Snapshot of the Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]
Propelled by enthusiasm from fans worldwide, Ne Zha 2, China's box office champion, has made history by surpassing Pixar's blockbuster Inside Out 2 to become the world's highest-grossing animated film.
Yang Yu (stage name Jiao Zi), writer-director of Ne Zha 2, said that many of his inspirations were drawn from the 1979 film Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, one of whose creators was Wuxi native Yan Dingxian.
Yan Dingxian designs Monkey King's posture for the animation Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven. [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]
As the renowned "father of the Monkey King", Yan has shown excellent control over the characters' personalities, performances, and positioning in the play.
Yan is unfamiliar with Peking Opera, but you can still find many elements of traditional Chinese opera in Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. He deliberately tried to understand traditional opera to incorporate many elements and symbols directly into this film.
Many of Yan's creations, such as Baby Tadpoles Look for Their Mother and Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven, won awards at national and international film festivals. During his tenure as the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, he represented the studio in hosting the first Shanghai International Animation Film Festival in 1988.
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