Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 308 Let It Go
In An Xiaoqian's opinion, this screenwriter who doesn't even deserve to have a name dared to question Hu Xiaobei, which is somewhat malicious, ungrateful, and overestimating his own abilities.

She couldn't help but frown slightly, and subconsciously looked at Hu Xiaobei, her eyes full of trust and support.

Hu Xiaobei smiled confidently: "Classics need to be passed down, but they need innovation even more. The addition of new characters can not only allow the story to break out of the original single-line narrative, but also evoke resonance among the audience regarding family affection and self-awareness."

After a moment of contemplation, the unnamed Disney executive nodded in agreement: "Mr. Hu has a clear mind and his ideas are very novel. They are definitely worth trying."

Hu Xiaobei then elaborated on the character design of the new character Anna.

She then picked up a pen and paper from the side and, based on An Xiaoqian's appearance and referring to the image of Elsa in her memory, quickly began to draw lines on the paper.

An Xiaoqian stared intently at Hu Xiaobei's profile as he focused on his painting. Gradually, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her hands unconsciously clasped together, filled with both anticipation and a touch of shyness.

As the pen tip moved quickly across the paper, a cartoon portrait of An Xiaoqian appeared on the paper in no time.

The figure in the portrait has both An Xiaoqian's delicate and three-dimensional facial features and Elsa's iconic ice-blue eyes, flowing silver hair, and gorgeous ice and snow element clothing.

An Xiaoqian gently picked up the portrait, her fingertips tracing the paper, trying hard to suppress her laughter: "Xiao Bei, this...this is so lifelike, so adorable!"

She turned her head to look at Hu Xiaobei, her eyes sparkling like little stars.

As a top director and master of calligraphy and painting, Hu Xiaobei's cartoon characters are vivid, lively, and highly infectious, instantly captivating the Disney staff present.

In addition, his fresh and insightful interpretation of the plot, as well as his reputation and directing skills in the film and television industry, further enhance his appeal.

After the Disney executives circulated the document, they exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise and excitement.

He immediately extended an invitation to Hu Xiaobei to jointly develop the "Snow Queen" project.

Hu Xiaobei readily accepted, and after a brief discussion, a verbal agreement was reached.

Regarding the investment share, it can be implemented according to the previous investment ratio between the two parties.

The total production cost of "Frozen" is estimated at around $1.5 million, with animation production costs accounting for more than 90%.

In addition, Disney has pledged to invest more than $1 million in the global promotion of Frozen.

As for the amount of investment needed by Qian Beifeng, it will definitely be more than last time.

Since it's an animated film, the importance of the director is greatly reduced, and actors are unnecessary, so it's impossible for it to take up 30% of the budget for nothing.

Qianbeifeng Entertainment also holds a 50% investment share this time, of which 15% is free.

The remaining 35% requires an investment of at least fifty to sixty million US dollars.

Moreover, this does not include Disney's marketing and promotion expenses of up to $100 million.

(PS: Revenue sharing for marketing and distribution is separate from revenue sharing for production. Marketing and distribution revenue can be shared from the total box office or total profit.)

There's no need to worry about the investment in "Frozen," since animated films have a long production cycle, and the box office revenue from "Mulan" alone is around $0.96 million, which is enough to cover the costs.

"I have two requests regarding Elsa's image."

Hu Xiaobei pointed to the cartoon image of Elsa, then turned to the crowd with a serious expression: "First, An Xiaoqian will be responsible for dubbing Elsa and singing related songs."

Therefore, Elsa's cartoon character must be created in the style of the An Xiaoxi version I drew.

Secondly, the ownership of the Elsa character image belongs to An Xiaoqian, and the revenue from related merchandise will be determined according to the higher of the two previously agreed upon methods, with half of the profits going to An Xiaoqian.

As for revenue from other merchandise such as characters, castles, and costumes, we can calculate it based on the 10% revenue share from previous collaborations.

“Mr. Hu, this condition is probably…” The Disney legal director, who didn’t deserve to be named, frowned habitually. An Xiaoqian looked at Hu Xiaobei in surprise, wanting to reach out and gently tug at his sleeve, but she managed to restrain herself from the impulse.

She didn't understand these business matters, nor did she want to, but she knew that in this situation, she couldn't let her own subjective assumptions affect Hu Xiaobei.

"Elsa and Anna are both main characters in this movie, but Elsa is the soul of the movie," Hu Xiaobei interrupted the other person directly.

Then, her gaze swept intently over the Disney executives: "An Xiaoxi's image and influence can give Elsa a unique charm, and isn't this revenue-sharing model more advantageous to Disney?"

The Disney CEO, whose name was not even mentioned, quickly reacted, stood up abruptly, and stretched out his hand: "Deal. With Mr. Hu and Miss Cici's support, this movie is destined to be a blockbuster. It's a pleasure working with you."

According to Disney's CEO, although the investment in the film is split 50/50, thanks to Disney's powerful distribution channels and global influence, they can actually capture a larger share of the profits.

Needless to say, the huge revenue from subsequent peripheral products is mainly driven by Disney, making it a sure-fire way to make money.

As a result, the two sides hit it off immediately.

Over the next few days, Hu Xiaobei and his two companions stayed at Disney headquarters, devoting themselves to discussing contract details and engaging in in-depth communication on issues such as plot and character settings.

With Hu Xiaobei around, there's no such thing as the two teams constantly sparking new ideas.

He immediately switched to speedrun mode and wrote a detailed script for "Frozen," as well as character designs.

The development of "Frozen" was rapidly advanced to the point where it could be directly invested in and produced.

The day after the contract was finalized, Hu Xiaobei produced a sheet music for the theme song of "Frozen"—"Let It Go".

The Disney music director, who also didn't deserve a name, practically jumped out of his chair after watching it: "Oh my god, this melody... it's absolutely stunning! It's like it was tailor-made for this movie!"

Hu Xiaobei chuckled shamelessly and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Of course it's tailor-made. I just wrote this song last night."

It will be sung by global pop star Annie Yi, and the rights will be granted free of charge to "Frozen".

An Xiaoqian's beautiful eyes widened at first, then a surprised smile bloomed on her face: "Xiao Bei, let me see the sheet music?"

Excitement shone in her eyes as she eagerly took the sheet music and began to hum softly, her sweet, childlike voice clear and melodious.

Hu Xiaobei glanced at An Xiaoqian and sincerely praised, "An Xiaoqian's voice and singing skills can perfectly interpret Elsa's transformation."

"Oh...this is simply a gift from heaven!" The Disney marketing director, who didn't deserve to be named, paused for a moment, then said excitedly, "Oh, with Miss Cici's powerful global appeal, plus the song specially composed by Mr. Hu, we won't have to worry about promotion at all!"

In fact, in the past two years, An Xiaoxi has become a global sensation with many of her songs thanks to her outstanding singing skills.

Moreover, her songs are extremely popular, and her strength in the music field is undeniable.

Well... it's not just an empty reputation...

Well, with An Xiaoqian's solid foundation, she not only has plenty of time to learn to sing this song, but also has Hu Xiaobei guiding her.

Given time, it will be no problem for her to perfectly sing "Let It Go".

Disney executives were overjoyed. This way, they could ensure the quality of the songs and leverage An Xiaoxi's popularity to promote the movie, which was exactly what they wanted.

After a series of intense and productive discussions and preparations, all the details have finally been finalized.

At the same time, Liu Xiaoli's negotiation team also brought good news about Lehman Brothers.

(End of this chapter)