The American animated feature "Kungfu Panda" and China's "Calabash Brothers" are the big winners at the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou.

Popular cartoon characters opened the Festival on Tuesday evening. More than 15 hundred entries from home and abroad are competing for China's highest animation film award, "The Monkey King," named after well-loved legendary hero.

Among the top choices are the film version of the popular TV animation "Happy Sheep and Grey Wolf", "The Monkey King" and the sequel of the African adventure "Madagascar".

The American "Kungfu Panda" took top prize for foreign animation.

Sun Lijun, the head of Animation Institute of Beijing Film Academy said, "Kungfu, panda, and chopsticks are all Chinese elements. The effect is good. We should pay more attention to the beauty and humor just around us and borrow from them."

The biggest Chinese winner is "Calabash Brothers," which revives a popular 1987 TV series on big screen.

The China International Cartoon and Animation Festival is the only state-level of its kind in China. Hangzhou has hosted the event four times since 2005.

(CCTV April 30, 2009)