China's largest private film company Huayi Brothers Media Corp plans to launch an animation division, to produce and distribute animation films with rich Chinese characteristics.

The new animation unit will be led by Joe Aguilar, a former executive producer at DreamWorks Animation LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. Hollywood veteran Markus Manninen, who was the visual effects director of Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Croods, will serve as the company's art director.

"The establishment of the company signifies that Huayi will enter the animation film industry with world-class production skills, and its original production capacity will be further improved," Huayi said in a statement.