The Aesthetic Turn Toward Round Characters in Contemporary Chinese Animation

In recent years, character design in Chinese animated films has evolved toward more psychologically complex and multidimensional portrayals of ‘round’ characters. This transformation has significantly enriched the aesthetic architecture of animated characterization. Through comparative analyses of Sun Wukong in Havoc in Heaven (Laiming Wan, 1961, 1964) and Monkey King: Hero is Back (Xiaopeng Tian, 2015), as well as Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (Shuchen Wang, Jingda Xu, and Ding Xian Yan, 1979) and Nezha Series (Jiaozi, 2019, 2025), this article explores how contemporary animated protagonists embody psychological multiplicity, nonlinear trajectories of growth, and inner contradictions, thereby transforming the typified character constructions prevalent in early Chinese animation. By integrating E. M. Forster’s theory of character, the Daoist aesthetic of ziran (自然), and the aesthetic principle of imperfection, the study establishes a culturally grounded theoretical framework that offers new interpretive pathways for understanding the evolution of national style in Chinese animation.