Beijing based Light Chaser Animation is working on a full-length animation feature film called Door Guardians, which will hit theatres early next year and is touted to be the torch bearer for Chinese animation to travel the globe.
A 90-second trailer of the upcoming animated film has given a sneak peek at what promises to be a landmark piece of Chinese cinema. Director and screenwriter Gary Wang was unwilling to reveal too many details of his first feature-length animated film at a news conference last week, except to say the film is about courage and change, and the production will be finished before July.
Door Guardians is inspired by the Chinese tradition of menshen (door gods) – pictures or statues placed on or near doors to keep away evil spirits. The story follows the adventures of two door gods that travel to a small town in modern China. But the gods find themselves out of work because people do not worship them.
Gary further revealed that when he was travelling to Bangkok he saw a pair of door god statues in front of a palace and suddenly realised people don’t hang pictures of door guardians that often in China. “We need to get inspiration from our cultural roots, rather than mimicking others,” he added.
Wang founded Tudou.com, once China’s most popular video-sharing website. When he left that company and looked to embark on a new career, he faced a tough choice. Light Chaser Animation released its first three-minute animated short film, Little Yeyos, last year. Wang considers the film a small test.
With Door Guardians, Wang, along with his 160 Chinese employees, hopes not only for a successful film but also shake off the stereotype of Chinese animators simply being puppets in the hands of foreign entertainment juggernauts.
According to Yu Zhou, producer of Door Guardians, the film has attracted an investment of 130 million yuan ($21 million), with 70 million of that used for animation production.
Yu says one flamboyant dance scene in the film will feature more than 200 lamps, which was a difficult technical feat for the film as they have to present subtle changes of lighting and shadow. Wang believes the scene is a breakthrough for Chinese animation.
The film is slated to be screened nationwide in January, which means it may overlap with the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 in China. But its specific release date has not been announced yet.