A New Milestone for Chinese Feature Animation: ‘Big Fish & Begonia’ Arrives in North America | ANIMATIONWorld
AnimationWorld Magazine — May 2, 2018
A New Milestone for Chinese Feature Animation: ‘Big Fish & Begonia’ Arrives in North America
Big Fish & Begonia, the epic fantasy adventure written, produced and directed by animators Xuan Liang and Chun Zhang, entwines new storytelling, mythical legends and lyrical characters from beloved Chinese literary classics. Already a great box office success overseas, the 2D/3D hybrid anime feature is one of China’s foremost animated feature films, and animation enthusiasts, artists and critics alike have heralded the movie’s artistic achievement as the forefront of the burgeoning Chinese animation industry.
The film’s story — inspired by a myth from the ancient Chinese Daoist classic Zhuangzi that also incorporates elements from notable Chinese classics such as The Classic of Mountains and In Search of the Supernatural — is a tale of love and sacrifice:
There is a mystical race of beings that control the tide and the changing of the seasons. But one of these beings, a young girl named Chun, wants to experience the human world, not simply observe it. When she turns sixteen, Chun is allowed to transform into a dolphin and explore the human world. However, she soon learns this world is a dangerous place. Chun is nearly killed in a vortex, but saved by a human boy at the cost of his own life. Moved by his kindness and courage, she decides to give the boy life again, but this power comes at a price. Chun will have to face adventure and sacrifice in order to protect the boy’s soul until it is ready to return to the human world.
Twelve years in the making, Big Fish & Begonia premiered in competition at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and went on to screen at the BFI London Film Festival, the inaugural ANIMATION IS FILM Festival, and the New York International Children’s Film Festival. The PG-13 rated film arrives in North American theaters in both Mandarin with subtitles and English-language dub versions on April 6, courtesy of Shout! Studios and Funimation, to be followed by a U.K. release from Manga Entertainment on April 18.
