Ne Zha begins hunt for Oscar glory with Academy screening

LOS ANGELES - The box-office-busting Chinese animated film, Ne Zha, selected as the Chinese mainland's official Academy Award submission this year, had its first official academy screening on Wednesday, playing to a theater packed with members of the Hollywood guild and the academy.

Ne Zha is among a record-breaking total of 93 films competing for best international feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. The film is also one of the top international contenders in the animated feature film category.

Ne Zha, adapted from an ancient Chinese myth, is the top-grossing animated film ever made in China and currently sits second on the overall box-office chart for films ever screened on the Chinese mainland. So far, the unexpected hit has grossed more than $700 million worldwide.

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The film is the brain child of Yang Yu (stage name Jiao Zi), a young pharmacist-turned-animation writer-director, who teamed up with writer-producer, Yi Qiao, CEO of the animation startup Coloroom Pictures, to make a unique and compelling film that has pushed Chinese animation into the global spotlight.

"I was surprised and honored that our film was selected. I hadn't expected the audience to be so receptive. Our film broke animation stereotypes and our selection was another kind of a breakthrough," Yi says.

The homegrown animation features a popular young hero from ancient Chinese legends and classics such as Journey to the West. In the story, Ne Zha, born with unique powers, finds himself an outcast that is hated and feared. Destined by prophecy to devastate the world, the boy must choose between good and evil to break the shackles of fate and become the hero he wants to be.

Official Oscar screenings are held to enable all Academy of Motion Picture members and other Hollywood guild members, like directors, actors, cinematographers and editors, to be able to see and judge the film for themselves before voting.

The responses of viewers on Wednesday was enthusiastic, with many who were interviewed saying they would vote for Ne Zha.

"It was fantastic, superb, crazy over-the-top!" according to Arnold Schwartzman, the Academy Award-winning documentarian of Genocide, who started out in animation before moving into documentaries.

Pamela Franklin, who serves on the Academy's Foreign Language and Animation committee, concurs, "I really liked it. I've seen a lot of animations, but this was much more action-oriented and epic."

"It was totally dynamic and fresh," says academy member Michael Peyser. "It took an early myth from Chinese culture and imbued it with a kind of impish humor."

"It was stunningly beautiful and very moving," says Valerie, a Writers Guild of America writer. "The storytelling felt Chinese, but it had the 'Cain and Abel' conflict between brothers that's universal."

Dee, a member of the American Cinema Editors Association, balanced her reaction, "It was a very effective film. My one critique is that, as a new director, he put a little of every style into it. As he develops, he will use his own specific style for each film."

Many felt the film's message went deeper.

Actress Zhang "Sharon" Shuo says, "It was nuanced and clever, melding traditional and new elements very well. Its message is the same thing I learned from studying tai chi: you learn you can change your destiny. We have the power within us to do what's good."

Hoda Meisamy, a member of the Costume Designer Guild who studied Taoism at the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing, says, "What I've learned from Taoism is that you can change your fate by actually being yourself. Don't battle to change yourself, just battle to be the best of who you already are."

Somewhat biographically, director Jiao Zi had to find himself to make it through the hard times and climb the many hurdles he faced before getting the chance to do his own animated feature.

"In order to pursue your dreams, you must be able to bear a lot of outside pressure and be willing to struggle," he advises.

Glen Chaika, an American animation director who did one of the first Chinese CGI (Computer-generated imagery) movies back in 2002, had high praise for hardworking Chinese animators. He says, "Chinese animation has grown so much since I first started teaching. They love rich textures, extravagant lighting effects, stunning visuals, and this one has it all."

Well Go USA Entertainment released the Mandarin-language film with English and Chinese subtitles in selected 3D IMAX theaters across the United States and Canada on Aug 29, followed by a release in regular theaters on Sept 6.