This year's festival features over 20 activities across five major sections, including exhibitions, competitions, forums, business events and various other activities.

A total of 469 domestic and international enterprises, schools and organizations from 59 countries and regions have enthusiastically participated in the festival's activities both online and offline.

Pixar Animation Studio will showcase their highly anticipated animated film "Elemental" during the festival. Esteemed international companies and groups including the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and the Russian Animated Film Association will also be in attendance. Moreover, it is noteworthy that companies and organizations from countries along the Belt and Road, such as Kyrgyzstan, will be making their debut appearance at the festival.

The International Animation and Game Business Conference (iABC) will host a variety of offline activities, including one-on-one business negotiations, new film and product launches, an animation investment competition and a special session on Canadian animation. Masterpieces like "Yao-Chinese Folktales" as well as over 650 brand IPs, will be showcased at the festival.

With a focus on promoting outstanding traditional Chinese culture, this year’s CICAF not only presents an event for China’s style brand but also encourages attendees and anime enthusiasts to dress up in traditional Chinese Hanfu costumes to showcase their cultural confidence.

For the first time, a subsidiary venue will be established at the China Cartoon and Animation Museum, which is the first national-level animation museum in China. The combined exhibition and activity area of the main and subsidiary venues exceeds 65,000 square meters, making it the largest-scale exhibition in the history of the festival.

Throughout the festival, the museum will host a range of activities, including exhibitions of traditional shadow puppet animations, professional seminars and educational experiences.

Additionally, there will be a Character Voice competition, international animation film screenings, the China (Hangzhou) International Children's Comics Contest, and a ceremony for the release of Chinese youth animators. These events aim to discover and gather the talents of young animators while effectively carrying forward the rich history and promising future of animation.

Notably, the festival is also expected to unveil the Golden Monkey Award, the highest honor in Chinese animation, in the course of its duration.