Melissa Boag (Senior Vice President of family entertainment at Shout! Studios) and Gen Fukunaga (CEO and founder of Funimation) announced on February 16, the Chinese New Year, that they would be releasing the hit Chinese animated film
Big Fish & Begonia to select U.S. screens starting April 6th, 2018. Boag praised the film and her excitement for this news by stating,
"BIG FISH AND BEGONIA is a beautiful epic fantasy adventure, bolstered by exquisite animation and enchanting narrative. We're incredibly excited about presenting this film to the big screen for animation enthusiasts and broad movie audiences."
With the direction of Xuan Liang and Chun Zhang, the film manages to tastefully immerse you in a world that was crafted with the storytelling and characters from mythic Chinese legends to create something truly unique. To make sure that the english dub of the film will have the same impact as the original mandarin version, a competent cast has been assembled that includes Johnny Yong Bosch (Bleach, Power Rangers, Gurren Lagaan) and Stephanie Sheh (Naruto, K, Samurai Champloo).
Being twelve years in the making,
Big Fish & Begonia has already competed in many film festivals that include the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival and on the 23rd of February, will be screening at the New York International Children's Film Festival. The film has already begun to lead the charge in Chinese animation as it quickly rises to meet its competition. Feast your eyes on the trailer below and voice what you think about this visually arresting film!
Synopsis:
From ancient Chinese legends comes a beautiful tale of love and sacrifice.
There is a mystical race of beings that control the tide and the changing of the seasons. But one of these beings, a young girl named Chun, wants to experience the human world, not simply observe it. When she turns sixteen, Chun is allowed to transform into a dolphin and explore the human world. However, she soon learns this world is a dangerous place. Chun is nearly killed in a vortex, but saved by a human boy at the cost of his own life. Moved by his kindness and courage, she decides to give the boy life again, but this power comes at a price. Chun will have to face adventure and sacrifice in order to protect the boy’s soul until it is ready to return to the human world. BIG FISH AND BEGONIA opens in select US theaters on April 6th, 2018 in English and Mandarin with subtitles. Rating: PG-13. Runtime 105 minutes.