Tag Archives: Fantasy
Video

The Prince’s Voyage Set to Land in America May 18th!

2 Mar

Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Coming May 18, 2021
From SHOUT! STUDIOS

This spring, Shout! Studios invites you to embark on an extraordinary journey with The Prince’s Voyage when this highly anticipated animated feature debuts on a two-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) and Digital on May 18, 2021.

Directed by the venerable French animator Jean-François Laguionie (The Painting, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Rowing Across the Atlantic) and Xavier Picard (King Arthur and the Knight of Justice), this movie is a beautiful and exciting movie adventure that promotes acceptance and diversity. Available for the first time on North American home entertainment shelves, The Prince’s Voyage Blu-ray Combo Pack contains insightful bonus content and is a must-have for collectors and animation enthusiasts.

A production of Blue Spirit Productions (Oscar®-nominated My Life as a Zucchini) and Melusine Productions (Wolfwalkers), The Prince’s Voyage screened at The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, New York Animation First, and Chicago International Film Festival to great audience enthusiasm. Filmmaker Jean-François Laguionie received an Honorary Cristal Award at the 2019 Annecy for his illustrious career in animation.

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The Legend of Hei is Coming to Digital & Home Video!

28 Feb

Pre-order at ShoutFactory.com or Amazon USA

Coming to Digital
April 20, 2021

Home Video:
May 11, 2021

Over five years in the making, The Legend of Hei is a heart-warming fantasy movie adventure, bolstered by beautiful animation and enchanting narrative. Filmmaker Ping Zhang (a.k.a MTJJ) derived this story from a popular flash animation series he created in 2011.

The series gained immense popularity when it debuted online in China, and Zhang then decided to develop it into a feature-length movie. Following successful openings in China and Japan, The Legend of Hei recently screened at Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Japan Media Arts Festival to great audience enthusiasm. Shout! Studios is proud to present this film starting April 20, 2021.

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It’s better to Fight, than Let the Monster Run

26 Feb

Monster Run (2020) - IMDbBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Available on Netflix

The idea to adapt the American book into a Chinese film, Monster Run, is odd. This country is better off taking concepts from their own vast catalogue of lore than to look across the Pacific. The plot outline of Monster by A. Lee Martinez is also very familiar.

Some ideas are good, like the comic relief from a smart-mouthed animated piece of paper and a heroine who is not fully aware of her psychic abilities. Ji Mo (Jessie Li) can see monsters. However, she is not in full control of her abilities and she thinks she’s an odd duck. She’s like Pai in the Japanese manga Sazan Eyes by Yuzo Takada, innocent and cute. However, she doesn’t have Sanjiyan’s confidence, another personality hiding within her, to control the beasts. That belongs to her rival, Lotus (Kara Hui).

Meng (Shawn Yue) is the only person who can help. One night, while Mo is handing out flyers for the grocery store she works at, he is hunting for a nearby sleeping beast. Their meeting wasn’t easy; he is a conceited fool, as annoying as Han Solo when Leia first met him, but in control of the situation with Paper, his partner (voiced by the scene stealing Qiao Shan) providing support. This possessed piece of stationery is hilarious and the many forms he can fold himself into give this film an air of originality!

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How to Cinematically Rock Chinese New Year 2021

12 Feb

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Chinese New Year is today and while it feels late when compared to previous year, that’s because this celebration follows the tides of the moon. A few new films from this country are attached to this time of the year but this time ’round not so much thematically.

Not to flog a dead horse (or ox, as this year represents), the pandemic has done enough to cause problems for the timeline when certain movies are released. Some are developed with the hashtag #blockbuster in mind, and others to show renewal.

Only three works in the fantasy front pop because there’s no more. I hoped for Deep Sea to debut, and it’s no doubt delayed. In what we can enjoy after their release in the homeland and in other territories by Well GO USA are:

Gods: Nezha Reborn
Feb 12-15

This modern update of Nezha sounds very promising, especially when the trailer takes on tones of Akira, Blade Runner and Mad Max! What can go wrong? If you’ve enjoyed White Snake from a few years ago, then Light Chaser Animation Studios and Warner Bros Eastern Division have a hit!

Synopsis: Three thousand years ago, both humans and gods faced a great catastrophe. Not wanting Nezha’s soul to escape the net of heaven and earth, they placed him into a cycle of constant reincarnation. However, the dragon clan’s grievances towards Nezha did not let up, and Li Yunxiang, who had the primordial spirit of Nezha, lived in fear for his life. With the East China Sea at stake, Yunxiang will have to fight alongside Nezha to defeat the dragons and become a hero. [© Far East Films]

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