This interview with writer/director Mu Zhengyang and Pearl Studio CEO Catherine Ying was conducted via translator Brandy Wang and edited for clarity.
Writer/director Mu Zhengyang’s animated film, All Wishes Come True! (Bāxiān) reimagines a classic Chinese tale by filling in the gaps about who the infamous Eight Immortals are before their epic journey across the sea. From the charismatic Zhongli Quan (Chen Hao) to the more enigmatic sword-wielding Lü Dongbin (Li Shaozhe), each one of the Eight Immortals gets their due in what is a sweeping action-adventure mixed with some thrilling heist mechanics.
While on their press tour for All Wishes Come True!, we spoke with writer/director Mu Zhengyang and Pearl Studio CEO Catherine Ying, where we discussed why the story of the Eight Immortals was the perfect story for the studio to produce, the daunting task of bringing these characters to life and making sure each one got enough time onscreen, and how the film is a reminder that doing the right thing, even if it’s difficult, is always the best decision in the end.
For Catherine Ying, adapting the story of the Eight Immortals was a no-brainer. “[It’s] a perfect subject for an animation studio like Pearl Studio to do,” she explained. “Traditional Chinese culture, mythology, and folklore are a very rich resource from which we can draw for modern filmmaking, especially animation. [And] the Chinese are very familiar with the name of the Eight Immortals and the beautiful story behind it.”
The story of the Eight Immortals was a perfect one to bring to life for modern audiences.
Even though many know the story of the Eight Immortals as depicted in “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” it transports the familiar group of immortals into the heat of the action, where each one already possesses a magical object they use to traverse the Sea in question. However, starting an adaptation at that point in the story would be difficult, considering varying factors.
“The story is so complex,” Catherine Ying explained. “[But] nobody actually knew how these eight people came together to become a group, and why they needed to cross the sea, [or] what happens during the story. That leaves filmmakers a lot of room for creativity. We just needed a very good story and a good access point to bring it [into] the modern day, not only for the Chinese audience but also for international audiences.”
This is where writer/director Mu Zhengyang came in. Driven by curiosity and fascination with the original story of the Eight Immortals, he set out to find the best way to tell it in All Wishes Come True! The plot was one factor to tackle, but the distinct characters at the heart of the story were another. He shared, “The biggest challenge was: within a two-and-a-half-hour movie, how do we design the characters so the audience remembers every single one of them?”
While all characters get their chance to shine, Zhongli Quan was a clear favorite.
“There were several ways for us to distinguish the characters. From [a writing angle], we decided to focus on two to three characters [and] have them as the main characters,” Mu Zhengyang explained. One of these characters is Zhongli Quan, and the team spent the most time designing and developing his arc for what audiences will see in All Wishes Come True!. All that effort paid off. The scene-stealing character is easily a favorite for both Mu Zhengyang and Catherine Ying.
“Zhongli Quan is just like any ordinary person that we might have in our lives, someone who has goodwill and does good things, but might not end up [in a good place]. But his heart still remains good, and the fire of justice in his heart never goes away,” he shared. “After he experienced everything, he still chooses to believe in doing the right thing, and this is someone who brings a lot of positivity and passion to our audiences.”
Zhongli Quan’s beliefs and how he approaches the world are also something that Ying found herself resonating with. “I personally identify with him because I think deep down I am also an idealist,” She explained. “This character resonates with me and a lot of the audience because he has weaknesses and he has doubts at difficult times, and that [is something] that’s very real. We, as ordinary people, also face difficulties and difficult choices, but still, at each critical moment, he always makes the right choice, and that’s very inspiring.”
In designing the characters, the Five Color Aesthetics methodology gave each one a distinct color and feel.
As for balancing the rest of the characters, Mu explained that outside the three Immortals who would become the core focus of All Wishes Come True!, the other five characters were treated more like side characters. This includes the group’s only female character, He Xianggu, who was also a favorite of Ying’s. “She’s so cool, and she kicks butt. She’s also an idealist, and I really like idealists.”
In the design process, each character in All Wishes Come True! was designed with a specific color in mind, using a Chinese methodology called the Five Color Aesthetics (Wu Zheng Se). As Mu Zhengyang explained, each character was assigned a representative color to give them a distinct visual look. Fleshing everything out and what ultimately brought everything together was the casting process, with the specific intent of hiring actors who sounded completely different from one another to further distinguish themselves onscreen.
The characters drive what ultimately transpires in All Wishes Come True!, and it is through them and their story that both Mu Zhengyang and Catherine Ying hope the audience takes away this message: “The story is [one] about the power of goodwill, being a good person and doing the right things,” Mu shared. “No matter where you are in the world, [this idea] is a very meaningful concept.”
With the film’s message, the hope is that people will be inspired to always do the right thing.
Ying added, “Just follow your heart, always choose to do the right thing, and it will have a good result. It will have resonance in a lot of people, and it will have an impact, and in the end, it will change the world.” What better message to take away and inspire viewers to go check out the film.
If that alone isn’t enough, both hope that All Wishes Come True! inspires both Chinese and international audiences to become more interested in Chinese culture. “Through the story of the Eight Immortals, we hope to spread traditional Chinese culture and [for the film] to serve as a medium to share these stories,” Mu explained. “After watching this film, we hope audiences can have this curiosity to discover or even rediscover the traditional culture, the story, and the literature.”
Interest in Chinese culture has grown significantly in recent years, driven by donghua (animated) works, Chinese dramas, and hit video games like Game Science’s Black Myth Wukong. As more studios like Pearl Studio release films like All Wishes Come True!, audiences everywhere can explore a whole new world of exciting mythologies, folklore, and culture they might not otherwise get to see. And with its heartfelt, earnest message underneath the fun and adventure, All Wishes Come True! is easily one of those films that can serve as a gateway.
All Wishes Come True! is now playing in theaters in the United States and Canada.