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Light Chaser Animation’s Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si May Well Be Ghosted By Western Distributors, and ….

….it’s easy to see why changes to this narrative is struggling to be visible outside of China. Strange Tales (Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si) is borrowing from tropes some may say are outdated but not everyone will agree to that accessment.

Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si Light Chaser Animation

After countless searches and a properly worded query to Claude AI about availability, the elusive Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si (Curious Tales of a Temple, aka Strange Tales: Lan Ruo Temple) is finally within reach. When it will receive an official release remains uncertain. In a future article, I’ll explore the challenges behind getting Ne Zha 2, White Snake: Afloat, and this work to home video. For now, wht’s offered are my early reactions.

What I’ve managed to see in the wilds of the Internet suggests this is a film worth watching. I won’t dive into a full review just yet, but it’s worth sharing some early impressions. As for how long this fleeting upload remains available is anyone’s guess.

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Finally Watching White Snake Afloat! A Touching Review and the Quest to Find This Lost Tale of Love

Although there’s still no proper North American release for Light Chaser Animation’s White Snake Afloat, thankfully eBay has come to the rescue! And I got info regarding the two types of Blu-ray releases available. Meanwhile Warner Brothers Malaysia is handling distro.

White Snake Afloat in this package release The home video release of Light Chaser Animation’s White Snake Afloat is now available in China and select surrounding regions. When I saw a limited edition box set released back in December, I wanted to buy it—but I didn’t have the funds saved.

Fast forward to now: it’s still attainable through eBay, albeit at nearly double its original retail price. Unfortunately, it’s not listed on official English-language retailers like YesAsia or Amazon, and Light Chaser hasn’t made it available on international streaming platforms either. For those willing to pay a premium, the set is a visual treat. It features beautifully illustrated packaging and includes a bonus booklet. While I hoped for additional extras, it appears that beyond the artwork, there’s little else included. Still, I’m relieved the Blu-ray comes with English subtitles.

As for whether Bianca’s (White Snake’s) journey concludes in this final chapter, I’d say yes. Her arc comes full circle. However, I hope the Fox Demon’s story continues. Her subplot remains unresolved and full of potential. She’s a manipulator, often acting as a mysterious merchant of souls across all three films. But just who she’s serving—and why—remains unanswered.

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In Dragonkeeper, Why Is There Only One Protector?

Part of the charm in Dragonkeeper is because of Ping. She’s a character whom some may associate with Ray from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Dragonkeeper DVD Case — Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Shout! Studios

Ping (Lucía Pérez) is the Dragonkeeper, and if she’s to help Danzi (Mario Gas), an elder oriental dragon, she better learn how to train the next generation too! That’s because someone asked her to deliver an egg to a magical pool so it can hatch. As for whether this baby will bond to the human, that’d be saying too much.

Although the choice to have mostly European voices instead of Chinese for this production is very unusual, all I had to do was imagine Michelle Yeoh and James Hong’s voice over what’s heard. Technically, the British/Australian casting isn’t out of place when considering who wrote the book. Carole Wilkinson is an Australian whose series did quite well when it was released down under. I suspect the producers wanted to keep this flavour.

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Three More Chinese Animated Films Hopefully Coming in Late 2024

Fans of Chinese animated films will want know if these works will gain international distribution or not.

Nezha from the Fengshen Cinematic Universe - Chinese Animated Film — Nezha from the Fengshen Cinematic Universe

There are not a lot of months left in 2024 for China to churn out more animated wonders for its citizens. Not everything is expected to get an international release, ‌but I’m hoping. That’s because of the works said to be coming out this year according to the website Xrender, one is more internationally known over others, and White Snake 3 has made its debut to only one part of the world fully aware and fans worldwide eager to see it!

But there’s more, and I offer my top three choices of films which has not been released yet, but deserve recognition. Not every work has their promotional material ready yet, but if that work is supposed to be coming out this year, the publicity team better start hyping these films up next month!

Ne Zha 2

At long last, a sequel to the 2019 film is coming! In the first instalment, this spunky demigod child had a lot to learn about whom to trust. It was an adventure I really loved (movie review) and wished a sequel would come sooner than later. After six long years, this continuation is finally getting made, but as for the plans of continuing the Fengshen Cinematic Universe, it may have been dropped when the pandemic changed the rules. Certain industries got hit hard, and Horgos Caitiaowu Picture, who helped produced this series of films, may have decided to change direction.

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White Snake 3: Afloat Needs To Surface in North America! Every Explosive Trailer Released.

The movie, White Snake 3, has made its debut in China, and hopefully the plan to bring this latest Light Chaser Animation to North America will be soon!

Release Date in China:
August 10th, 2024

Light Chaser Animation Studios continues to delight fans of the White Snake series with their latest entry, White Snake 3: Afloat (白蛇：浮生). While the literal translation of the title is “Floating Life,” “Afloat” or even “Rebirth” better captures the intended themes of renewal and emotional drift.

Whatever name you prefer, I can’t wait to see this next chapter! For those unfamiliar with the series, the first film is available online and on Amazon USA, while the second is streaming on Netflix. You can also check out my reviews of Part One and Part Two.

As for why these films feel disconnected, I suspect the North American distributor wasn’t aware this story was always intended as a trilogy.

This fantasy romance raises two big questions: Will the sisters reunite? And will Bianca (Xiao Bai, voiced by Zhe Zhang) see Xian (Tianxiang Yang) again? There’s a third thread too—according to the source material, the couple has a child! The ending of the first film teases this possibility, but in the sequel, Xian is sidelined when time travel complicates everything. During a climactic battle, Verta (Xiao Qing, played by Xiaoxi Tang) is hurled into a future that’s anything but welcoming.

In that timeline, the Baoqing Fox takes on a larger role in the chaos. While the trailers don’t reveal much about her involvement, what little we see is intriguing—and I’m eager to learn more.

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[Fantasia 2024] With The Umbrella Fairy, Can Anyone Truly Keep The Faith?

There’s lots to take in with the international release of The Umbrella Fairy. One view is not enough to take in everything that happens here. From kawaii to romance to sisterhood, everything has weight.

The Umbrella Fairy Movie Poster — **International Premiere at Fantasia Film Festival 2024**

The belief that every object has a spirit is quite common in many Indigenous and Asiatic cultures, and to see them parley in The Umbrella Fairy (伞少女), this English transliteration of the literal Umbrella Girl is much more poetic and attention grabbing. Even though I think of them as pixies more so than as children of Xiwangmu, that’s because I have a love for all things faerie in the Celtic sense of the word.

It’s possible that this idea is alluded to, though I would want to read the original source material to find out. Although this film begins with a humorous set piece about how cute these entities are, there’s also a more heartfelt existential piece to explain why some of them are what they are, especially if they’re attached to an instrument of war.

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