Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (simplified Chinese: 哪吒闹海; traditional Chinese: 哪吒鬧海; pinyin: Nézhà Nào Hǎi; lit. 'Nezha fights the sea') is a 1979 Chinese animated fantasy film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. It was screened out of competition at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival,[3] listed under the English title Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King, and was released in the United Kingdom as Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings.
| Nezha Conquers the Dragon King | |||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 哪吒鬧海 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 哪吒闹海 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Nezha fights the sea | ||||||||||
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| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by | Wang Wang | ||||||||||
| Based on | Investiture of the Gods | ||||||||||
| Produced by | Liu Guimei | ||||||||||
| Cinematography | Duan Xiaoxuan | ||||||||||
| Edited by | Li Kaiji | ||||||||||
| Music by | Jin Fuzai[1] | ||||||||||
Production company | |||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 65 minutes | ||||||||||
| Country | China | ||||||||||
| Language | Chinese[2] | ||||||||||
Plot
editThe film is an adaptation of a story in Chinese mythology (in particular, the epic fantasy novel Investiture of the Gods) about the warrior deity Nezha. After a gestation period of three and a half years, Lady Yin, the wife of General Li Jing, gives birth to a flesh ball, which becomes a lotus flower, from which Nezha is born. Nezha is born able to walk and talk, and is taken on as a student of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.
The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, tired of being peaceful, have become cruel and destructive, plaguing China with destructive storms and a drought. The people beg for rain, but the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang ignores them, telling the yaksha Ye Sha to go and find children for him to eat. Ye Sha captures one of Nezha's friends as he is bathing by the ocean, and Nezha confronts him, injuring him badly. Ao Guang sends his third son, Ao Bing, next. Ao Bing is killed by Nezha, infuriating Ao Guang.
A variety of confrontations ensue between Nezha and Ao Guang. Ao Guang and the other Dragon Kings wreak havoc on the people, causing storms, floods and all manners of natural disasters. Seeing this, Nezha takes his father's sword, tells his parents that he is returning their flesh and bones to them, and calls out for his master before killing himself by slitting his throat.
He is reborn with the help of his master, again from a lotus blossom, and is given new weapons and abilities. After breaking into Ao Guang's underwater palace, he confronts Ao Guang and the other Dragon Kings again, and is finally triumphant.
Release
editIn the United Kingdom, the film was broadcast on BBC Two in England in the early evening on 23 December 1984, in an English-language version, directed by Louis Elman and produced for the BBC by Leah International, which retitled the film Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings (rendered in the Radio Times listing as Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon King, in the singular).[4] The voice of Nezha was provided by actress and voice artist Rosemary Miller.[citation needed] As well as replacing the dialogue, it also replaced Jin Fuzai's score performed by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra with one by Ivor Slaney. This version was released on video by BBC Enterprises in 1986[5] and rebroadcast earlier in the day for a few times during 1988.[6][7][8]
The film was released on DVD with the original Chinese audio English subtitles in 2005, with Nezha Conquers the Dragon King as its English title.[9]
The original-language version of the film was premiered in the UK and Ireland in its 2K digital restoration[10] in an online Chinese Cinema Season which ran from 12 February to 12 May 2021.[11]
Awards
edit1980 Film Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Art Film[12]
Ministry of Culture 1979 Outstanding Fine Arts Film[13]
Special Award, Metro Manila Film Festival, Philippines,1983[14]
Impact
editOn May 30, 2014, the first Google Doodle (Google Doodle listing) featuring Nezha was displayed on Google's Hong Kong and Taiwan homepages: the 35th anniversary of the release of "Nezha in the Sea", with the word "Google" wrapped around Nezha's silk and an animated image of Nezha wielding a fire-tipped gun on the sea.[15]
In August 2021, "Animation -Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" special stamps were issued in a set of 6 stamps with a face value of RMB 6.40, and 6.9 million sets are planned to be issued.[16]
Japanese version cast
edit- Banjō Ginga as Li Gen
- Daisuke Gōri as Li Jing – Nezha's father
- Junko Hori as Little boy 1
- Ichirō Nagai as Master Taiyi / Li Jing's chancellor
- Masako Nozawa as Nezha
- Nachi Nozawa as Ao Guang's chancellor
- Mari Okamoto as Little girl
- Chikao Ōtsuka as Dragon King
- Tomiko Suzuki as Little boy 2
- Norio Wakamoto as Ao Bing
Other appearances
edit
On 30 May 2014, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King was featured on Google Search's homepage as an animated doodle.[17][18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "嫦娥奔月 – 步行街主干道 – 虎扑社区" (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "哪吒闹海 的全部演职员" (in Chinese). Douban. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
- ^ "Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon King – BBC Two England – 23 December 1984 – BBC Genome". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings - BBC Two England - 3 April 1988 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 3 April 1988.
- ^ "Augusta". 25 June 1988. p. 20 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ "Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings". 31 December 1988. p. 23 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979)". Dragnix. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". Chinese Cinema Season. February 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
UK Premiere / 2K Remastered
- ^ "UK–China Film Collab Present 10 Chinese Animation Classics for Chinese Cinema Season". Skwigly. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "第三届《大众电影》百花奖获奖名单（1980）" [The Third Hundred Flowers Awards Winners List (1980)].
- ^ "1979年中国文化部优秀影片奖" [1979 Outstanding Film Award of the Ministry of Culture of China].
- ^ "严定宪" [yan dingxian]. ASIFA-CHINA.
- ^ "《Google 首頁三太子顯靈？！ 原是紀念動畫35週年》" [Google Home - The Prince of Three Appearances? It's the 35th anniversary of animation].
- ^ "重拾童年记忆！《哪吒闹海》特种邮票28日发行" [Recapture childhood memories! ‘Nezha Conquers the Dragon King 'Special Stamp Issue on 28th]. 央广网.
- ^ "35th Anniversary of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". Google Doodle Archive. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ Ferreira, Gerald. "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". 3D Car Shows. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
