The 2nd Huahuo Creation Festival Comes to a Successful Close! Over Ten Events Focus on New Trends in ACG Creation in the AI Era

On August 15–16, 2026, the second Hanabi Creation Festival was held on Beijing Road Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou. The event spanned three venues — the Nanfang Theater, the Yonghan Cinema, and UN BOOX United Bookstore — and featured four industry roundtables, six themed salons, an animation crowd-review session, an indie game showcase, and a screening of Duxing, China's first independent game documentary, with in-depth discussions on animation creation in the AI era, copyright protection, IP operations, indie game commercialization, AI-driven creation, and more.

On the afternoon of August 15, two roundtable forums were held at the main venue of the 2026 second Hanabi Creation Festival at the Nanfang Theater, focusing respectively on restructuring animation production organizations and building creators' personal brands. Guests from animation production, directing, AI technology, content platforms, and IP commercialization drew on practical experience to discuss new trends in the content industry amid technological and platform changes.

On the afternoon of August 15, the main venue at the Nanfang Theater hosted a series of exchanges on AI creation, animation production, and creator growth. Xuzi, head of growth at updream, opened with a talk titled "How the all-in-one AI Agent creation platform updream empowers animation creation." Using examples such as uploading scene images to generate graybox references and spatial previsualization, he introduced the new previsualization stage feature of the AI creation platform updream and its role in improving animation production efficiency and control over generated imagery, effectively aiding animation creation.

The first roundtable, themed "How should animation production organizations be restructured in the new era?", was moderated by animation content creator and AniMatter co-founder Bifang. Animation film producer Cai Bo (Nobody), animation director Fu Bo (Mojiao Zhentan), director Huang Chengxi (the Black Myth: Wukong animated short Bu You Ji), and animation director and AI pipeline expert Erpang joined the discussion. On AI's impact on production pipelines and team organization, the guests noted, based on project experience, that complex animation production requires better task quantification and information coordination, and that digital tools can improve cross-team communication efficiency. As technology iterates, animation production organizations may become leaner, smaller-unit-based, and more specialized, but at this stage AI mainly serves to boost efficiency and assist — a creator's aesthetic sense, experience, and understanding of story and people remain crucial factors in determining a work's quality.

The second roundtable, themed "From creator to brand: how to build your own audience?", was moderated by Daxiong, a senior content operations specialist at bilibili. Panelists included Niuyuguo, a signed creator of Bilibili's UP Animation Theater (Waixing Xiaotou Libe), Hong Jiajun, general producer of the Xing You Ye animation IP, Su Anke, CEO and co-founder of Yibenzhengjing with long experience in anime IP commercialization and brand licensing, and Su Fei, senior film media writer at Sir Movie. The discussion ranged from content expression to user operations, IP building, and commercialization paths. The guests agreed that while AI lowers some barriers to content production, long-term creation still depends on consistent expression, values, and professional skill; content is not inherently an IP — only when characters, imagery, or core symbols are truly remembered by audiences and gradually form stable user relationships does a work have the foundation to develop into an IP and brand. Facing a constantly changing platform environment, creators must also keep following audience feedback and strike a balance between content quality and long-term user connection.

On the afternoon of August 15, the first themed salon at the Yonghan Cinema focused on copyright protection in the AI era. Hosted by animation teacher and curator Xiao Jian, the session featured lawyer Wu Rangjun, an expert in the Guangzhou Copyright Bureau's copyright expert pool and director of the Copyright Committee of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, as guest speaker. Wu has long practiced intellectual property and commercial dispute resolution, with a focus on online games, video streaming, music, short dramas, and other entertainment fields. Tailored to the practical needs of the cultural and creative industry, the salon addressed copyright issues in animation and related creative work.

Starting from the definition of literary works, the salon covered originality, rights ownership, fair use, and infringement determination, and analyzed new copyright issues brought by AI creation through specific cases. Regarding AI-generated content, lawyer Wu Rangjun highlighted creators' creative input such as prompts during the generation process, advising creators to preserve evidence of prompts and revision history when creating with AI. He also engaged with the audience on questions like AI training on existing works and similarity between generated content and original works, offering reference for cultural and creative professionals on understanding copyright boundaries and rights protection in the AI era.

The second salon invited Zou Yi of IFCOMICS Yifu Comics Studio and manga artist Ling, hosted by Bote, a core organizer of the ADSL Exhibition. Drawing on their long-term creative and team practices, the guests discussed manga creation methods, the use of technical tools, distribution, and market changes, as well as the impact of new tools like AI and 3D modeling on the creative workflow.

