The latest animated film from Light Chaser Animation (White Snake) is a tale of the god Nezha reborn in a future cyberpunk dystopia. New Gods: Nezha Reborn 哪吒重生. This studio is super impressive if just for how consistent their output level is, with at least a new film every year.
The dubbing is actually pretty solid (but that may be because the Last English-dubbed video I’ve been watching was this) . Animated feature White Snake , a loose prequel to popular legend The Legend of the White Snake, opens in LA on November 15th and in select U.S. theaters on Nov. 29. There are two additional dubbed clips here and here.
As a part of the Animation is Film festival, White Snake co-director Zhao Ji and Ne Zha co-writer Yi Qian will be doing Q&A’s this weekend in LA. Yi Qian is also the CEO of Coloroom, the rising animation powerhouse that’s also behind Monkey King : Hero’s Back and Big Fish & Begonia.
Hong Kong-based director Yonfan will also be there for a Q&A on film No. 7 Cherry Lane, while Zhou Shengwei’s innovative stop-motion picture SHe will make its US premiere.
More info here. Tickets are still available for all four screenings as of this post’s publishing.
Trailer for No. 7 Cherry Lane:
Animated feature White Snake is finally getting its North American release date. The film, a loose prequel to popular legend The Legend of the White Snake, opens in LA on November 15th and in select U.S. theaters on Nov. 29.
Official U.S. trailer:
White Snake: Origin is the first Chinese animated film since who knows when to be released with English dubs in North American theaters
In the best distribution deal for a Chinese animated film in a long time, White Snake: Origin, has been picked up for North American distributor GKIDS. The distributer has previously distributed Ponyo, The Breadwinner, Howl’s Moving Castle, and most recently The Secret World of Arrietty, and currently has distribution writes to all the Studio Ghibli films. Both English-dubbed and Chinese-subbed versions of the film is tentatively set for a fall release in North America. Synopsis from GKIDS, with Madame White Snake’s English name being translated as Blanca:
From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love.
all palettes cr: melonxixiisone
White Snake is co-produced between Warner Bros and Light Chaser Animation, and comes from the producer of Little Door Gods and Tea Pets. The animation has been receiving positive reviews for its illustrations and the preservation of zhongguofeng (traditional Chinese elements) since its premiere on Jan 11th.
Promotional theme song by Zhou Shen:
Warner’s last co-production, The Meg, did surprisingly well in China. Will this follow suit?
Warner Brothers will co-produce their first Chinese animation with Light Chaser Animation ( Little Door Gods , Tea Pets, Cats and Peachtopia ) with a retelling of The Legend of White Snake. White Snake 白蛇：缘起 tells of the previous lifetime of male lead Xu Xian, and how the White Snake first fell in love with him. The film is set for a December 21st release date.
Tea Pets 阿唐奇遇, the second animated feature from the team behind Little Door Gods, is set for a July 21st release. The animation still looks great, hopefully they’ll up the story this time. Trailer below and more here and here.
When the Guardians of Homes start losing their jobs in modern society, one group of gods try to wreck havoc to make themselves needed again.
Following the most successful season of Chinese animation, the highly anticipated (by me, anyways) Little Door Gods 小门神 released another trailer, this time with English subs! The animated feature follows a pair of door gods looking to save their jobs as people lose their faith. The film airs on January 1st next year, and is the first feature animation from startup Light Chaser Animation. Hopefully the story is as good as it looks and there’ll be more to come!
What happens when the traditional Door Gods gets shut out from the modern household?
Think you never want to see another winter again? Not if you’re a fan of Chinese animation. After the long-waited Big Fish was picked up for release in November 2015, another great-looking Chinese animation film, The Guardians of Doors 小门神, has announced it’ll be airing in January 2016. The film is expected to air in 2016, trailer below, with narration by Bai Ke. It’s the first from new animation studio Light Chaser Animation.