Asian Representation in Animation

Join Asia Society Southern California for a discussion on Asian representation in animation with Netflix Producer Peilin Chou and actor Cathy Ang. Released on October 23, 2020, Netflix's Over the Moon is the first animated film backed by a major Hollywood studio to feature an entirely Asian cast. In addition to Ang, the film stars Sandra Oh, Ken Jeong, Margaret Cho, John Cho and Phillipa Soo, among others. Directed by Oscar®-Winning Filmmaker & Animator, Glen Keane, and produced by Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou, the film represents the growing influence of Asian American storytelling in Hollywood. The panelists will explore the significance of the film in advancing diversity in Hollywood and the resonance for a global audience of a musical adventure blending Chinese mythology and childhood fantasy. This session will be moderated by Janet Yang, Over the Moon Executive Producer and Chair of the U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit. She will take a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how this most unlikely movie got made and rose to #1 on Netflix its opening weekend.

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Moderator:

Janet Yang is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning Hollywood producer with deep roots in China. Yang is a member of the Board of Governors of the Motion Picture Academy, as well as an officer chairing the Membership and Governance Committee.

Yang has worked with some of the most formidable directors and actors in the world. She came to prominence through her collaboration with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun (Warner Bros). That was followed by a long partnership with multiple Academy Award-winner Oliver Stone—where she served as Executive Producer on the iconic The Joy Luck Club (Disney), and as a Producer on the Golden Globe-winning The People vs. Larry Flynt (Columbia Pictures). Her latest film is Over the Moon, an animated feature based on her original story inspired by the Chinese moon goddess. Iconic animator Glen Keane directs the movie for Netflix and Pearl Studios.

Committed to fostering global understanding, Yang has been a long-standing member of the Committee of 100, an organization of the most prominent Chinese-Americans; an advisory board member of Asia Society Southern California where she also chairs its highly regarded U.S.-ASIA ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT; and co-founder of Gold House, the non-profit collective of influential Asian cultural leaders.

Speakers:

Peilin Chou
Producer, Over the Moon

Chou is an Feature Animation Film Producer with an overall deal at Netflix Animation. Her most notable producing credits include Over the Moon, an animated musical feature film directed by Glen Keane which premiered on Netflix in October 2020, and Abominable, an animated feature co-production with DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio directed by Jill Culton, which launched theatrically worldwide in September of 2019. Prior to joining Netflix, Chou was the Chief Creative Officer of Pearl Studio (formerly Oriental DreamWorks). In her 5 year tenure at Pearl Studio, Chou oversaw the overall mission and creative direction of the studio, including the development and production of all Pearl Studio films and projects, as well as the creative oversight of all marketing, PR, and consumer products efforts.
 
Chou started her career in features at the Walt Disney Studios where she was a Creative Executive at Walt Disney Feature Animation and Touchstone Pictures. In those roles, she developed and oversaw dozens of feature film projects, of which two of her favorites are: Mulan and Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion.  

In 2019, Chou was named to the Gold House A100 List of “Top 100 Most Influential and Impactful Asians & Pacific Islanders”. She is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), The Television Academy, Women in Animation (WIA) and New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT).

Cathy Ang
Actor, Voices the role of Over the Moon's Fei Fei

Ang is a Chinese-Filipina actress and singer. She began musical theater in college, and has always dreamed of working in animation. She is incredibly proud and thankful to be part of Over the Moon. Ang was last seen playing Claire in Maybe Happy Ending at Alliance Theatre. She is also a member of Michael Arden’s new socially- distanced immersive theater company, The Forest of Arden. Other credits include: KPOP (Ars Nova), The Undesirables (Eugene O’Neill), Riot Antigone (La MaMa), and We Are the Tigers (Theatre 80). TV/Film: Ramy, I-RIS, Before the Flood, Cleanup Hitter. 

Click here for more programs on the 2020 U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit.