Animating the ancients

A new cartoon flick imagines a fantastical account of the mysterious Sanxingdui civilization, Xu Fan reports.

Archaeologists are still working on unraveling the mystery of who the people were behind the marvelous artifacts found in Sanxingdui, one of the largest archaeological discoveries in the 20th century in China.

While nobody really knows the answer, a new animated film produced by China and Canada is boldly imagining and ultimately visualizing the identity of this civilization that flourished more than 3,000 years ago.

Heroes of the Golden Mask, directed by Canadian animation veteran Sean Patrick O'Reilly, was released in domestic theaters on Dec 29.

Combining elements of fantasy and adventure, the film fictionalizes an ancient realm ruled by a king named Yufu, and protected by a team of five warriors from various civilizations from China, East Asia, the Mayans and Atlantis. These fighters possess superpowers when they wear their golden masks.