The salon moved from black-and-white and color manga to how tools like 3D modeling, photography, and AI assist the creative workflow, then extended into authorial expression, distribution, and IP development. The guests noted that new technologies can cut some production costs and broaden creative methods, but a work's core still lies in its content. As traditional print media's influence wanes, manga creators also need to proactively expand channels such as social media and cross-media development, exploring a balance between work and commerce while staying focused on creative expression.

The third salon invited animated film storyboard artist and director Wang Ruijie Jerry (I Am What I Am 2, Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple), hosted by Niangao, business producer at Huamei Animation. The discussion covered shot design, character performance, emotional pacing, and collaboration on commercial projects in storyboard creation.

Drawing mainly on projects like I Am What I Am 2, the salon explored the storyboard's role in pre-production and mid-production. The panel emphasized that storyboards should first clarify characters and emotions, then organize shots and actions around the characters' states while staying aligned with the director's overall creative intent; in team collaboration, room for creative input should be appropriately preserved according to different stages and each creator's strengths. Jerry also shared from personal experience how to turn life experiences into shot language and creative inspiration, offering animators insight into the storyboard's narrative function and actual production process.

On the afternoon of August 15 at the United Bookstore, the Yefeng Game Dev Group brought its 14-day game jam to its final act.

From August 1 to August 14, these game developers stretched the tension of "time-limited development" to a new length over two weeks. At the showcase, every game was playable on site — developers explained their design decisions while players sat right down to try them. No judges, no scores — just feedback from fellow developers and real players.

On the morning of August 16, the third roundtable, themed "Change and constancy — what is a creator's true anchor?", was moderated by animation content creator Bifang. Panelists included animation director Wunian hiro (the Black Myth: Wukong animated short Pi), director Huang Chengxi (the Black Myth: Wukong animated short Bu You Ji), animation director Bai Jie (Da Qian Shijie, Yikong Zhange), director and AIGC artist Huang Jiangyan, and Bengji, head of bilibili's AIGC film and animation category operations. From 2D and 3D to generative AI, the guests agreed that new technologies keep changing animation's tools, pipelines, and creator structures, opening the field to people of more diverse backgrounds — but technology does not automatically produce good work. The more efficient the tools, the more creators need fundamental skills in composition, storytelling, and performance, along with independent aesthetic judgment. Authentic life experience, emotional perception, and the urge to express cannot be replicated by technology, so while continually embracing change, knowing what you want to express and forming independent judgment and personal expression remain the true "anchor" creators must hold onto.

On the afternoon of August 16, the Nanfang Theater hosted a screening of Duxing, China's first documentary on independent games. In his opening remarks, the film's producer said that it held special meaning for the film to appear on a theater screen for the first time on its eighth anniversary. From the outset, the documentary adhered to "no script, no storyboard, no predetermined stance," aiming to faithfully record the living conditions of China's independent game developers and to retain real-world value years later. Facing industry changes brought by new technologies like AI, he said that advances in creation tools are making game development accessible to more people. The roughly two-hour screening set the stage for the subsequent indie game roundtable, prompting the audience to think further about how to pursue more sustainable development and commercial paths while staying true to their love of creation.

The fourth roundtable focused on "Indie games — how can content creators close the commercial loop?", moderated by Pinmingwan Sanlang, founder of the China Indie Game Alliance. Panelists included Chen Heting, director of China's indie game documentary (Duxing), indie game developer CWC (Lost Castle 2), and PC, animation director at peropero (Muse Dash). Drawing on their own experience, the guests discussed project initiation, market judgment, commercialization, and AI applications. They agreed that indie game creation requires both clarity about one's strengths and expressive goals, and attention to market and user needs — by controlling project scope, validating gameplay, and actually finishing the product, a sustainable development path can gradually take shape. AI can improve prototyping and validation efficiency, but a creator's own aesthetic judgment, personal style, and content expression remain irreplaceable.

On the morning of August 16, the fourth themed salon at the Yonghan Cinema invited Guo Yacheng, co-founder of Fengtang Animation and animation director (Mao Xing Dongfang · Yuxiu, Shenqi Xiaowan Miaowenlu), hosted by Bais, head of the Hanabi Animation brand. Starting from the difference between AI agents and ordinary conversational AI, the session used hands-on demonstrations to show how agents participate in creative and daily work, and discussed the changes they bring to content production.

