|
|
A CHINESE GHOST STORY - THE ANIMATION (1997) Starring the voices of: Lam Hoi Fung, Vivian Lai, Tsui Hark, Eric Kot, Anita Yuen, Charlie Yeung, Jordan Chan, Cheng Chung Kei, Kelly Chan |
In 1987, innovative director Tsui Hark gave us A Chinese Ghost Story, which became a massive commercial success, and received a host of accolades and critical acclaim from critics across the world. It was a simple story about a young man being seduced by a beautiful female ghost, who later helps the girl to escape from her ghostly prison. It starred Leslie Cheung and Joey Yung. Ten years later, Tsui Hark reinvents the classic story into animated form. The result is the first Hong Kong animated film to receive global recognition. The film mixes conventional drawing techniques with computer generated imagery to give it that special look, and you could see that the characters are very Chinese in their outlook, compared to conventional Japanese anime. The story remains the same as the original, but is more lighter in tone as befit a cartoon, and has plenty more humour, and nods to modern technology and culture. Ning (voiced by Lam Hoi Fung) is a tax collector, but he is harbouring a broken heart. His girlfriend (voiced by Vivian Lai) had left him for a richer guy, and now all he has is the companion of his faithful dog, Solid Gold (Tsui Hark). On his travels, Ning meets an old monk and his cocksure student. They explain that they are demon-busters, and tell Ning to watch his step as there are plenty of nasty supernatural beings hiding. Like an omen, Ning wanders into a spirit town, a hovel for wandering ghosts and spirits. The place is so beautiful and majestic that Ning doesn’t even realise what he has got himself into. Even a flying gorgeous girl named Siu Sin (Anita Yuen) doesn’t shake him out of his dreamy state of mind. He even falls in love with the girl. When she helps him out of a tricky situation, another ghost-buster by the name of Red Beard (Jordan Chan) comes along on top of his robot flying machine and wrecks havoc upon the spirit world. Ning helps Siu Sin to escape Red Beard, and they forge an unlikely friendship between man and ghost. There are other side stories of course, but the main story is the relationship between Ning and Siu Sin. It is their wish to be together that they decide to go through the Reincarnation Gates, but nothing always go to plan. The animated film allows for more action and special effects than what was possible on the original film, and the story is more twisted and complicated. For sure, if you don’t have a grasp of Chinese culture and history, as well as the spiritual aspects and folklore, then you would have some difficulty understanding parts of the story. But that shouldn’t stop you from watching this, as it is very entertaining. If you loved the original film, then this is also a must-see. Enjoy. |
|
|
       |
|
RATING 8 / 10 |