AI Empowers the Rise of Anime Mini Series

In 2025, China's mini series industry is witnessing rapid and substantial growth. Alongside live-action mini series, anime mini series are gaining prominence as well. Compared to live-action productions, anime mini series possess distinct advantages in terms of production timelines. Animation can be produced digitally, thereby eliminating constraints related to weather conditions, filming locations, and actor availability. Furthermore, the production process is relatively standardized and more easily controlled. Artificial intelligence (AI) further enhances the production workflow by assisting with script generation, storyboard design, special effects creation, post-production editing, translation, and dubbing, resulting in cost reductions and increased efficiency.

Amid the accelerated expansion of Internet giants, anime mini series have emerged as a key area of competition among platforms. According to data from Ocean Engine, the number of viewers for anime mini series surpassed two billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. The strengths of anime mini series lie in their significant potential for intellectual property (IP) development and their predominantly young audience, with over 60% of viewers belonging to Generation Z. With the growing popularity of two-dimensional culture, the market potential for anime mini series remains substantial.

Currently, the integration of AI with anime mini series is an emerging trend, primarily manifesting in three forms: AI-redrawn mini series, AI + dynamic comics, and AI + animated mini series. AI-redrawn mini series involve transforming live-action mini series into anime-style productions; AI + dynamic comics incorporate motion effects and dubbing into original comic works; and AI + animated mini series are original, plot-driven animated productions.