Goodbye Monster in Shan Hai Jing: When the mythical theme shines into reality
Good news has come from more than half of the 2022 summer file. As of August 13th, the total box office of this year’s summer file exceeded that of last year’s summer file. On the same day, a domestic animation named Goodbye Monster of Shan Hai Jing (hereinafter referred to as Goodbye Monster) was released, which injected new vitality into the film market.
"Goodbye Monster" tells the story that the supernatural beings living in the market of Kunlun are troubled by the "black spirit" disease all the year round. yiguang, a famous doctor in Kunlun, has made many explorations, but there is no cure. Bai Ze, a passionate and reckless doctor, is determined to get rid of this stubborn disease. He met the Kirin boy Xiao Yi, and they finally discovered the black spirit The Secret Behind in a journey full of crisis and enlightenment.
The film is based on the ancient fantastic book "Shan Hai Jing", which constructs a bizarre oriental mythological world on the screen. Most of the characters in the film are well-documented, whether it is the four god beasts with different personalities and Candle dragon with deep thoughts, or Bi Fang with a crane head and one arm, the bitter mountain god with three faces, the beautiful nine-tailed fox with red skin, and even the humble bit part, such as Xingtian, Fan Gu Guai, Win Fish, Di Jiang, etc., are all recorded in Shan Hai Jing.
Bai Ze, the hero of the "white-haired, green-horned and red cloak", is also a famous beast in Shan Hai Jing, which is said to be able to rid the world of evil spirits. This character is self-righteous, kind-hearted, passionate and persevering, and has caused many disasters and created miracles. He and Xiao Yi, who can’t grow a unicorn horn, are also friends and fathers, redeeming each other and achieving each other. Finally, he fell into the weak water full of black spirits, and realized the true meaning of "good medicine to cure diseases and treat people well" and "a good doctor should not only use medicine, but also use his heart" with the compassion of "I will go to hell if I don’t go there", which lit up the light in every resident’s heart and saved the Kunlun market.
In recent years, traditional themes shine brightly in the field of animation, and excellent works are frequent. "Goodbye Monster" takes a different approach, focusing on the worldwide topic of practical significance-depression, bringing creative core to the story. The "black spirit" in the ruins of Kunlun is actually the embodiment of all kinds of negative emotions accumulated in the hearts of residents.
"Goodbye Monster" is positioned as "family fun". The production team’s ambition is not only to create a vague excitement, but also to take care of both sides, not only to attract small audiences with fast-paced plots, intensive jokes and wonderful performances, but also to reflect on the spiritual core of contemporary social psychological problems, to send comfort to adult audiences and convey the values of self-healing by awakening inner strength.
In order to create a funny point, the film incorporates many current hot stalks, for example, taking photos to open up beauty, judges muddling along in the draft, square dance, people eating melons, Wuren moon cakes, etc., which is very grounded. At the same time, the film also presents modern people’s mental syndrome-anxious popular artists, parents who want to be successful, helpless individuals with split personality, children who are bullied, and many patients who wear "smiling masks" managed by Mrs. Fang … The audience can find their own shadow more or less.
In terms of visual presentation, the film creatively designed scenes and props such as Lantern Bridge, Bagua Road and Mantra Flag, which increased the interest and freshness. He also contributed several wonderful dramas, such as Lantern Wars, the fight between the nine-tailed fox and Bi Fang, and the Armageddon at the end of the film, all of which are quite ornamental.
Of course, Goodbye Monster is not perfect. For example, the plastic feeling of character modeling, especially the image design of some characters, makes people feel deja vu, and it is inevitable to jump; In addition, the plot is too dense, resulting in improper details, and the climax of the story is submerged, which also brings a sense of exhaustion in watching movies.
Since the Return of the Great Sage on the Journey to the West, domestic animation has grown at a speed visible to the naked eye, not only classic works on the spire, but also excellent works have emerged in the middle layer and the ground floor, which is a symbol of the prosperity of the industry and a gospel for the audience. At the same time, whether it is the awakening of "My life is up to me" in Ne Zha or the self-encouragement of "A sick cat becomes a lion" in "The Lion Boy", including the cure of "There is light in my heart, no one can stop it" in Goodbye Monster, more and more domestic cartoons are no longer satisfied with telling a wonderful story, but begin to pay attention to value output, which is even more gratifying.
Image source: Douban
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