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Chow's 'CJ7: The Cartoon' Debuts in China Theaters
July 9th, 2010 6:10 PM by Aaron H. Bynum
Changjiang Qihao ('CJ7') Animation in China
Noted Hong Kong action/comedy filmmaker Stephen Chow marks his first venture into animated moviemaking this week with the local release of CJ7: The Cartoon. The movie, a retelling and pseudo-adaptation of a similarly titled live-action film released two years ago, is about a boy, his father, and the little alien creature they welcome into their family. CJ7: The Cartoon enters theaters in China this week after premiering at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival, earlier in the season.
The original CJ7 (2008), was a solid sci-fi film that playfully but successfully bridged humor and character drama, and remained every bit a Chow-directed comedy.
A lower-class father and son go from day-to-day on the hope and camaraderie birthed from the purest of familial companionship. In the film, the father, played by Chow, tries to appease a curious son who wants the latest and greatest toy to hit the market.
Unfortunately, because of his poverty, he cannot afford to buy the toy; as such, the father does the next best thing, he picks some weird-looking item out of the trash, calls it the upgraded version of the same toy, and hands it to his son. Only, it wasn't a toy, it was a hilarious shape-shifting alien creature.
CJ7: The Cartoon, officially opening July 9th, 2010, tracks a similar story. The father works various low-wage construction jobs, and after finding the peculiar creature in the garbage, becomes the new owner of the curiously hyperactive alien CJ7. The son, of course, is thrilled. The shape-shifting alien can absorb and release a mysterious energy and makes for an excellent play date for the kid. As CJ7: The Cartoon continues, the clumsy father does his best to teach his son the values of responsibility and hard work, and the son tries to figure out just how it is you keep an alien as a pet.
The 2D feature reportedly twists the storyline of the live-action property by adding a quirky little villain as well. Another kid in the film, jealous of CJ7 and its new owners, devises a plan to steal the little alien creature and harness his energy for ulterior motives. The animated medium should offer Chow's slapstick comedy to pique unlike before. Toe Yuen directed CJ7: The Cartoon. Production was by Stephen Chow's Star Overseas Co. and the state-owned hub, China Film Group.