Daily 9/4: DeNA tests AI animation, China shifts to video agents, an AI drama reaches prime time

Utopai and DeNA are bringing an AI storytelling system into Japanese animation workflows. Alibaba and MiniMax are moving the AI video race toward production-agent workspaces, while China's first long-form AI drama has reached satellite TV prime time.

• [Variety] DeNA Brings Utopai's AI Storytelling System Into Japanese Animation Production ↗

  Utopai Studios and DeNA are applying Utopai's storytelling AI system, PAI, to experimental animation workflows in Japan. Utopai's AI production specialists will work alongside DeNA's creative staff on early visual concepts, character and environment design, scene planning, and iterative production. DeNA's artists keep final authority over story, visual style, performance, and tone. PAI is built to carry approved characters and backgrounds across scenes and episodes, so the focus is production continuity rather than one-off clip generation.

• [36Kr] Alibaba and MiniMax Move the AI Video Race Into Agent-Based Production Workflows ↗

  Alibaba's Qwen Creation opened Agent Teams to all users on August 31, linking screenwriter, director, artist, cinematographer, and editor agents into one production flow. MiniMax launched MiniMax Design on August 20 as a workspace where copywriting, image, video, and audio agents run in parallel. ByteDance is also testing Manhua Creation Tool and Seedance Studio for mass production of long-form manhua dramas and professional film and television creation. As model performance starts to settle into a new equilibrium, the fight is shifting to who controls the workflow from idea to finished video.

• [Chosunbiz] China's First Long-Form AI Drama Lands in Satellite TV Prime Time ↗

  China's AI-made long-form drama Hou Journey to the West moved from Mango TV to a prime-time slot on Hunan Satellite TV. The 30-episode series runs 40 minutes per episode and continues the story of the classic Journey to the West. The production team used ByteDance's video generation model Seedance and built 109 character digital assets and 143 scene digital assets. Its premiere passed a real-time peak rating of 1.5% and ranked first among provincial satellite TV programs in the same time slot, while viewers remained split on the story and character work.