Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on January 19th, 2023, reviewing “New Gods: Yang Jian” another in a series of animated features by director Ji Zhao. In select theaters beginning January 20th.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Thirteen years after the god Yang Jian imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who in turn is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his Ma (and Jian’s sister), even if it will bring catastrophe. But a number of dangerous vigilantes are seeking the same treasure … that has the power to alter the balance of their worlds.
”New Gods: Yang Jian” is in select theaters beginning January 20th. See local listings.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Thirteen years after the god Yang Jian imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who in turn is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his Ma (and Jian’s sister), even if it will bring catastrophe. But a number of dangerous vigilantes are seeking the same treasure … that has the power to alter the balance of their worlds.
”New Gods: Yang Jian” is in select theaters beginning January 20th. See local listings.
- 1/21/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Gkids has acquired North American rights to New Gods: Yang Jian, the latest feature from renowned Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation. The producer and distributor of award-winning animated features has slated Yang Jian for theatrical release in both its original Mandarin-language form and an all-new English language dub early next year. The deal marks the latest collaboration between Gkids and Light Chaser Animation, following the former’s local distribution of the 2019 feature White Snake.
Helmed by Ji Zhao, New Gods: Yang Jian is the second installment of the studio’s New Gods series of animated action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures, following the 2021 feature New Gods: Nezha Reborn, also directed by Zhao. It picks up 13 years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, with the once powerful god now scraping by as a penniless bounty hunter.
Helmed by Ji Zhao, New Gods: Yang Jian is the second installment of the studio’s New Gods series of animated action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures, following the 2021 feature New Gods: Nezha Reborn, also directed by Zhao. It picks up 13 years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, with the once powerful god now scraping by as a penniless bounty hunter.
- 8/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Animation specialists Gkids has acquired North American distribution rights for Chinese animated film “New Gods: Yang Jian,” with plans to release the film in theaters early next year.
Directed by Ji Zhao, “Yang Jian” is the second installment in his “New Gods” series of animated fantasy films adapted from Chinese mythology. The series, which began last year with “New Gods: Nezha Reborn,” is produced by Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation, which also produced Zhao’s directorial debut “White Snake” in 2019.
“Yang Jian” follows the titular Chinese god, also known as Erlang Shen, who was famous for his truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead. Thirteen years after he imprisoned his own sister beneath a mountain, the god works as a bounty hunter, and is hired by a mysterious woman to stop his nephew Chenxiang from obtaining a magical lotus lantern with incredible power. The film was released in Chinese theaters last week,...
Directed by Ji Zhao, “Yang Jian” is the second installment in his “New Gods” series of animated fantasy films adapted from Chinese mythology. The series, which began last year with “New Gods: Nezha Reborn,” is produced by Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation, which also produced Zhao’s directorial debut “White Snake” in 2019.
“Yang Jian” follows the titular Chinese god, also known as Erlang Shen, who was famous for his truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead. Thirteen years after he imprisoned his own sister beneath a mountain, the god works as a bounty hunter, and is hired by a mysterious woman to stop his nephew Chenxiang from obtaining a magical lotus lantern with incredible power. The film was released in Chinese theaters last week,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Some say he’s a demon. Others say he’s a trickster. Still others say he’s a hero. Ne-zha — a conflicted figure of Ming legend — lives again in Chinese animation, reincarnating into different forms each time. His first debut in Chinese animation came with Shanghai Animation’s exquisitely drawn “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” (1979). Here, the lotus-born warrior is elegant and self-sacrificial; each valorous feat may be misinterpreted, but is noble to the end. Forty years later, the more recent Chinese blockbuster hit “Ne Zha” (2019) recalls a similarly sympathetic spin. The divine infant regularly terrorizes the citizens of Chentang Pass, but ultimately saves them out of the goodness of his heart. Now, Ji Zhao’s “New Gods: Nezha Reborn” (2021) tells a tale of the god’s rebirth in the early 20th century. Ne-zha the person is no more; instead, Ne-zha the consciousness pervades.
In “New Gods,” Ji Zhao constructs a steampunk,...
In “New Gods,” Ji Zhao constructs a steampunk,...
- 4/18/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Netflix, China’s Alibaba and France have thrown their weight behind the Annecy Animation Festival, with the festival set to showcase an in progress reveal of the U.S. streaming giant’s “The Cupcake Show!” plus a look back at cult movie “Animal Crackers,” as well as six French productions in its Work in Progress section, Annecy’s single most important program strand.
Distributed by Alibaba Pictures Group, “New Gods: Nezha Reborn,” from Ji Zhao, follows on the highest grossing animated movie ever in a single territory, earning over $700 million in China.
French productions are led by the hugely awaited “The Summit of the Gods,” produced by Jean-Charles Ostorero and the most ambitious movie to date from Didier and Damien Brunner.
Also in the French Wip mix is “The Island,” the latest from Romania’s Anca Damian, who won Annecy’s top pirize with “Crilic: The Path to Beyond,” as...
