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E-mail Xinhua, May 30, 2024
The accurate portrayal of Chinese culture and history was a priority in the making of the new animated movie "Dragonkeeper," the film's director Salvador Simo told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.
Coproduced by Spanish production company Guardian de Dragones AIE and China Film Animation, the film was directed by Simo alongside Beijing Film Academy professor Li Jianping. The production is an adventure fantasy story set in Imperial China during the Han Dynasty that features dragons and wizards.
"The main direction of the film was Spanish, but the Chinese involvement was above all to ensure its 'Chineseness', making sure it is faithful to Chinese culture, because it's important that you are accurate when you tell a story in a culture that's not your own," Simo told Xinhua.
Based on the novel by Australian author Carole Wilkinson, who also contributed to the script, "Dragonkeeper" tells the story of Ping, an orphan girl who befriends the last of China's dragons and joins him to recover a valuable treasure, the last dragon egg, stolen by an evil sorcerer.
"We have tried to tell the story in a way that is international, which could work as well in China as in the rest of the world," Simo added.
The Spanish director said that he was inspired by 80s and 90s movies which are humorous but prioritize "adventure" and "characters."
The movie was released this month internationally after it premiered in Spain on April 19.
The first screening of "Dragonkeeper" took place on March 1, premiering at the 27th edition of the Malaga Festival, one of Spain's most prestigious international film festivals.
"There's a dialogue between the spectator and the movie that often makes people want to see it again, and here in Spain we have seen lots of children who have seen the film two or three times," the Spanish director said.
Simo, who has worked on numerous animation and special effects projects, won the Goya award in 2018, the most important prize in Spanish cinema, for Best Animated Film for his feature film debut with "Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles".
The new China-Spain collaboration was produced in collaboration with Atresmedia Cine and Movistar Plus+.
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