Research On The Influence Of Character Symbols On The Box Office Of Animated Films

Taking the characters(protagonists)in animated films as the starting point,this paper constructs a theoretical model and designs an empirical study along the main line of "proposing that the characters have influence as symbols→constructing the influence framework of the character symbols→empirically analyzing the influencing factors of the character symbols on the film box office",explores the connotation of the character symbols and their influence,and on the basis of constructing the influence analysis framework of the character symbols,Empirically test their actual impact on the film box office.In terms of specific content,firstly,it starts from the research on the character symbols and film box office,and arranges the relevant literature review at home and abroad.On the basis of summarizing the theory of influence economy and symbolic economy,this study proposes that characters as symbols are not only the main body of animation film,but also the core of animation industry,which can attract consumers and drive them to the cinema for film consumption,that is,they have an influence on the film box office.The characters realize their economic value through symbolization and commercialization,and further create value through differentiation and consumption,which is also the process of the character symbols spreading and further expanding their influence.In the process of analyzing the character symbols,on the one hand,we should pay attention to the character images,that is,the external characteristics expressed through audio-visual language,on the other hand,we should also pay attention to the internal characters and cultural values of the characters,as well as the communication effect of the role with films as the media.Secondly,based on the research on Star symbols,this study attempts to use Pierce’s semiotic theory to construct the framework index of the research on the influence of character symbols from the two aspects of symbol representation and symbol communication.Character symbol representation includes the character image shaping,design and the theme of culture,in which character image shaping is subdivided into character type,gender,age,dubbing and adaptation form.Then,based on this assumption,the sample is 380 animated films released in China from 2010 to 2020.The model is constructed for multiple linear regression,and the quantile regression is used for robustness test.The conclusions are as follows:In terms of character image shaping,different role types significantly affect the box office.Given other variables,non-human characters have greater influence on the box office than human characters,but the marginal benefit decreases,and the influence of character age and gender on the box office is not significant as a whole.However,juvenile characters have the potential to impact the high box office,and the films adapted by TV have relatively greater influence on the box office than the original ones,However,the marginal effect decreases,while other adaptation forms are not significant;In terms of character design,the influence of character design on the film box office is not significant;In terms of the theme of character culture,the theme of humor and warmth has a greater influence on the box office than other themes,especially at the very high box office stage;In the aspect of role communication,film reviews and film ratings have a significant positive impact on the box office of animated films,while film discussions are not significant;In the control variables,sequel films have a greater impact on the box office than non-sequel films,but the schedule is not significant.And try to explain the reasons from the theory,and put forward targeted suggestions for China’s animation creation and industrial development.The suggestions mainly include:in terms of role types,create more non-human characters and enrich character types;In terms of audience orientation,pay attention to the needs of teenagers groups and female groups;In terms of character design and connotation,we should take lovely,kind-hearted,humorous and warm as the keynote,add other designs and themes;At the same time,we should optimize the quality of adapted works and encourage original characters;In addition,we should also pay attention to the word-of-mouth communication of the network and expand the influence of character symbols through multiple channels.Finally,this paper points out the limitations and deficiencies in the research process,and hopes to be improved in the future research.