You are currently displaying English
天書奇譚 (1983)
Secrets of the Heavenly Book


Reviewed by: calros
Date: 09/10/2007
Summary: OK animation film

This was one of the last "pearls" of Shanghai Animation. It was made combining traditional, stylished animation and the new lineal trends of modern animation which I don't like very much. So the character designs are very interesting but not compelling because some of them seem wasted. As usual, music and visual backgrounds are the best things of the movie, even more in this Widescreen version.

The story development is maybe too long for a movie for children, and it tells the story of pure-hearted little kid Dansheng, who helps deacon Yuan in order to recover the Heavenly Book, which is full of magic spells, from the claws of two smart vixens who can change her appearance to human form. The vixens want to enrich themselves with the Book instead of doing right deeds.

Not a Shanghai masterpiece, but an interesting oddity.

Reviewer Score: 6