Annecy 20: 'Nezha Reborn' teaser Released
China has been undergoing something of an animation renaissance over the past few years, proving that they can compete in the same league as the best of the United States and Japan. This was most obviously true in the case of Ne-Zha, the adaptation of the legendary figure, which went on to become the country's highest-grossing animated film of all time. China's Light Chaser Animation- producers of the wonderful White Snake- have released this Annecy teaser for Nezha Reborn, unrelated to the 2019 movie but based on the same mythology relocated to a contemporary Chinese setting.
The animation and design work is gorgeous, and it's exciting to see the studio turn to a modern day setting. An awful lot of Chinese animation seems to be historical in setting, so it's good to see it branching out. There's fantastic action too- owing a great debt to an iconic chase scene in Akira. The teaser lists the release date as 2020, although this would likely only be for China. Hopefully, we'll see it released internationally before too long!
Annecy online runs from June 15-30, 2020. Purchase a pass from the festival website and you'll gain access to the online offering through a dedicated platform, allowing you to watch any of the content on demand whenever you like for €15 (about £13.50 or $17).
