Program Note
Sun Wukong, released in January 1968, was the second production by The Century Co., Ltd. (the first being A Story of Hong Gil-dong, directed by Shin Dong-hun) and marked the fourth feature-length animated film in Korean cinema history. Released just over a year after Korea's first animated feature, A Story of Hong Gil-dong, this film was produced by director Park Yeong-il, who was chosen as the successor after the company parted ways with Shin Dong-hun.
The film adapts two episodes from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, focusing on the tales of the Yellow Wind Demon and the King of Spiritual Touch. It is also known as Korea's first CinemaScope animated feature. Despite a short production period of around five months and continued limitations in production resources, which are evident in the repeated use of cuts and awkward scene transitions, the film showcases Park Yeong-il's refined character design style - shaped by his earlier work on propaganda shorts at the National Film Production Center in the early 1960s. However, the film showcases director PARK Yeong-il's distinct, refined character style - honed during his time creating short propaganda films at the National Film Production Center in the early 1960s - and also features new attempts at screen composition and action direction suited to the CinemaScope format. (HAN Taesik)