Special feature of 1905 film network The comic fantasy animated film tells the story of Bai Ze, a Kunlun doctor, and Kirin Boy Yi, who embark on a journey of redemption and adventure together to unlock the secret of the black spirit. In recent years, all kinds of monsters are common in China’s mythological films, but most of them focus on restoring the prototype of mythical characters. This time, Goodbye Monster in Shan Hai Jing tries to endow ancient monsters with the spiritual core of modern society. Can this creative method become a new solution to oriental mythological films?
Bai Ze, a monster that the audience is not particularly familiar with, is chosen as the main character of the film. Yi Na, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Culture of China Academy of Social Sciences, said: "Bai Ze is a monster with status. In mythology, it knows all the’ ghosts and gods’ in the world, and it is also a beast that can ward off evil spirits among the people. Therefore, Bai Ze will only appear when the king is virtuous.
From the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Bai Ze’s image was often seen on many official costumes and flags, as well as incense burners and pillows in ordinary people’s homes. However, because it has never been endowed with personality and no one has told its story, it is rarely seen in literary and artistic works. Even in the famous The Journey to the West, Bai Ze is just one of several goblins under Huang Lion’s command. In the Qing Dynasty’s "The Legend of Zhong Kui Catching Demons", it was Zhong Kui’s mount, but in this film, it turned into the protagonist. "
Although Bai Ze became the protagonist in the film, the creative team didn’t shape it into a perfect image of omniscient and omnipotent, but made it become you, me and him in life. Bai Ze knew so much, but he was not recognized. In the process of Bai Ze’s fighting against the black spirits, it gradually established its own image, which was projected on the audience, showing a growing perception. In the modern information overload society, we also know a lot like Bai Ze, but in life, we also need to work hard by ourselves, try our best to upgrade ourselves in life, and constantly gain self-growth. These situations are mapped to the characters, which also makes the audience have greater empathy. In addition to the projection and empathy of the audience’s own life and Bai Ze, in the days when the epidemic has been raging for more than two years, the world also calls for the emergence of sacred objects and magical doctors like Bai Ze to ward off evil spirits, which can heal and comfort everyone from body to mind.
The creative team of Goodbye Monster in Shan Hai Jing has made many very interesting designs. For example, there is a novel and interesting mind-wandering world in the movie, and many beasts are suffering from modern social diseases. Yi Na mentioned: "There is a character in the movie that will leave a particularly deep impression on everyone. It is inspired by an image called Jiaochong in The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Jiaochong has two heads, but in the movie, the Kushan God has more heads. Originally, two heads are already very big, and three heads make it a headache. When it comes to things, it is easy to have internal friction and think too much. This personalized design makes the audience feel very close. Isn’t this the character image of the little people fighting with each other in our heads when we can’t sleep every night? "
The setting of mind-wandering world is very in line with the spiritual needs of contemporary urban youth. In the current fast-paced life, many people are eager to have their own mind-wandering moment in all kinds of storms. The ancients had a peach blossom garden, but the peach blossom garden could not be met; Doraemon has any door, but it is only a treasure prop in animation, so the world of mind wandering is even more attractive. People are in the same place, but they have their own unique time and space, which can be said to be the biggest hope of many urbanites in the pressure of life.
It is also an attempt to connect with the modern society. For example, the oriental myth films place mythical characters in the modern society, while Goodbye Monster in Shan Hai Jing places the psychological characteristics of modern people on ancient beasts. The stories of the above mythical movies are already complete and familiar to the audience. Therefore, when these stories are put in the current society, they can create a new sense of alienation for the audience, and this strangeness can create new opportunities and creative space. "Goodbye Monster in Shan Hai Jing" is different. The beasts in it have only one concept and name in ancient times, and some even have no portraits. Projecting modern emotions and human psychology onto these ancient beasts is equivalent to building a bridge connecting ancient beasts with modern life.
After the trailer was released, some viewers questioned how it was different from the ancient beasts I had previously known. For the creation of mythical movies, is it more familiar and acceptable for the audience to present the original images of mythical characters? In fact, the image of myth should not be fixed, because myth is always being created, especially in the early stage, its inheritance mode is oral, so that in the process of word of mouth, every story can not be exactly the same. In every era, there will be a process of retelling myths, which is actually a re-creation of fairy tales with current cognition, world outlook and aesthetics.
For the audience, if the mythical image changes too much, it will be a challenge to his original cognition, but it is also a good opportunity for contemporary people to have a chance to understand these traditional images. For example, Bi Fang in the movie is a bad omen of fire in Shan Hai Jing, but it can play a role in fire fighting and even light some sacred flames that convey the human spirit. When creating new myths, the characters can be endowed with different deities and personalities, and with the output of oriental myth films in the future, there will be more interesting directions and solutions.