Subscribe to free Email Newsletter

 
  Library>Culture ABC>Film>Overview
 
 
 
Chinese Animation shows World it has Midas Touch

 

 Little Tadpole Looking for Mummy

In the spring, many little tadpoles swim to and fro in the water. Seeing a group of chickens embracing their mother affectionately on the bank, they begin to look for their own mother. With the help of an "uncle shrimp," goldfish, crab and turtle, they finally find a frog -- their beloved mother. This ink painting animation, only 14 minutes long, is well known all over the world as a unique Chinese ink painting. It is used for the first time in the single-line brush animation. Nearly every scene is a beautiful ink painting.

The film, directed by Tang Cheng and Te Wei, won the Best Animation Movie prize in the first Chinese Hundred Flowers Awards. Established in 1962 by the Popular Movies magazine, the annual awards are decided by the number of votes submitted by the general public.
  
 Havoc in Heaven

This is an episode from the classic Chinese mythical novel "Journey to the West." Though Sun Wukong (Monkey King) boasted supernatural powers, he was fooled into coming up to heaven by the Great White Planet. TheJade Emperorconferred upon him the title of Protector of the Horses. When Sun Wukong realized that his job was to look after the horses, he became so angry that he returned to his Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Upon returning, he put up a sign, which declared himself as "the Great Sage Equaling Heaven." TheJadeEmperor swiftly ordered two heavenly generals to command some heavenly troops to capture Sun Wukong. Li Jing and Ne Zha served as the commanders of the heavenly troops. When they arrived at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, they ordered the Mighty Magic Spirit to challenge Sun Wukong. Great Sage Sun then asked the Mighty Magic Spirit to forward his message to the Jade Emperor that if he was conferred the title of "the Great Sage Equaling Heaven," he would refrain from attacking the Heavenly Palace of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor was furious and sent generals and troops to catch Sun Wukong. But they were defeated, so the Jade Emperor was thus forced to confer the title of "the Great Sage Equaling Heaven" upon Sun Wukong.

One day, some celestial maidens came to stroll in the garden. They told Sun Wukong that the Queen Mother of Heaven is going to have a grand birthday banquet, but he is not invited. Furious, Sun Wukong breaks into the palace and helps himself to all the divine food, thus ruining the gods' banquet.

Eventually, the heavenly army subdued him after many battles with the help of all the god warriors. However, all methods of execution failed. One attempt to kill him actually gave him a pair of fiery golden crystal eyes that can see through what people normally cannot. And once again, he beat the heavenly warriors.

This animated film could be considered as the best among all the classics. Even today, it is also the blockbuster movie and the
pride for all the Chinese people who make and love animated films.

"Havoc in Heaven" won the best animation film in the second Hundred Flower Awards and is regarded as one of the most successful animations for it creates a cartoon hero Sun Wukong, who has become a household name in China.

   1 2 3 4 5 6   
 
 
Email to Friends
Print
Save