Folktale spin-off hits big screen

Nobody, the first feature-length film adapted from the hit animated series Yao — Chinese Folktales, is set to premiere in Chinese theaters on Saturday.

The film, a spin-off based of one of the eight stand-alone short stories from the Yao — Chinese Folktales anthology, Nobody follows the adventures of four grassroots monsters: a pig, a toad, a chimpanzee and a mink.

Disguised as the Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his three disciples — including the iconic Monkey King, protagonists of the 16th-century classic Journey to the West — they set out on a quest to obtain sacred Buddhist scrolls in hopes of achieving immortality. However, their quest soon takes an unexpected turn as they find themselves battling evil and saving innocent villagers.

The production took over two years and involved a team of more than 600 animators. It features over 1,800 animated shots and more than 2,000 background paintings, with an aesthetic inspired by traditional Chinese brushwork.

Chen Liaoyu, the film's executive producer and art director, shared that the visual style is rooted in traditional ink wash painting, enriched with vibrant colors, dynamic lighting, and a realistic sense of space to create a fantastical yet believable world for the audience.