Latest update December 15th, 2015 10:12 PM
MONSTER HUNT Is Coming To Town
BEIJING July 14, 2025 – Once worked on ANTZ and SHREK, animator Raman Hui later directed KUNG FU PANDA: SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE and PUSS IN BOOTS: THREE DIABLOS, etc.
After 20 years of creative work in Hollywood, Hui comes back and has finished his first Chinese production MONSTER HUNT, together with producer Bill Kong. The film will be released on July 16.
Inspired by China’s ancient CLASSICS OF MOUNTAINS AND SEAS, Hui designed an army of cute monsters for this family-friendly film combining animation and live action.
The film, set in ancient China, tells a story about family ties and the relationship between human beings and monsters in a fantasy world.
Bill Kong once said to the press: “This is Edko’s biggest investment ever. If I lose this one, I might go bankrupt.”
With a budget of over 40 million USD, this film put both the producer and the director under unprecedented pressure: in the current Chinese film market, people are keen on investing in films with an average budget of 3 to 6 million USD for higher ROI.
Bill Kong stated that a decade ago, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and HERO were successful because they appealed to a certain generation. As to MONSTER HUNT, he wishes it could fascinate a new generation of audiences.
In fact, Kong has the ambition to make this film into a movie franchise that can last for 2 decades. Hence the big budget and dedication.
Kong wants to find out how big the local audience’s appetite for local fantasy films can be, and what kind of Fantasy stories can capture the local audience.
In this way, MONSTER HUNT sounds a bit experimental.
Born and bred in Hong Kong, Hui went to Canada to pursue his animation dream and worked for DreamWorks for years. 16 years ago, Raman Hui met Bill Kong in Hong Kong.
Kong considers Hui as a creator from the animation world who still cherishes child-like innocence, a very rare quality among fellow directors. Such innocence usually helps deliver works beyond general imagination.
The film had its obstacles to overcome: besides over-budget, the former main actor Kai Ko was drenched in a drug scandal, and Kong had no choice but to find a replacement. In China, once an actor is caught with a drug problem, his acting career is almost doomed to devastate, if not end.
They found Jing Boran to replace Ko and re-shot lots of scenes, and the film distribution was postponed for about 8 months.
This long and arduous journey, however, turns out worthwhile.
After the film’s premiere, applauds came from different parties.
A film company exercutive commented: “MONSTER HUNT is a milestone in the Chinese film industry.”
Bai Qiang, founder of Fluid Football, said: “MONSTER HUNT is a fantastic comedy with a genuine Hollywood touch.”
Lv Yun, producer from Alibaba Pictures was amazed by the film’s VFX: “Awed by Chinese VFX this time, so natural and beautiful. Made-in-China will one day be an industrial benchmark.”
“Each second of the film is filled with elaboration and sincerity,” said Song Jia, Business Director of iQIYI Motion Pictures.
Yu Di, a social media marketing expert exclaimed: “I cannot help clapping my hands when the movie ends: China finally has its own family film. Faced with Disney and DreamWorks, we finally have a decent movie to compete with.”
Bill Kong confessed: “I am confident of this film and hope you all like it. Truth is, the fact that the film has been completed is already a satisfaction to me. Film investment means big risks. I am willing to take risks to make new films with different themes and styles.”
Related articles
More in this category
