Poster of movie "Monkey King: Hero is Back".
"Monkey King: Hero is Back," the 3D animated adaption of the classical epic "A Journey to the West," has reaped around 500 million yuan (about 80 million U.S. dollars) since opening on July 10, becoming the most successful Chinese animation in history.
The film's performance could match many Hollywood productions, including Dreamworks' "The Croods", which took in about 400 million yuan in 2013 in China.
"Monkey King: Hero is Back" tells of the story of the Monkey King's encounters with his future master, Monk Tang, before they embark on a pilgrimage to India, defeating monsters along the way.
A CHINESE FILM WITH CHINESE HERO
Director Tian Xiaopeng credited the movie's popularity to the special story, which revolves around Chinese hero the Monkey King, who is forbidden from using his all-mighty powers in the latest film.
He said unlike superheroes in Hollywood movies such as Captain America,the latest rendition of the Monkey King simply looks like a close friend with a bit of oriental heroic spirit, which includes helping strangers in danger.
"Chinese people have their own values, which means we don't need to follow the mindset of the West, especially that of the Hollywood," he stressed.
The values conveyed in the animation include perseverance and courage, according to Tian.
The main character of Dreamworks' "Kung Fu Panda" franchise was not purely East, as low-profile is appreciated in the culture of the East. As for Disney's "Mu Lan" series, while people were impressed by the beautiful landscape depicted in the film, some of the film's elements, such as the coming-of-age ceremony, are not authentically oriental.
He believed he was making an animated film with distinct Chinese style, though he admitted he blended the advantages of both Japanese anime and Hollywood cartoons into it.
"We used our own traditional stories to resonate with our audiences' emotions, and technically we tell the story by means of the West," said Tian.