Through real cases such as animation storyboards, prompt organization, and multi-agent collaboration, the salon demonstrated AI agents' applications in animation production, project management, and workflow automation, further exploring how creators can use agents to optimize their workflows. The session also addressed division of labor and boundaries in human-machine collaboration, stressing that a creator's own professional foundation and aesthetic sense remain key to steering a work's direction, and engaged the audience on real-world agent usage as well as the security risks of AI tools and how to guard against them.

The fifth salon, themed "What are the current best practices in AI animation?", was hosted by animation teacher and curator Xiao Jian, with panelists including Roushu Texiao, a signed creator of Bilibili's UP Animation Theater and featured updream creator; Pajiao Xiaoji, a signed creator of Bilibili's UP Animation Theater and featured updream creator; Mai Weijian, CEO of Yingdong Visual; and Daxiong, senior content operations specialist at bilibili. Speaking from perspectives of personal creation, commercial production, and platform operations, the guests discussed AI animation's actual creative workflows, production methods, and industry changes.

From script, storyboard, and asset generation to editing, the salon covered AI's practical use in personal animation creation, and explored differences between personal creation and commercial production in production cycles, costs, and team setup. The discussion further addressed AI's restructuring of traditional animation pipelines and the new opportunities it opens for individual creators and small teams, and, responding to audience questions, stressed that content creation and close collaboration between director and writer remain key to giving a work its character and winning audience recognition.

The sixth salon, themed "How will AI reshape the voice industry?", invited AI music instructor and music producer-practitioner Nencol He Wenxiang and film/animation sound mixing engineer Li Yunwei, hosted by professional voice actor and voice director Geass. Speaking from the fields of music production, film sound, and voice acting, the three guests discussed the changes AI brings to creative methods, workflows, and careers in the voice industry.

The salon showcased an AI music idol MV and, through real applications like AI music, sound effect production, and AI dubbing, discussed how AI improves production efficiency and lowers creative barriers while impacting traditional voice production, extending to new collaboration models like voiceprint licensing and virtual idols. The panel also noted that while AI can handle ever more standardized work, emotional understanding, aesthetic judgment, and personal expression in voice creation still require human creators. Afterwards, the salon held a music workshop where guest Nencol composed a song together with the audience.

During the event, the satellite venues also hosted an "Animation Crowd-Review Session," moderated by Kaimen, founder of PLPL Studio and head of the DonghuaHuan community. Panelists included Danan Jun, executive producer of original animated films (Dahufa, Valley of White Birds, Rain), animation art creator Yibu Xiaoxin (Rain), Roushu Texiao, a signed creator of Bilibili's UP Animation Theater and featured updream creator, Pajiao Xiaoji, a signed creator of Bilibili's UP Animation Theater and featured updream creator, and Ningbo Huntun, senior AIGC content operations specialist at bilibili and animation content creator.

Guided by the principle of "more analysis, less verdicts," the crowd-review session broke down specific problems in each work's creative process through clip screenings, audience interaction, creators' own accounts, and panel discussion. Works presented included hand-drawn pieces Longhu Zhi Xing, Zhongshu Chacanting, Nanke Zoumadeng, and Yingyuanse, as well as the AI-made piece AEGIS. Discussions covered shot language, atmosphere building, character performance, emotional conveyance, and generation control and collaboration workflows in AI animation. Rather than simply judging works "good" or "bad," the session used joint analysis by creators and panelists to help creators better identify the key stages that shape a work's final effect.

Across the two days, the festival's visual identity extended into every event space and outdoor area. Themed signage, event panels, guest profiles, and festival materials blended with the Nanfang Theater, the Yonghan Cinema, and the surrounding urban spaces, building a clear and distinctive event environment for participants.

From venue entrances to public gathering areas, the visual materials and on-site installations centered on animation, manga, indie games, and youth creation not only served wayfinding and information functions but also reinforced the festival's open, diverse atmosphere of creator exchange. Beyond the forums, screenings, and talks, attendees could feel this edition's on-site experience through these spaces and visual details.

Over two days, the genuine exchange the Hanabi Creation Festival fostered may matter more than any answers it provided. The festival will continue to serve as a platform connecting creators with the industry, offering young creators in animation, manga, indie games, and beyond more opportunities to showcase and connect.

​Supporting organizations：Guangzhou Beijing Road Cultural Core Area Management Committee, Guangzhou Digital Creative Industry Association