Big Fish and Begonia Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
When a film is described as a combination of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away you should pay attention. Visually Big Fish and Begonia deserves the recognition. It is China’s biggest animation of all time and definitely matches the scope of the biggest animation films from around the world. If you’re a fan of the art of animation, this is for you – just don’t pay too much attention to the storyline!
Why Watch Big Fish & Begonia?
- You’re a big fan of animation and the fantasy worlds it can create
- To see China’s biggest animation ever!
- You like the films of Studio Ghibli (see Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) and Disney (The Little Mermaid)
- For some strong allegories of the perils of global warming
The Breakdown
We don’t care about the important questions any more. This is how a narrator opens Big Fish and Begonia. We sleep, we commute, we work, we eat, we sleep, and before long, we die.
Unfortunately, the dreamy philosophical musings didn’t last long. Or at least, they got lost in the confusing story-line. Instead, you should focus on the incredible visuals and appreciate the sheer scope of the animation. It also matches the scope of the great Studio Ghibli and dominant Disney.
You’ll also notice the very strong allegories to the importance of mother nature and the threats of global warming (there’s human trees and great floods). In fact, with no evil villain, the imagery of global warming is the main threat to the human characters. Global warming and nature have been themes of many of Disney and Studio Ghibli’s films. s this a first in Chinese animation?
Conclusion
You’ll see the strange creatures and beautiful landscapes you expect to find in Studio Ghibli films. You’ll also see the magical animals you often see in the Disney classics. However, unfortunately the story-line doesn’t match the beautiful visuals.
If you’re a fan of the art of animation you’ll appreciate this film but if you’re all about the storytelling you may find this hard to watch.
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