Just a quick (and very late) comment but I've been trying to find an export copy/DVD of this to watch/show students. Would anyone have any idea of how to get hold of one? It appears to be almost impossible to find!
We've been wanting a physical copy ourselves but unfortunately haven't found a way to get one! In fact, it's possible that there isn't a physical release anywhere yet -- we're not sure.
A subtitled version has appeared on YouTube in the past, but it seems they've all been deleted. The best we can offer at the moment is this unsubtitled one that's been up for a while: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsDTYoyIMgc
Oh wow - that will have to do for now. It might be the perfect time to learn mandarin. Thanks you for that and if ever I find out where to get a copy I'll tell you straight away!
Hello! Great article about a hidden gem. Love this newsletter, I always recommend to anybody in the industry ♡ I was wondering, is there any way to submit info for your world news section ( or any other section for that matter)? Thank you so much!
Thanks for the kind words! You can send tips to animationobsessive@substack and we should get them (there's a powerful spam filter, but we haven't run into too many problems with it).
Thank you -- that's all wonderful to hear! Mr. Miao is one we've explored but haven't watched yet. That said, it does seem to be available in English, which is great news. We're still in the process of researching his lesser-known stuff (like the great-looking Flash series Mee's Forest), so we'll look into watching Mr. Miao soon.
I've not been able to find Mee's forest except as poor quality recordings of the original flash, and without English subtitles, so I've not been able to give it a proper watch. If you know where to see the originals, let me know!
Thanks for the hard work on the blog. We appreciate it.
That means a lot -- thank you. We're still gathering the original SWF files for Mee's Forest ourselves, but there is a 1080p recording of what seems to be the entire series in Chinese on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0bL-H9SB0U. Hoping to get an English translation for it at some point this year.
omg, I'm so happy to see you cover this movie, it's one of my favourites! Even more so to dig into your sources later - I found it hard to find any solid information on how it was made. Going to be sharing this post all over the place.
So happy to hear that! This film ended up being a tricky one to research -- lots of scattered info, conflicting accounts and changing pseudonyms (Shang You sometimes goes by "Da Niu," and Busifan has called himself "Van Busi," among others). Media with state ties also tended to paint the film in a very different light than independent outlets did. Tough to sift through, but very rewarding to get the end result!
How does distributing an animated film to a foreign country work? How would someone get the rights to a foreign animated film, and what is involved in distributing? What does distribution mean? You are very busy; thank you so much for the great articles. :)
Thanks for the kind words! The international distribution process can be complicated. Typically, the rightsholders sign with a partner in another country -- a company with the budget and clout to give the film a proper release abroad. That means translation, advertising, getting the film into physical/digital storefronts and more. In America, companies like GKIDS and Discotek Media do this a lot.
This pipeline can break down at many points, though. Rights can get tangled up between a bunch of different companies, which turns licensing into a nightmare. Or the rightholders may have a hard time finding willing partners abroad (maybe the contracts are unfavorable, or there's not much demand for the film). A bunch of other factors can be involved, too.
It's not clear why The Guardian hasn't had wider distribution -- many other recent works of Chinese animation (including The Legend of Hei, another 2D film with Flash roots) have been released in English. There could be a problem blocking the way behind closed doors. But The Guardian really deserves to be seen by more people, so hopefully whatever is happening gets resolved.
Thank you for your reply. I apologize, but I wanted to ask: why would rights get split up between various companies in the first place? If you could travel back in time, what resources would you give yourself if you who wanted to learn about how animation gets financed?
Thanks again for your reply, and I will google GKIDS and DISCOTEK. :)
It's not too uncommon for multiple companies to be involved in the rights -- especially in the movie business, where outside businesses can provide funding and other support in exchange for a cut. But things get tangled up if (for example) one or more of those companies goes bankrupt, or gets bought out, or loses interest in the project, or has unrealistic demands, or something else.
This stuff is always a risk, but it's a hard risk to avoid: most properties aren't fully creator-owned, and many aren't creator-owned at all, because it takes a lot of backing to put large-scale work out into the world! (Also, in terms of resources for learning more, wish we could help. This is stuff we've just picked up piecemeal over the years -- sorry!)
No worries, I appreciate you aggregating the knowledge you have accumulated piecemeal over the years in this Substack. This conversation was very informative. Thank you so much again!!!
Just a quick (and very late) comment but I've been trying to find an export copy/DVD of this to watch/show students. Would anyone have any idea of how to get hold of one? It appears to be almost impossible to find!
