Chinese cartoons and cartoon makers
Jiang Ziya is a 2020 Chinese 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure
film. The plot is loosely based on the novel “Investiture of the Gods” by
Xu Zhonglin and features the mythological and fictional version of the
popular Chinese figure Jiang Ziya. This film incorporates various existing
myths into a wider narrative.
The main idea of the cartoon is that destiny is in the hands of each
individual, even if their paths are preordained by Heaven itself.
This cartoon is often called a rival to Marvel . The team have
demonstrated that Chinese folklore can serve a similar function for their
audiences that comic-books serve for Americans: Moviegoers have a
rough idea of the characters’ exploits going on, which gives filmmakers
endless possibilities to retell their stories the way they please.
Unencumbered by the physical limitations of mere mortals, the
protagonists offer a kind of elaborate wish fulfillment, which CGI is
uniquely suited to depicting.
The film is fantastic from the aesthetic point of view.
Nearly every frame (certainly a great many of its wide shots) might be
considered artful — i.e. the sunset-tinged sight of Jiang Ziya, framed by
wheat fields, facing the Ruins of Return
And while the major part of the film uses CGI animation, the prelude is
traditionally animated.
The art style is inspired by Chinese murals which are considered more
ancient and epic than ink wash style, which only appeared around 100 AD,
after paper was invented. The story this scene shows is based on the war in
which the Zhou Dynasty replaced Shang Dynasty (around 1046 BC). Jiang
Ziya is the commander of Zhou's Army, while the villainess is Daji, a fox
demon fighting on the side of Shang Dynasty.
The war is too old to have detailed records. The only record from
archaeological excavation just says the war exists in a certain period. No
one knows if Daji is an existing person or if she had been made up. Jiang
Ziya is a real person who was entitled as the Lord of the Qi region (in
Shandong province today) after the war.
Now that we understand the historical background, let’s talk more about
the artistic side of the scene.
Every shot has a really smooth transition. The animators frequently use
fire or the translucent drapery so that the transitions between scenes appear
smooth and natural, the objects flowing one into the other.
The first thing we see when the curtains pull is the face of the villainess.
Our attention is immediately on the amazing character design. The pattern
on the cloak, the stylization of the hair, with its extraordinary angles.
Her silhouette is outlined with a shimmering gold, the line reducing in
thickness in some parts and growing thicker in the others. This outline
makes her pop out of the background.
The curtains add depth to this shot, which is to say now there are three
layers of depth instead of two: the curtains, the character and the
background.
Here is the closest shot we get, and the interesting thing here is her eyes.
We can see the full rim of her irises, which is not something the artists
usually do. What does it add to her character? A little bit of craziness, you
know, kind of passionate madness. Her face is cut with the strands of hair,
which only adds to this effect.
The textures the animators use are certainly worth noticing. We can see
them on her hair, the background, and some clothes. All the textures are
different for each part of the body, material etc. And while that might seem
to be a simple trick, the whole cartoon wouldn’t look so fantastic without
it.
All in all, as you might have noticed, I am completely fascinated by this 2d
part of the animated film and honestly, I’d be happy to see a whole cartoon
in this style. But even apart from that, ‘Jiang Ziya’ is a great film with an
interesting story and beautiful artwork and it is certainly worth watching.