In the heart of wild mountains, a dreadful devil, disguised as a pretty young woman, tries to seize Xuan Zang to devour him. The holy monk is an easy prey because, naive and good, he is easily misled by appearances. But fortunately he is accompanied by the Monkey King, who is clairvoyant.
Direction
Shanghai Animation Film Studio at peak experimental weirdness
Cinematography
Traditional ink-wash painting literally moves
Practical Effects
Hand-drawn transformation sequences still unmatched
Director
Wenxiao Lin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of the legendary 'Havoc in Heaven' studio's later period, this adapts the famous 'Three Battles with White Bone Demon' chapter that was banned during the Cultural Revolution for its subversive themes about false accusations.
The demon's three disguises (young woman, mother, elder) were animated by three different directors simultaneously to ensure each had distinct movement styles — you can literally feel the handoffs.
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