You all are probably aware by now that 2019 is the Year of the Pig, and pig characters in cartoons and animation have been popping up all over China. Peppa Pig is probably the best known to have trended this year, but there are also many other famous, lovable characters, GG Bond being one of them.

GG Bond (Zhu Zhu Xia in pinyin) is the main character of a 3-D Chinese animated TV series created in 2005 by the Guangzhou-based Winsing Animation. The popular show has been on the air for 16 seasons now, and there have been five movies and four stage plays made featuring GG Bond. It is also an award winning series, having scooped up over 100 awards in both China and abroad, including the Magnolia Golden Award for Domestic Animation, one of the premier awards for TV series in China.

 Official trailer with both Chinese and English subtitles. [Video provided to Newsgd.com]

A poster of the movie ‘GG Bond: Lollipop in Fantasy' [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Starting from July 5th, the super-powered pig GG Bond will be returning to the big screen again in a new GG Bond movie ‘Lollipop in Fantasy’ hitting screens across China.

The premiere screening at the UA Cinema in Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou on the evening of July 4th, was attended by 30 local families and dozens of journalists.

A staff member dressed as GG Bond poses for a photo with a child at the premiere. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

After watching the movie, the audience was invited to join a sharing session with the production team to talk about their thoughts on the film. A child named Huang Junhao said that he found the movie’s theme ‘be brave’ very encouraging. Peng Xiyue, another pupil, thought the story was fascinating. A mother pointed out that some scenes in the movie can be very educational, not only for children, but also for parents.

According to the movie director Zhong Yu, the team made many breakthroughs in the fields of technology, effects, and music, in the persuit of creating a better GG Bond movie for both kids and adults. Zhong said in order to create lifelike effects of a whale jumping in and out of water, a team member jumped into a pool over and over again as others observed the wave patterns.

A group photo of the audience at the premiere. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

‘GG Bond: Lollipop in Fantasy’ is the story of a young girl, Genie, who is a big fan of GG Bond. Genie has an argument with her parents over her study. Genie upset about the fight, accidentally enters a fantasy world through the wall painting in her room. In the fantasy world, Genie meets her childhood superhero GG Bond who no longer has his super powers. In order to safely see Genie home, the two go on a hilarious adventure.

The movie is produced by both Winsing Animation and Beijing Joy Pictures Co., Ltd. It is dubbed in Chinese with both Chinese and English subtitles. Guangzhou features prominently in the movie too, including streets with blooming flowers, the Canton Tower, the Canton Fair Complex, and Guangzhou Metro.

Film stills showing some of the Guangzhou landmarks. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Author: Monica Liu

Editor: Simon Haywood