Chinese Animation 'Deep Sea' Comes To The UK This June
Chinese animation is going from strength to strength. The top films have been out-earning animated features from the US and Japan at the Chinese box-office. The latest Chinese animated film to make its way westward is Deep Sea, coming to the UK this June from Trinity CineAsia.
Deep Sea made its international debut at the Berlinale in 2023 and went on to screen at the Annecy International Animation Festival, The Tokyo International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. Following its success on the festival circuit, it went on to be embraced by audiences, taking in $128 million in China and becoming one of the five highest grossing Chinese films to be released in France in the past three years. Now it comes to select cinemas in the United Kingdom from June 7, 2024.
Written and directed by Xiaopeng Tian, this heartfelt coming-of-age fantasy took seven years to make. It follows Shenxiu as she embarks on a deep sea adventure. Abandoned as a child by her mother, Shenxiu is on a family cruise when she falls overboard. Beneath the waves she finds a mysterious restaurant and meets an experimental chef, Nanhe. Together they set off to try and reunite Shenxiu with her mother.
The film features pioneering animation that combines CG animation with traditional Chinese ink painting, to eye-popping results. It certainly looks to be one of the most visually distinctive films you will see this year. The production team brings the blurry shapes of traditional ink painting into 3D through a particle technique. Lighting techniques from live-action were also used for added realism.
Cedric Behrel, Managing Director of Trinity CineAsia, said "Deep Sea marks a new direction for Trinity CineAsia in bringing bold and distinctive animation from China to UK audiences. It has proven a hit both at home and abroad in France, where it has become of the five best performing films from China at the box office. Its distinct narrative and visual style put it in a category of its own, I was completely stunned by it when I first saw at the Berlin International Film Festival and that feeling has been haunting me ever since. I am thrilled to bring this cinematic gem to British audiences on the big screen, allowing them to experience the secrets and magic of animation inspired by the Chinese ink painting in a truly breathtaking way."
The film will screen in 3D in Mandarin with English subtitles and 2D with an English dub. For more, see the film's website here.
