Editor's Note: The 2025 summer film season has begun, promising a spectacular feast on the big screen! Everlasting BJIFF continues to accompany you this summer, recommending highly anticipated films for the season. As a major animated feature this summer, Curious Tales of a Temple reimagines classic stories from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio through a "1+5" narrative structure. It employs groundbreaking technology to present the pinnacle of Eastern supernatural aesthetics, redefining the visual standards and cultural depth of domestic animation. Let us explore more cinematic surprises this summer with this work that combines cultural heritage and contemporary artistry!

This past April, the 15th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) Opening Ceremony featured a specially curated segment titled "Chinese Animation: A Symphony of Light", which vividly recounted the glorious history of Chinese animation through a dazzling and childlike spectacle. From the international debut of Uproar in Heaven in 1961 to the record-shattering success of Ne Zha 2 in 2025, Chinese animation has consistently established new milestones throughout its more than half-century of development.

　　

Chinese Animation: A Symphony of Light

Following the blockbuster success of Ne Zha 2 during the Spring Festival film season, Chinese animation continues to evolve this summer. From the core creative team behind Chang An and as the second installment in Light Chaser Animation's "New Culture" series, Curious Tales of a Temple is set for nationwide release on July 12, with pre-sales now officially launched across all platforms.

　　

Poster of Curious Tales of a Temple

Curious Tales of a Temple, once featured as one of Beijing's outstanding film projects, made a surprise appearance at the creation forum of the 15th BJIFF. Through the insights shared by producer Song Yiyi, we have already glimpsed the creative core of Curious Tales of a Temple: A Chinese team telling Chinese stories for Chinese audiences.

　　

Song Yiyi attended the 15th BJIFF Creation Forum

As a monumental masterpiece and pinnacle achievement in the history of ancient Chinese short stories, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio inherits the traditions of Wei-Jin supernatural tales and Tang dynasty romances, blending philosophical depth with artistic innovation. It was praised by Lu Xun as having "refreshed the very senses of its readers". As an adaptation of this classic, Curious Tales of a Temple adheres to the original's short story collection format, employing a "1+5" narrative structure. A main storyline, Tale from the Well, connects five segments - The Taoist Priest of Laoshan, Princess Lotus, Nie Xiaoqian, The Painted Skin, and The Daughter of Magistrate Lu. Each story is not only self-contained in content but also distinct in visual style. When the Temple of Lanruo's bell rings, a dazzling supernatural world emerges on screen, depicting the joys and sorrows of life through fantastical narratives.

Stills from Curious Tales of a Temple

At the 15th BJIFF Tech Forum, Yu Zhou, President of Light Chaser Animation, shared the creative philosophy of "giving equal weight to technology and art". His observations on the differences between domestic animation and Hollywood productions offer a clear window into the rapid advancement and growth of Chinese animation technology. Using character costumes in animated films as an example: outfits for roles rooted in traditional Chinese culture are often complex period garments. A single costume, such as those in White Snake: Afloat, can have up to seven or eight layers and many flowing ribbons. In contrast, Hollywood characters often wear tailored suits or leather jackets that are tighter-fitting and easier to produce; characters such as the Minions even avoid complex fur simulation altogether. This fundamentally reflects a calculation of technical cost. The fact that such intricate traditional attire can now be recreated with vivid realism on screen is a direct result of ongoing, incremental technological advancements.

　　

Yu Zhou attended the 15th BJIFF Tech Forum

This exploration of animation production technology continues in The Taoist Priest of Laoshan segment of Curious Tales of a Temple. For the first time in a domestic animated feature, the creative team used a distinctive felted style. A single scene within this segment can have tens of millions of individual hair assets, and the rendering load for this single story segment is comparable to that of a full-length feature. Its unique malleability and exquisite textural detail will create a "unprecedented" felted world on the big screen, transitioning from the mortal realm to the celestial, and providing a novel and highly stylized presentation of traditional culture.

Stills from Curious Tales of a Temple

Join Curious Tales of a Temple on July 12 for an Eastern fantasy journey!