Distributed by Alibaba Pictures Group, “New Gods: Nezha Reborn,” from Ji Zhao, follows on the highest grossing animated movie ever in a single territory, earning over $700 million in China.
French productions are led by the hugely awaited “The Summit of the Gods,” produced by Jean-Charles Ostorero and the most ambitious movie to date from Didier and Damien Brunner.
Also in the French Wip mix is “The Island,” the latest from Romania’s Anca Damian, who won Annecy’s top pirize with “Crilic: The Path to Beyond,” as...
- 5/20/2020
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Computer-generated animation produced outside of high-budgeted U.S. studios has deteriorated into a minefield of technique plagued with soulless, talking-animal cash grabs. Few are the international CG features that boast both technical proficiency and idiosyncratic personality; Light Chaser Animation’s imperfectly phenomenal “White Snake,” from directing duo Amp Wong and Ji Zhao, slithers onto the screen like a welcomed rarity.
Heralded as the origin story of the shape-shifting entities popularized by one of China’s Four Great Folktales, “The Legend of the White Snake,” this quasi-prequel opens with Blanca (voiced by Stephanie Sheh) — a statuesque warrior and part of a race of snake demons who’ve been victimized by mankind for centuries — being tasked with murdering a perverse General in the human world. A hairpin made of precious jade holds her magical powers.
Richly textured backgrounds digitally painted in bold colors — chiefly the autumn trees shedding red leaves throughout the...
Heralded as the origin story of the shape-shifting entities popularized by one of China’s Four Great Folktales, “The Legend of the White Snake,” this quasi-prequel opens with Blanca (voiced by Stephanie Sheh) — a statuesque warrior and part of a race of snake demons who’ve been victimized by mankind for centuries — being tasked with murdering a perverse General in the human world. A hairpin made of precious jade holds her magical powers.
Richly textured backgrounds digitally painted in bold colors — chiefly the autumn trees shedding red leaves throughout the...
- 11/14/2019
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
“I Lost My Body,” the curious story of a disembodied hand searching to reunite with its body, won the grand prize at the Animation is Film Festival, held Oct. 18-20 in Los Angeles. The audience prize was split between two films, Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering With You” and “The Swallows of Kabul” by Zabou Breitman and Elea Gobbe-Mevellec.
Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to “I Lost My Body,” directed by Jérémy Clapin, after the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The French film — which bested its live-action competition to win the top prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes — screened in its original language at Animation Is Film. Netflix has also prepared an English dub featuring the voices of Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat and George Wendt, which will be available to Netflix subscribers on Nov. 29, two weeks after the French version receives its Oscar-qualifying run on Nov. 15.
“The...
Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to “I Lost My Body,” directed by Jérémy Clapin, after the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The French film — which bested its live-action competition to win the top prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes — screened in its original language at Animation Is Film. Netflix has also prepared an English dub featuring the voices of Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat and George Wendt, which will be available to Netflix subscribers on Nov. 29, two weeks after the French version receives its Oscar-qualifying run on Nov. 15.
“The...
- 10/22/2019
- by LaTesha Harris
- Variety Film + TV
I’ve got a fantastic new trailer to share with you today for the beautiful-looking Chinese animated film White Snake. The magical adventure movie is inspired by ancient Chinese lore known as The Legend of the White Snake. It tells the love story of a hunter and a mythical snake disguised as a human hunter.
The movie comes from Amp Wong (animation lead on Green Lantern: The Animated Series) and Ji Zhao (assistant editor on The Grandmaster). This is their first time directing a feature film. The movie presents a "sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love."
Here’s the official synopsis:
From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village.
The movie comes from Amp Wong (animation lead on Green Lantern: The Animated Series) and Ji Zhao (assistant editor on The Grandmaster). This is their first time directing a feature film. The movie presents a "sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love."
Here’s the official synopsis:
From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village.
- 10/9/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Warsaw Film Festival (Warszawski Festiwal Filmowy) is gearing up to launch its 35th edition. Set to take place from October 11th–20th in Warsaw, Poland, it has just announced its full 2019 schedule. The program spanning over 10 days includes impressive numbers of 111 feature movies and 69 shorts.
Warsaw Film Festival has always been open to inviting Asian movies and filmmakers from various regions. In the past one could find films from i.a. China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Israel, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Festival selectors are more focused on discovering new talents than presenting works of renowned artists. As we can read on the Wff website:
Our aim is to show a film before it wins an Oscar, to introduce a director to Warsaw audiences before he or she wins an award at the Cannes festival. We don’t chase filmmakers who are already famous. Some of the most amazing directors,...
Warsaw Film Festival has always been open to inviting Asian movies and filmmakers from various regions. In the past one could find films from i.a. China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Israel, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Festival selectors are more focused on discovering new talents than presenting works of renowned artists. As we can read on the Wff website:
Our aim is to show a film before it wins an Oscar, to introduce a director to Warsaw audiences before he or she wins an award at the Cannes festival. We don’t chase filmmakers who are already famous. Some of the most amazing directors,...
