| Film Name | The Legend of Shangri-La (Tidbits 2) |
| Programme | Tidbits |
| Director | Chen Ming |
| Production | IDMT |
| Country | China |
| Year | 2006 |
| Runtime | 15 |
| Film rating | PG |
Summary
North American premiere
Sun. Nov. 19, 15:30, The Gig Theatre
Based on Tao Yuanming’s (372? – 427 A.D.) famous tale Tao Hua Yuan Ji (“Peach Blossom Garden”). A curious fisherman finds a grove of blossoming peach trees, and walking through it he discovers a beautiful land untouched by history and war.
Curator’s notes:
China’s animation industry has already seen intense competition before bursting on the world scene, and the survivors will likely be the stronger for it. The Legend of Shangri-La expresses the strong desire of its director Chen Ming and the studio to give a unique Chinese style to their work, and do so with pride. Entirely digital, specific technologies were developed for the film to merge the best of various styles together – 3D, CG effect elements, cel animation in the style of traditional Shangxi shadow puppetry – into a harmonious whole, and it works beautifully. The film is a Chinese traditional painting in motion, and the plot lends the film a further lyric quality. Watching the film is a serene experience, and gives us an understanding of why Tao retired from the Jin court so many years ago, to a remote village in Hunan, near a vast ancient grove of peach trees that stand to this very day.