Born in the 1960s, the multiple-award-winning animation film "The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven" is one of the most famous Chinese cartoons of all time. And now a 3-D remake of the classic cartoon is going to be brought to the big screen in January.

"The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven" is a Chinese animated feature film created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 1960s. The story is based on the earliest chapters of the classic story "Journey to the West". The main character is Sun Wukong, a.k.a. the Monkey King, who rebels against the Jade Emperor of Heaven.

Actress Yao Chen and actor Chen Peisi voice the lead parts in the 3-D remake.

Yao Chen said, "We grew up with the cartoon. We really love it."

At a recent press conference, the production team along with the voice cast met their fans for the first time.

The production team also asked the original animation and graphic designer Yan Dingxian to join their team. The 75-year-old animation master was the chief animation director of the 1960s' version of the animation film.

Yan Dingxian said, "We are keeping it original; the new version of the animation will be of the same art style as the 1960s version."

Making a 3-D remake of the classic is not an easy task. Countless cartoon adaptations have reused the same classic story "Journey to the West", yet many still consider the 1964 iteration to be the most original, fitting and memorable.

Su Da, director of the film, said, "We incorporated lots of special effects into the film to make it more exciting."

According to the production team, the 3-D version of the animation classic will be shortened to 80 minutes from the original 100.

"The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven" is scheduled to be screened during the coming winter break.

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