Currently, one of the most popular films is the Chinese production called Nu Lai. The film centres on Nui Lai, a bull who dreams of adventures and must meet certain challenges such as crossing a lake while learning different aspects of life alongside his mother. The film draws huge audiences, since its release on August 5th it has made almost $6.7 million in China.
At first sight, this popularity is surprising, since Nu Lai is a low-budget movie, produced by a mother and her son who lacked production experience. The film was mainly made by hand, while it took the mother-son duo five years creating the animation and voicing the characters. The mother taught herself screenwriting. Social media posts showed that the promotional banners were hand-drawn by cinema staff and guests.
This raises the question why such an amateur production reaches such a large audience. The answer is that this film appeals to many exactly because it is not glitzy. Initially the movie was made fun of by many, but then it quickly was regarded as a meme. It gained popularity among younger generations as a joke about how bad the animation was. However, people began to appreciate it after realizing that someone with no experience was able to create an animation. The contrast with AI generated animation became an asset. The fact that moviegoers were involved in creating banners for the movie made them stakeholders in the whole experience.
In the meantime, the movie has become an international cult sensation. Thus, the Dutch railway company has incorporated Niu Lai in its advertisement campaign on TikTok. Screenings have taken place and are planned in cinemas outside China such as in Singapore and San Francisco. The success of the film shows that one should never underestimate the work of committed amateurs, who rely on artisanship rather than sophisticated technology.
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Chinese animated film ‘Niu Lai’ becomes unexpected global hit, surpassing 45 million yuan at box office – Global Times