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Big Fish & Begonia (2016)

Big Fish & Begonia (2016)

PG-13

Love drives sacrifice in this breathtaking animated drama set in an underwater spirit world

7.0

Movie

China, South Korea
Mandarin
Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
2016
LIANG XUAN, ZHANG CHUN
Ji Guanlin, Jie Zhang, King Shih-Chieh
101 min

TLDR

This might be the only cute depiction of taking care of fish, and frankly, it’s only because the said fish looks like a dolphin. Sorry, fish.

What it's about

In a mystical realm existing beneath the ocean, Chun transforms into a red dolphin as part of a coming-of-age ritual, where a human boy drowns to save her. Saddened by the sacrifice, Chun uses magic to bring him back to life, only to discover that this comes with an unexpected price.

The take

Widely considered as the dawn of Chinese animation, Big Fish & Begonia frankly isn’t as outstanding as Japan’s Spirited Away, but it does share some of its charms. The awe-inspiring natural spirit world looks something akin to the worlds of Studio Ghibli, as well as the cute creatures, this time in dolphin-fish form. Even those unfamiliar with Chinese mythology can recognize the folklorish elements in the story, particularly the magic that feels reminiscent of Little Mermaid, and as each of the teen protagonists makes a sacrifice, it still tugs at the heartstrings. It’s not perfect, and the third act does get a tad convoluted, but Big Fish & Begonia still works emotionally as an homage to Chinese folklore.

What stands out

Look. When I see cute creatures, I’m more willing to ignore minor inconsistencies with balancing the storylines. If cute dolphins (/fish?) aren’t your kind of thing, there also happens to be cute mice, and if neither works for you, it’s still easy to appreciate the beautiful artwork of Big Fish & Begonia.

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