raman hui

THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE: The Claws Come Out In The First Teaser For The Animated Action Adventure From Paramount+

February 2 will see the Paramount+ U.S. launch of animated action adventure, The Tiger’s Apprentice. The official teaser arrived on Thursday as well with a voice cast listing Henry Golding, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh. Based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep, THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE follows Chinese-American teenager Tom Lee (Soo Hoo), whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians. With guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu (Golding), Tom trains to take on Loo (Yeoh), a force that is as powerful as a Guardian but with evil intentions to use magic to destroy humanity. To have a fighting chance against Loo, Tom must reunite all twelve Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers. Voice casting also includes Bowen Yang, Leah […]

MONSTER HUNT 2: Raman Hui’s Fantasy Adventure Sequel Lands An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Apart from its paltry reception in the U.S., Raman Hui’s Monster Hunt bolstered China’s box office with record numbers and was a major hit in the region. Its critical approval also stands firm as a fairly exciting and enthusing endeavor from a director boldly stepping up at the helm following a notable career on several animated projects in the U.S.. As of this Chinese New Year now, fans of the first film will finally get to set foot back into the world Hui helped build, setting the stage for Monster Hunt 2. Storied by Peter Cirlella and scripted once more by Alan Yuen, the sequel further chronicles the adventures of a baby monster destined to become king and prevent a civil war with the help of human allies. Recent campaigning for the film saw more gags than not with some behind-the-scenes footage to boot. This time, we have some actual […]

MONSTER HUNT 2: Wuba Hits A Roadblock In The Latest Teaser For Raman Hui’s Fantasy Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

2015 was a milestone year for burgeoning filmmaker Raman Hui. That CG hybrid creature fantasy, Monster Hunt, became the highest grossing film in China until this year is no easy feat to achieve and took quite the ambitious steps it needed to so and now together with producer Bill Kong, the two are back to see if lighting can strike twice with forthcoming sequel, Monster Hunt 2. Bai Baihe and Jing Boran return with the addition Tony Leung Chiu-wai to continue the story of Wuba, a baby monster born to be king whose survival is the only thing that can stave off civil war in a world where monsters and humans co-exist. Lionsgate is planning a day-and-date release in the U.S. and U.K. to coincide with its Chinese New Year premiere in February. Previous few teasers haven’t been much but this one actually has some footage to it. Check it out!

Lionsgate Picks Up Raman Hui’s MONSTER HUNT 2 For 2018 U.S. And U.K. Releases

Lee B. Golden III

Raman Hui’s 2015 action comedy adventure, Monster Hunt was a delightful CG hybrid affair to catch. Its sequel, Monster Hunt 2 is ways away from its release in early 2018 while it has now been confirmed for Chinese New Year day-and-date releases with distribution in North America and the U.K. following its acquisition this week by Lionsgate at Cannes. via Screendaily: “I’m thrilled to partner with Patrick Wachsberger, Wendy Reeds and the rest of the Lionsgate team,” said Kong. “Lionsgate is a powerful creative force and has demonstrated its marketing and distribution prowess across a broad range of blockbuster films.” The film sees the return of actor Jing Boran and actress Fay Bai along with newly added Tony Leung Chiu-Wai following the events of the first film, in which a reluctant village mayor ends up pregnant and in the care of a fugitive monster baby named Wuba, setting the two along […]

MONSTER HUNT 2 Scares Up Tony Leung Chiu-Wai To Join Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (The Grandmaster, See You Tomorrow) is set to stake his claim in the now-filming Monster Hunt 2 from Edko Films. Raman Hui is currently rolling cameras for a 2018 release with little plot details known while Leung is said to play a role that stands pivotal for our its principal lead CG character from the first film. Leung will be joined by newly cast ppp icon and actress Li Yuchun and actor Yo Yang along with returning names, Bai Baihe and Jing Boran. Prior to Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid taking the title, Hui’s 2015 debut, Monster Hunt was a milestone hit for first time filmmaker following a career that landed him projects Dreamworks’ Antz, Shrek and Shrek 2, and as co-director for Shrek The Third, among others. The first film became China’s most successful film in history grossing up to RMB 2.43 billion, as well as […]

Raman Hui’s MONSTER HUNT 2 Now Filming

Lee B. Golden III

On its face, Raman Hui’s 18th century short story adaptation, Monster Hunt, may seem like a kids’ movie not worth all the hype. That said, if that’s the basis for your abstinence from seeing it either this year or last year, you couldn’t be more wrong and its status as China’s highest grossing film of all time notwithstanding, the film tells one of the most heartfelt, exciting and compelling stories you’ll ever see on screen and with fun action sequences to boot as well from a script by Hui and co-scribe Alan Yuen. This, plus the CG fare and adorable creature lore, should bode well for anyone simply looking for something fun to watch and it’s worth a rental, and you would be wise at the very least to catch it as a preamble for the sequel now underway in Beijing according to Variety. Chongqing Hot Pot star, actress Bai […]

