Taichung International Animation Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary with New Character IP Unveiling

The Taichung International Animation Festival, Taiwan's only event dedicated solely to animation, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the debut of its new character IP "Taichill Friends." The festival will be held from October 18th to 27th at the Taroko Mall Showtime Cinemas. In honor of the milestone, the event has been extended to 10 days, featuring 10 different screening categories filled with diverse and vibrant animated works for fans to enjoy.The promotional video features a giant IP character moving through the city, symbolizing how the locally distinctive 'animation' has seamlessly blended into everyone's daily life. (Photo / Taichung City Government Tourism Bureau)

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen emphasized that since its founding in 2015, the Taichung International Animation Festival has fostered international animation exchanges and created a platform for Taiwanese animation. To mark the occasion, the new "Taichill Friends" characters—Bingbing (representing the sun cake), Huahua (representing flowers), Caocao (symbolizing greenery), Lala (representing chili sauce), and Liangliang (symbolizing bubble tea)—will interact with fans throughout the festival, offering unique experiences and surprises.The main visual and promotional video incorporate the local characteristics of Taichung, inviting all animation fans to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival together this October. (Photo / Taichung City Government Tourism Bureau)

During the festival, several activities will be held, including the display of "Taichill Friends" giant balloon installations at the Park2 Caowu Square. Two special exhibitions, "Tomorrow: Animation Creation Exhibition" and "Yesterday's Moments: 10th Anniversary Retrospective," will also be showcased. The former reveals the creative insights behind this year's selected works, while the latter offers a nostalgic look back at memorable moments from the festival's history.

For more information and updates on the event, follow the official Taichung International Animation Festival website and Facebook page.