Exploring Chinese legends is a delightful and time-consuming process considering the huge number of myths. Lotus Lantern, a family blockbuster produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, features plenty of satisfying mythological material (folk heroes, gods, a fire lake, a lotus lantern and a dog eating the moon…)
The most-expensive animation feature ever made in China at USD 10 million, the film was four years in the making. It's likely that a good part of the budget went to the many Chinese stars involved in the post-production dubbing (Ning Jing and Jiang Wen) and those who contributed to the soundtrack (Coco Lee, Zhang Xinzhe and Liu Huan).
The movie's universal theme of filial love will appeal to viewers of all generations and origins. Shanshen Mu, a goddess whose only sin was to marry a human, is abducted by her brother, Erlang, the conservative god of heaven. Even with the help of the Earth god, the Monkey King, 7-year-old Xianchen still faces many challenges to rescue his mother.
The DVD version has optional language and subtitles in Chinese, English and Japanese and offers some good bonus material.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
August 2005 issue