Chinese New Year Archives | Otaku No Culture

Top Three Choices to Hail In the Chinese New Year (2025 Edition)

Chinese New Year is almost here, and I offer my list on what I expect to be the top three films that’ll be big! And all the movie trailers I could find are also assembled here:

Creation of the Gods 2 Well GO USA Poster for Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is coming! And for those folks who want to enjoy part of that day at the movies, five ‘official’ films are being released January 29th! What I offer here are my top three choices. Although I mentioned the sequel for Crazy Alien is coming in my review, it’s not a mandatory must-see.

And what I offer here are nearly every trailer for each of these films to get a sense of what’s going to be presented.

Creation of the Gods II:
Demonic Confrontation

This continuation of the epic fight between clans can spell disaster for all of China, if all parties aren’t careful. That’s because, after the ascension of the last ruler of the Shang dynasty, the transition is not quiet. When the fox-spirit Daji has a dastardly role to play, all will not be well.

As part two of a trilogy, what’s expected will be like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings–to break the narratives down to smaller pieces. Part three is titled Creation Under Heaven. and that’s scheduled for release next year. As for this middle release, Well GO USA has IMAX screenings available at select cities (please visit link) on Jan 29th, and will get a wider release at the end of the month.

Trailer 1 (International Release)

Trailer 2 (Chinese)

Behind the Scenes

Continued on page 2

Pages: 123

The Tiger’s Apprentice Mewling Roar. Looking into the Bold Differences.

Just what viewers can learn from The Tiger’s Apprentice is buried in a fairly standard monomyth. Had there been more emphasis on this aspect of the narrative, this work could have roared.

Now Available to purchase on Amazon USA (DVD)

Raman Hui‘s attempt to adapt the novel, The Tiger’s Apprentice, to become a possible new animated franchise sort of works. When it’s supposed to look at Chinese folk beliefs, what’s shown feels quite light. It lacks that sense of wonder which Light Chaser Animation‘s works excels at. The differences is well explored with the home video release due to the bonus content, and although this film has its heart in the right place, I wished it could’ve done more with why Ming yun (destiny) matters.

Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo) must be ready to become the next guardian and when he’s not even sixteen yet, the force determined to kill him must do so before the coming of every Lunar New Year. Most people know that a select group of animals represent each lunar cycle, and I get the sense that Loo (Michelle Yeoh) is not picky on when to destroy him. I’m also not sure if she’s been trying those few weeks before the end of every twelve months, but if she doesn’t do so quickly, he’ll be strong enough to defeat her! That sense of urgency isn’t conveyed, because during this film, the last time she successfully chased the boy down is during the Year of the Ox.

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So What Are 2024’s Chinese New Year Movies? (And Where to Find Them)

In part two of our look at the newest Chinese New Year Movies will be a list of animated films that should one day see an American release.

YOLO Movie Poster - Chinese New Year Movies Outside the Rice Bowl of the World, the number of Chinese New Year movies available to view worldwide are based on what is being offered by Cineplex’s SilverCity Riverport operation in Richmond, BC. That’s because in all my years of tracking films from this market always head to this metroplex than any other operation in my neck of the woods.

True to form, just where these motion pictures get played depends on just how big of a Chinese-Canadian or American population exists per region. Others include Seattle, San Francisco, and New York (to name a few). Strangely, YOLO and Article 20 do not make the list. The good news is that the former will eventually see a hopefully fast release, as Variety broke the news about it being acquired by Sony Pictures.

The following list of works to enjoy are:

Continue reading “So What Are 2024’s Chinese New Year Movies? (And Where to Find Them)”

Three Chinese Films to be on the Lookout For! (And The Fantastic Umbrella Girl Too)

Quite often, Chinese New Year is when new films will be played to audiences worldwide, and what’s offered here are four selections we hope will begin production or play in 2024!

The Journey of Flower 2024 Movie Poster - Three Chinese Films to Look Out For in 2024 Although Chinese New Year is two months away, the question of what movies will get released is likely to at least include The Journey of Flower. The other three Chinese films include Chang’An, Kung Fu Hustle 2 and Umbrella Girl. While one is technically not even started production, I have hope that some news will be offered. As for the the former getting a wider distribution, it’d make sense to re-release this work during this holiday!

Chang’An was released in China over the Summer. As for why international distributors didn’t want to market it, the reason may well lie in the fact it’s not like a typical movie. Those who managed to see this work said it’s presented as vignettes with the characters reciting poetry. As for whether its like attending one of Shakespeare’s plays, I need to get my hands on a copy!

Even though Light Chaser Animation has been on a huge winning streak ever since White Snake, not every film gets the love it deserves. Tea Pets got tucked away on Tubi under a different title (Toys and Pets), and it’s a wonderful love story cum adventure. As for this studio’s latest, it apparently got a weekend screening at select cities during the month of October; I assume GKIDS holds the rights, and they will eventually deliver this movie to home video.

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Countdown to Launch and Sending Wandering Earth 2 the Stars

In the second movie, simply titled Wandering Earth 2, we see three tales unfold in this prequel.

Wandering Earth 2

Well Go USA
Now Playing in Theatres
(Please check local listings)

The prequel to Wandering Earth (movie review here) won’t be lost to everyone. In the second movie, simply titled Wandering Earth 2, we see three tales unfold in this prequel. One concerns the geo-political wrangling required to get the Moving Mountain Project going. The second is about who are the pilots of the upgraded International Space Station which will help guide the planet’s sojourn into deep space. And last, dealing with the detractors who are resisting the locations where the rockets are built.

What this story lacks are original names given to these projects. It’s a minor quibble since like today’s studios who hide the name of the production while filming, nobody is supposed to figure the final title of the project. I enjoyed the first movie because it reminded me of other rescue humanity features. Plus, the theme of any Lunar New Year movie is to be positive during a difficult time. To save a planet requires food for thought, which this film offers plenty of!

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The Rabbit Jumped over the Moon and Going Beyond with this Year’s Lunar New Year Top 10 Movies

This list of Lunar New Year Top 10 Movies includes shorts, and must touch upon some aspect of the celebration.

Chinese New Year Rabbit Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures Not every film released during the start of the moon calender truly reflects the celebration, and to put together a proper list that does so is tough. In my Lunar New Year Top 10 Movies list, I consider that the story has to touch on either some aspect of the celebration or extols some virtue from it. To really be reflective upon this South Asian celebration means putting some meaning behind the work rather than releasing it at this time of year.

Sometimes these movies feature the zodiac animal as part of its story and other times, they do not, just to help commercialise it. Those living in China had two films–Legend of a Rabbit and Moon Castle: The Space Adventure to enjoy back in 2011 when this bunny leaped into everyone’s hearts. Jumping twelve years later to now, all I could find is the charming-animated short, “Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!” by animation studio Game Science.

Depending on whom you ask, this jubilee can mean one of a few things. The better ideals include wishing others spiritual well-being, celebrating family togetherness, and looking ahead to brighter futures.

While I have a stockpile of Asian films to watch during the 15-day celebration, not all of them are about this special occasion. A few titles from last year took a while to offer up a home video release I could purchase, others are from the Internet (in public domain or hiding on YouTube), and the rest are playing at cinemas for all to enjoy. I could watch a film each day, but I don’t feel there are enough appropriately themed takes to fill a top fifteen. I am adding shorts which are just as great.

The two Wandering Earth films will count as an entry, and before I go into greater detail about the latest that debuted today, I feel the seminal work that really represents the spirit of the day begins with:

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