Big Fish & Begonia trailer introduces a stunning landmark in Chinese animation

This incredible work, inspired by Chinese myths, is twelve years in the making for its creators

Big Fish & Begonia marks a groundbreaking move in Chinese animation.

Written and directed by animators Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun, the pair struggled for over a decade to get their vision on screen: a story inspired by a myth from the ancient Chinese Taoist classic Zhuangzi, yet incorporating elements from the likes of The Classic of Mountains and In Search of the Supernatural.

The film's plot synopsis reads: "In a world within our world, yet unseen by any human, the beings there control time and tide and the changing of the seasons. On the day Chun turns sixteen, she is transformed into a dolphin to explore the human world. She is rescued from a vortex by a human boy at the cost of his own life."

"Chun is so moved by the boy's kindness and courage that she decides to give him life again. But to do this, she must protect the boy's soul, a tiny fish, and nurture it to grow. Through adventure and sacrifice, love grows, yet now she must release him back to the sea, back to life in the human world."

The tale first took form in a short flash animation, also titled Big Fish & Begonia, created in May 2004; after an enthusiastic reception, Liang and Zhang decided to develop the idea into a feature-length film, yet struggled for years trying to amass enough funding to start production. It seemed no one believed the film would be a box office success, and the film was filed away until Liang asked for help on Chinese social media platform Weibo in 2013.

The effort paid off. Impressively so, as the film made an impressive £64 million at the Chinese box office. Big Fish & Begonia now comes to UK shores to delight new audiences, all thanks to Manga Entertainment.

It opens in UK cinemas in April.

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