Wan Laiming

Directing

Wan Laiming

Born January 18, 1900 · 中国,江苏,南京

Died October 7, 1997 · aged 97

Wan Laiming (simplified Chinese: 万籁鸣; traditional Chinese: 萬籟鳴; pinyin: Wàn Làimíng; 18 January 1900 – 7 October 1997) was a Chinese animator. He was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animation industry, and is commonly considered as China's first animator. As the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, he would raise the standard to International level before other histor…

Known For

The Monkey King: Uproar in HeavenThe Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven · 1961
The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven
7.81961
MovieAnimationAdventure
Sun Wukong, the King of the Monkeys, sets off on his first adventure to gain a worthy weapon. This earns the attention of the Jade Emperor of Heaven.
Princess Iron FanPrincess Iron Fan · 1941
Princess Iron Fan
5.71941
MovieFantasyAnimation
The story was liberally adapted from a short sequence in the popular Chinese folk tale Journey to the West. Princess Iron Fan is a main character. Specifically, the film focused on the duel between the Monkey King and a vengeful princess, whose fan is desperately needed to quench the flames that surround a peasant village.
Uproar in an Art StudioUproar in an Art Studio · 1927
Uproar in an Art Studio
1927
Movie
Lost film. Commonly regarded as the first animated short film in China. The film was combined with live footage, about an artist working in his studio. Suddenly he is disturbed by a small paper person jumping out of the page causing an uproar. Modeled after the American "Out of the Inkwell" series.
The Monkey King 3D: Uproar in HeavenThe Monkey King 3D: Uproar in Heaven · 2012
The Monkey King 3D: Uproar in Heaven
7.42012
MovieAnimation
A completely remade animation film based on the original 1961 animation The Monkey King. Mythical ancient China. Born from some magic stones that fell to Earth a long time ago when Goddess Nüwa mended the sky, Sun Wukong, aka Monkey King, sets off on his first adventure to gain a worthy weapon. This earns the attention of the Jade Emperor of Heaven.
The Big Red FlowerThe Big Red Flower · 1956
The Big Red Flower
6.01956
MovieAnimationFamily
The oriole sang on the branch. As soon as the song ended, there was applause. It happily picked a big red flower, and took it to thank the two little bears who applauded it——Little Black and Little Brown. But the two little bears are vying to say that they clapped first. There is only one safflower, and the oriole does not know whom to give it to.
The Picture on the WallThe Picture on the Wall · 1958
The Picture on the Wall
1958
MovieAnimationFamily
Children often tear off the beautiful illustrations from the books in the children's library while others are not paying attention. The walls of his house are covered with various illustrations that he secretly tore. One day, when he posted a picture of a woodpecker that he had just stolen on the wall, he had a quarrel with the small animals on the wall. The small animals asked to go back to the library, but he refused to let them do so.
Why is the Crow Black-CoatedWhy is the Crow Black-Coated · 1955
Why is the Crow Black-Coated
1955
MovieAnimation
A gorgeous bird entranced by its own beauty sings and dances all day long in the forest, not caring enough to prepare for the winter. When winter finally comes, the bird has no place to go. After a while, there is a fire, and the freezing animal wants to limber up but in the end all his colorful feathers are singed and turn black as coal. And thus the once so beautiful bird has transformed into a black crow.
Pigsy Eats WatermelonPigsy Eats Watermelon · 1958
Pigsy Eats Watermelon
8.01958
MovieAnimation
A paper-cut animation short about Zhu Bajie, the pig from Journey to the West

Filmography

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The Beautiful Little GoldfishThe Beautiful Little Goldfish · 1958
The Beautiful Little Goldfish
1958
MovieAnimationFamily
In midsummer, there are bursts of cheerful laughter from time to time near the pond in the wild. Little fireflies are flying in the sky, playing happily with little goldfishes in the water. After playing, the firefly bid farewell to her friends, and flew around to inform other little insects that they must attend the firefly gala tonight on time. At this moment, a dark cloud floated over, and the firefly, who was eager to make an announcement, encountered heavy rain, and was exhausted and injured, and even the fireflies on his body were extinguished. The sad firefly never forgets the unfinished task of sending notifications. In order to help him complete the task, the little goldfish decides to help him.

Director

Modern ‘Red Chamber Dream’Modern ‘Red Chamber Dream’ · 1952
Modern ‘Red Chamber Dream’
1952
MovieRomanceWar
Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the big four of classic Chinese novels, has been adapted for film and television dozens of times over the past decades. Yet this sui generis Great Wall production daringly transposes the setting to modern-day 1950s. The contemporised story revolves nonetheless around the love triangle between Jia Baoyu and his two cousins. Both girls love him but his heart belongs to only one. The ending, however, is remarkably changed to separation of the lovers as a result of war—the war that was surely still haunting the minds of the filmmakers at the time when the film was made. Not only did Great Wall pour money into building extravagant sets just so to recreate down to the smallest detail the grandeur of the legendary Jia mansion, but the film also boasted of its lavish costume designs for the diverse female cast. (From Hong Kong Film Archive)

Art Direction