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Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at the opening ceremony for the "Pixar: 25 Years of Animation" exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin today (March 27):
Ms (Elyse) Klaidman, Ms (Susan) Tatsuno, Mr (John) Hsu, Professor (Jeffrey) Shaw, Betty, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
I am delighted to join you for the opening ceremony of this "Pixar : 25 Years of Animation" exhibition.
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved cartoons. From the warm-up shorts before a feature film in cinemas to the Saturday morning extravaganza on television, I have always been totally delighted by the medium, the technology, the stories and, of course, the fascinating characters. Then, in 1986 came a little hopping lamp called Luxo Jr (Luxo Junior). This short film, Pixar's first, transformed the whole industry, taking the animation experience to a wholly different level.
So, first of all, I would like to thank Pixar for giving filmgoers of all ages so much pleasure over the last quarter of a century. I also wish to congratulate everyone involved in bringing this wonderful exhibition to Hong Kong.
Whether defending the universe or fulfilling lifelong dreams, our favourite characters are brought to life by the brilliant minds at Pixar.
Pixar's productions are known for their ingenious integration of art, creativity and computer technology. Somehow, they are able to move all of us, the young and the young at heart, to laughter and tears, and often at the same time!
Perhaps this exhibition will reveal some of Pixar's deepest secrets behind the magic!
Most important, I hope it will inspire creative minds in Hong Kong to follow in Pixar's footsteps and achieve great things.
The Hong Kong Government is fully committed to developing our cultural and creative industries. The recently opened Creative Media Centre at City University highlights this commitment. We contributed some $500 million towards the capital costs of constructing the Centre.
I know well that "you can't rush art". Those are the profound words of the old man who fixed Woody in Toy Story.
We will continue to build our cultural and creative industries so that they become part of Hong Kong's long-term accomplishments as a knowledge-based economy.
Once again, I wish to thank Pixar Animation Studios for bringing this exhibition to Hong Kong. We are privileged to be the first stop of the exhibition's world tour.
Also a heartfelt "thank you" to the sponsors, organisers and The Walt Disney Company (Asia Pacific). Without your efforts, our dream of hosting this exhibition would not have become reality today.
I wish the exhibition every success, and that the joy brought by Pixar productions will continue. Like Buzz Lightyear saidē"To infinity... and beyond!".
Thank you.
Ends/Sunday, March 27, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:00
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