- 10/2/2019
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
The third Animation Is Film Festival has set “Weathering With You” as its opening film on Oct. 18 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“Weathering With You” is set in Japan during exceptionally rainy weather and tells the story of a high school boy who befriends an orphan girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather. It’s been chosen as Japan’s entry for best international feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura are expected to be in attendance.
Closing the festival on Oct. 20 will be France’s “I Lost My Body,” with director Jeremy Clapin and producer Marc du Pontavice in attendance. The film screened at the International Critics Week section at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Nespresso Grand Prize.
The festival will present 10 feature films in competition, vying for grand prize, special jury prize, and audiences award.
“Weathering With You” is set in Japan during exceptionally rainy weather and tells the story of a high school boy who befriends an orphan girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather. It’s been chosen as Japan’s entry for best international feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura are expected to be in attendance.
Closing the festival on Oct. 20 will be France’s “I Lost My Body,” with director Jeremy Clapin and producer Marc du Pontavice in attendance. The film screened at the International Critics Week section at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Nespresso Grand Prize.
The festival will present 10 feature films in competition, vying for grand prize, special jury prize, and audiences award.
- 9/13/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
As September 2019 approaches, so does the 33rd edition of Fantasy Filmfest which will take place in the cities of Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich on specific dates during that month. Among its program including the newest film by American filmmaker Rob Zombie and a prequel to Lucky McKee’s cult classic “The Woman” titled “Darlin'”, the festival again also shows its dedication towards Asian genre cinema with many interesting titles, some of which will be screened in Germany for the first time.
Here is the list of Asian films included in this year’s program:
“Diner” by Mina Ninagawa
“Door Lock” by Lee Kwon
“First Love” by Takashi Miike
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” by Lee Won-tae
“It Comes” by Tetsuya Nakashima
“Kingdom” by Shinsuke Sato
“Shadow” by Zhang Yimou
“White Snake” by Amp Wong and Ji Zhao
“The Witness” by Jo Kyu-jang
In case you are...
Here is the list of Asian films included in this year’s program:
“Diner” by Mina Ninagawa
“Door Lock” by Lee Kwon
“First Love” by Takashi Miike
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” by Lee Won-tae
“It Comes” by Tetsuya Nakashima
“Kingdom” by Shinsuke Sato
“Shadow” by Zhang Yimou
“White Snake” by Amp Wong and Ji Zhao
“The Witness” by Jo Kyu-jang
In case you are...
- 8/10/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmakers Amp Wong, Ji Zhao (directors), and Damao (screenwriter) have taken the Chinese fable Legend of the White Snake and reformatted it into a prequel/remake with sequel possibilities (if a mid-credits sequence is any indication). The concept of reincarnation keeps the characters the same despite letting them meet five hundred years in the past. That’s how long snake spirit Blanca (Zhang Zhe’s Xiao Bai) has practiced Taoist magic while waiting to achieve Immortal status alongside her sister Verta (Xiaoxi Tang’s Ziao Qing). Rather than be five centuries since her creation, however, this wait begins after a test of her moral fiber upon being tasked by her Master (Wei Liu) to assassinate an evil General (Yaohan Zhang’s Guo Shi) maliciously siphoning the vitality from snakes to augment his dark arts power.
She doesn’t remember this at the opening of White Snake, though. Instead she’s...
She doesn’t remember this at the opening of White Snake, though. Instead she’s...
- 8/1/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ is among the films in competition for the Aacta Best Asian Film Award.
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) has unveiled some of the films that will compete for a nomination for the 2019 Best Asian Film award.
The selected films were announced at a gala dinner in Shanghai, where Aacta is also hosting an China | Australia film forum and panel discussion as part of its ongoing Asia International Engagement Program.
The Best Asian Film award is designed to honour the finest films of the past year from 19 Asian regions, reflecting the popularity and importance of Asian films in Australia.
Among the Chinese-language films in competition is Australian-Chinese co-production The Whistleblower, which shot in Victoria late last year.
It will go up against the second highest-grossing film of all time in China, Frant Gwo sci-fi The Wandering Earth, as well as three of the...
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) has unveiled some of the films that will compete for a nomination for the 2019 Best Asian Film award.
The selected films were announced at a gala dinner in Shanghai, where Aacta is also hosting an China | Australia film forum and panel discussion as part of its ongoing Asia International Engagement Program.
The Best Asian Film award is designed to honour the finest films of the past year from 19 Asian regions, reflecting the popularity and importance of Asian films in Australia.
Among the Chinese-language films in competition is Australian-Chinese co-production The Whistleblower, which shot in Victoria late last year.
It will go up against the second highest-grossing film of all time in China, Frant Gwo sci-fi The Wandering Earth, as well as three of the...
- 6/17/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
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