Program Note
Based on the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, this film is the first feature - length animated movie produced in Asia. It was made during World War II under Japanese - occupied Shanghai. The story centers on Sun Wukong and his companions as they attempt to cross the Flaming Mountains, requiring the magical plantain fan to do so. It primarily features the popular characters Princess Iron Fan and the Bull Demon King from the original tale. The film employs innovative animation techniques for its time, such as live-action rotoscoping, multiplane camera shots to create dynamic perspectives, and anthropomorphic representations of inanimate objects. These stylistic choices reveal the influence of Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Upon its release, the film was a major box - office success in China and left a profound impact on animation pioneers such as Tezuka Osamu in Japan and Shin Dong-hun in Korea. Princess Iron Fan would go on to influence later adaptations of Journey to the West, including Japan's Toho Animation version and Korea's Sun Wukong (1968) by The Century Co., Ltd. Today, it stands as a foundational text in the study of early Asian animation history. (HAN Taesik)