China's first 3D animated blockbuster: space frogs vs. cockroach Nazis. Yes, really.
Over time, the people residing on Swampland began to take on new forms, their modified DNA altering their physiology to better suit their new environment. Generations passed and their original forms were forgotten; these humans had evolved into a new race: the Frogmen.If history (and genetics for that matter) shows us anything, it is that there is always variety.The genetic "success" of the Frogmen was also mirrored by the "achievements" of another group of human descent: the Cockroaches, otherwise known as the T-zhu Alliance. The brutal T-Hy poured out into the galaxy seeking new territories, resources, and the data crystals left by the original human explorers. The T-Hy's material driven hunger broke the peaceful lives of the Frogmen forcing them to take up arms in order to stop the T-Hy's insatiable ambitions. So began the MALO war.
Practical Effects
Pioneering Chinese 3D animation, warts and all
Production
Six years, one man's vision, zero Hollywood money
Costume
Frog armor designs that commit to the bit
Director
Xu Ke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Xu Ke reportedly learned 3D animation from scratch during production, building China's first stereoscopic pipeline with zero foreign consultants.
The film's 'MALO war' acronym and frog-cockroach genetic hierarchy subtly mirror Chinese anxieties about Western techno-colonialism during the late 2000s resource boom.
CN