We've been wanting a physical copy ourselves but unfortunately haven't found a way to get one! In fact, it's possible that there isn't a physical release anywhere yet -- we're not sure.
A subtitled version has appeared on YouTube in the past, but it seems they've all been deleted. The best we can offer at the moment is this unsubtitled one that's been up for a while: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsDTYoyIMgc
Oh wow - that will have to do for now. It might be the perfect time to learn mandarin. Thanks you for that and if ever I find out where to get a copy I'll tell you straight away!
Hello! Great article about a hidden gem. Love this newsletter, I always recommend to anybody in the industry ♡ I was wondering, is there any way to submit info for your world news section ( or any other section for that matter)? Thank you so much!
Thanks for the kind words! You can send tips to animationobsessive@substack and we should get them (there's a powerful spam filter, but we haven't run into too many problems with it).
I'm so glad you wrote this up. I found Da Hu Fa and really enjoyed it.
Excited to hear about The Storm, and being able to watch The Black Bird was great fun!
Have you had a chance to see Mr. Miao? It credits Bu Si Fan as a writer.
Thank you -- that's all wonderful to hear! Mr. Miao is one we've explored but haven't watched yet. That said, it does seem to be available in English, which is great news. We're still in the process of researching his lesser-known stuff (like the great-looking Flash series Mee's Forest), so we'll look into watching Mr. Miao soon.
Well, I hope you enjoy.
I've not been able to find Mee's forest except as poor quality recordings of the original flash, and without English subtitles, so I've not been able to give it a proper watch. If you know where to see the originals, let me know!
Thanks for the hard work on the blog. We appreciate it.
That means a lot -- thank you. We're still gathering the original SWF files for Mee's Forest ourselves, but there is a 1080p recording of what seems to be the entire series in Chinese on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0bL-H9SB0U. Hoping to get an English translation for it at some point this year.
omg, I'm so happy to see you cover this movie, it's one of my favourites! Even more so to dig into your sources later - I found it hard to find any solid information on how it was made. Going to be sharing this post all over the place.
So happy to hear that! This film ended up being a tricky one to research -- lots of scattered info, conflicting accounts and changing pseudonyms (Shang You sometimes goes by "Da Niu," and Busifan has called himself "Van Busi," among others). Media with state ties also tended to paint the film in a very different light than independent outlets did. Tough to sift through, but very rewarding to get the end result!
How does distributing an animated film to a foreign country work? How would someone get the rights to a foreign animated film, and what is involved in distributing? What does distribution mean? You are very busy; thank you so much for the great articles. :)
Thanks for the kind words! The international distribution process can be complicated. Typically, the rightsholders sign with a partner in another country -- a company with the budget and clout to give the film a proper release abroad. That means translation, advertising, getting the film into physical/digital storefronts and more. In America, companies like GKIDS and Discotek Media do this a lot.
This pipeline can break down at many points, though. Rights can get tangled up between a bunch of different companies, which turns licensing into a nightmare. Or the rightholders may have a hard time finding willing partners abroad (maybe the contracts are unfavorable, or there's not much demand for the film). A bunch of other factors can be involved, too.
It's not clear why The Guardian hasn't had wider distribution -- many other recent works of Chinese animation (including The Legend of Hei, another 2D film with Flash roots) have been released in English. There could be a problem blocking the way behind closed doors. But The Guardian really deserves to be seen by more people, so hopefully whatever is happening gets resolved.
Thank you for your reply. I apologize, but I wanted to ask: why would rights get split up between various companies in the first place? If you could travel back in time, what resources would you give yourself if you who wanted to learn about how animation gets financed?
Thanks again for your reply, and I will google GKIDS and DISCOTEK. :)
It's not too uncommon for multiple companies to be involved in the rights -- especially in the movie business, where outside businesses can provide funding and other support in exchange for a cut. But things get tangled up if (for example) one or more of those companies goes bankrupt, or gets bought out, or loses interest in the project, or has unrealistic demands, or something else.
This stuff is always a risk, but it's a hard risk to avoid: most properties aren't fully creator-owned, and many aren't creator-owned at all, because it takes a lot of backing to put large-scale work out into the world! (Also, in terms of resources for learning more, wish we could help. This is stuff we've just picked up piecemeal over the years -- sorry!)
No worries, I appreciate you aggregating the knowledge you have accumulated piecemeal over the years in this Substack. This conversation was very informative. Thank you so much again!!!