MONSTER HUNT Graces The Web With New Key Art And Posters

Lee B. Golden III

FilmRise isn’t waiting around long to kick off its promotional campaign for Raman Hui’s latest action adventure success, Monster Hunt. The attetion is well-earned from its rave reviews and commercial acclaim this year in Asia which otherwise solidifies Hui as a contender to direct ambitious pieces of work next to his impressive resumé. SYNOPSIS: In a mythical ancient world, monsters rule the land while humans keep to their own kingdom. But when adorable baby monster Wuba is born to a human father and monster queen, mortals and creatures alike set out to capture the newborn, and Wuba’s epic adventure begins. The latest film from Raman Hui – whose animated work includes modern-day children’s classics “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Antz,” – “Monster Hunt” smashed box office records to become the highest grossing film in China’s history. FilmRise will release “Monster Hunt” in Mandarin with English subtitles and an English-language version. The film is […]

Raman Hui's China Summer Hit, MONSTER HUNT, Gets A U.S. Trailer And Release Date!

Lee B. Golden III

Following the film’s acquisition in September, FilmRise is officially releasing director Raman Hui‘s new movie, Monster Hunt in the U.S. on January 22 in 2D and 3D theaters. The film has brought tremendous prospects by way of Hui who cut his teeth working on several CG-amimated titles for Hollywood, namely the Shrek franchise – something that ultimately favored the film upon its China release in July when it beat out Furious Seven. To say the least, this one is a keeper. Adorable and destructive creatures and all. SYNOPSIS: In a mythical, ancient world, monsters rule the land while humans keep to their own kingdom. But when adorable baby monster Wuba is born, mortals and creatures alike set out to capture the newborn, and Wuba’s epic adventure begins. Bai Baihe, Jing Boran, Yao Chen, and Eric Tsang are among the line-up. Watch the official U.S. trailer below!

Raman Hui's Family Adventure, MONSTER HUNT, Arrives To The U.S. Next Year!

Lee B. Golden III

Things have certainly been beneficial for China in the wake of recent years of consistent progress with CG technology in film. The most recent example of this right now is VFX purveyor Raman Hui in his latest directorial effort, Monster Hunt, which currently stands as China’s biggest film success by far surpassing James Wan’s Furious Seven with earnings up to $370 millon dollars . Nope, no small number there, and not for nothing either with a director like Hui having applied a thing or two of what he’s learned working on films like Antz and the Shrek trilogy. It’s a level of work he’s wanted to bring to Chinese audiences as he felt it had never been done before, and the results clearly speak for themselves, as well as the kind folks at FilmRise who have now acquired the rights to release the family action adventure to the U.S. in […]

Jing Boran Gives Birth To Royalty In The New Trailer For MONSTER HUNT!

Lee B. Golden III

China’s recent dealings and inner-workings with Hollywood are lending quite a bit of visual muscle these days in Asian cinema. Animation specialist Raman Hui is certainly ready to benefit from this as he’s now taking cues from his earlier time at Dreamworks for titles like Antz and the Shrek trilogy for his latest directorial offering, Monster Hunt, in a milestone effort to echo the same production qualit throughout Asia. Edko’s Bill Kong produces the film with a script by Hui along with Alan Yuen, and the premise is a perfect fitting for Hui to flex his creative muscle for Asia’s Journey To The West crowd. SYNOPSIS: In a fantasy world far, far away, monsters ruled the earth. Then came human’s all-out war in an attempt to seize the land. They eventually succeeded in driving the monsters into the dark mountains. Ever since, the two races have lived in their separate […]

It’s A Tale Of Heroes And Villains Big And Small In The New MONSTER HUNT Teaser!

Lee B. Golden III

Considering China’s continuing efforts in sharpening its visionary methods for 3D fantasy filmmaking, debut director Raman Hui‘s newest offering couldn’t come at a better time. His new film, Monster Hunt, which he also wrote with Alan Yuen, is based on an 18th century short story compilation, serves up quite the for someone like Hui to deliver the same caliber of family-oriented action adventure spectacle seen aplenty in his previous work as supervising animator and lead character designer for films such as Dreamworks’ Antz, Shrek and Shrek 2, and as co-director for Shrek The Third, to name a few. SYNOPSIS: Set in a fictional world where human has waged war against monster for generations, the story begins with the birth of Woba, the last royal bloodline of the monster king, and centers on his quest to bring unity to the two races. Edko Bill Kong produces with a promising cast that […]