Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Much-anticipated animated films coming to theaters in June
A scene from “Luca” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Korea
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Early this year, two animated films from the United States and Japan became unexpected saviors for the virus-hit film industry. Disney-Pixar's “Soul” attracted more than 2 million moviegoers, becoming the first film in eight months to achieve the feat since “Deliver Us From Evil.”
“Demon Slayer” from Japan also surpassed 2 million in ticket sales, becoming the sixth-most-viewed Japanese film of all time, following “Your Name” (2016), “Howl's Moving Castle” (2004), “Spirited Away” (2001), “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” (2008) and “Love Letter” (1995).
With anticipated releases like Disney-Pixar's “Luca” and Studio Ghibli's “Earwig and the Witch,” June will likely be an interesting month for fantasy anime fans.
“Luca,” a coming-of-age story set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, will release in theaters on June 17. It follows two young boys who form a strong friendship while they're actually sea monsters disguised as humans.
Director Enrico Casarosa, who previously worked on “The Good Dinosaur” and directed the short film “La Luna” in 2011, said the latest film was inspired by his childhood experiences in Genoa, Italy.
“The idea of sea-monster kids felt interesting to me because, as a kid, I felt out of place. My best friend and I connected, but we were feeling a little bit like outsiders, as I think at that age as we so often do, so the idea of having a secret and having to hide your sea monster felt really interesting,” Casarosa told Korean reporters at a recent online press conference.
A scene from “Earwig and the Witch” / Courtesy of Little Big Pictures
The Italian filmmaker added that his own friendship with his best friend led him to where he is right now.
“I met my best friend Alberto when I was around 12. He got into fun, exciting and sometimes risky things. I was more sheltered, so this was the moment where I got to push the boundaries of my world. I might not have not taken all the chances I did in life if I hadn't learned to take risks with him early on,” he said.
Anime director Goro Miyazaki's much-anticipated film “Earwig and the Witch” will hit theaters on June 10. Adapted from Diana Wynne Jones' novel of the same title, the film centers on Earwig, a young witch who is adopted by an evil magical couple who force her to obey their commands.
With the help of a talking cat named Thomas and other magical creatures, Earwig adapts to her new home and comes to understand her adopted family better.
Meanwhile, the Korean-made horror animated film “Climbing,” which has been invited to compete at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, will be released in theaters on June 16.
Directed by Kim Hye-mi, “Climbing” follows a professional climber named Choi Se-hyeon who finds out she is pregnant just before the Climbing World Championship. Unwilling to give up on her dream due to the baby, Se-hyeon is under extreme stress. One day, Se-hyeon connects with her alter ego through an old phone and experiences strange things.