Animation 'Monkey King' to land in 60 countries

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, November 10, 2015

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A new poster for "Monkey King: Hero is Back" is released for foreign markets with the film title changed to "Monkey King: The Hero." [China.org.cn]

China's animated milestone "Monkey King: Hero is Back" by Tian Xiaopeng will land in more than 60 countries overseas, setting a new record for foreign sales of a Chinese made 3D animation.

"Hero is Back" has grossed 956 million yuan (U$150.47 million) in China to become the highest grossing animation in Chinese film history. However, the enthusiasm for it didn't end in China; it’s gone beyond.

"Monkey King: Hero is Back" sold distribution rights for US$4 million in more than 60 countries around the world and was put on the covers of SCREEN and Animation Magazine in early November.

Flame Node Entertainment will deal with the film's overseas distribution. Feng Yi, founder and president of Flame Node, said they have arranged several exhibition screenings for foreign distributors, who were eventually impressed and amazed by the animation's qualities.

Feng said "Hero is Back" is a new voice in the market dominated by Hollywood animation. To get closer to foreign audiences, they also hired an American team to dub the voice for the characters.

Ned Lott, the producer and voice director for Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro" (2015 Disney version) cast the English voices for "Hero is Back," while Cory Edwards, the script writer for "Hoodwinked!" and "Escape from Planet Earth," helped to rewrite some dialogue lines to make the film more understandable for Western audiences.

The overseas release dates of the film have not been announced yet. According to sales statistics, the Asian countries' distributors have reacted warmly to it since the original Chinese classic "Journey to the West" is still very popular in Oriental cultures.

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