Colorful summer children's movie season

Not only will there be the appearance of a series of famous imported films, but the 2025 summer movie season will also mark the first time that 3 "made in Vietnam" animated films will be released to the public, bringing many choices to the audience and attractive competition.

From foreign movies...

Released at the end of May, the film Doraemon 2025: Nobita and the Adventures in the Picture World (Japan) currently has a revenue of nearly 160 billion VND, continuing to extend the impressive series of achievements. This revenue also surpasses the impressive record of 147 billion VND of Doraemon: Nobita and the Symphony of the Earth (Japan) released in the summer of 2024 to become the film with the highest box office revenue in Vietnam of this brand. Doraemon's success comes from the brand with a 45-year journey of conquering audiences through cute, emotional films about the funny robot cat and his friends.

This year, young audiences and their families have had a vibrant summer with many choices at the cinema. Released at the same time as Doraemon, the live action movie Lilo & Stitch (USA) although having a more modest revenue has also reached more than 30 billion VND. Previously, released in early May, the movie Crayon Shin-chan: Mystery! Tenkasu Academy (Japan) has so far reached a revenue of more than 11 billion VND. Or most recently, the live action version of How to Train Your Dragon (USA) (labeled K - the movie is popularized to viewers under 13 years old with the condition of watching with a parent or guardian) also rose to the top of the box office chart in the first week of release and has now reached a revenue of nearly 30 billion VND.

The first month of summer has almost passed, and the box office will continue to welcome a series of promising imported films such as: Elio - The Boy from Earth, Gangsters 2 (USA)... In addition, young audiences in Ho Chi Minh City will also have the opportunity to watch foreign and Vietnamese animated films for the first time at the 2025 Children's Film Festival. The event will screen a variety of films, from short films to feature films, completely free of charge, until August 15 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays every week, at the General Science Library (No. 69, Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City).

... to domestic films

A special feature of this year’s summer movie season is that for the first time, three Vietnamese animated films will appear at the same time. Released at the end of May, the film De Men: Adventure to the Swamp (directed by Mai Phuong, produced by Cine Plus) has grossed nearly VND20 billion, becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese animated film. The film is still being shown in theaters nationwide.

Scenes from three Vietnamese animated films to be released in the summer of 2025

Originally scheduled to be released on the same day as the movie De Men , Trang Quynh Nhi: The Legend of Kim Nguu (director: Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung, produced by Alpha Animation Studio) decided to postpone the release date to June 20.

Previously, the film had early screenings on June 14 and 15, earning nearly 1 billion VND in revenue and many positive reviews from experts, media and audiences. Immediately after that, from July 11, Wolfoo will return to the big screen with the film Wolfoo and the Three Realms Race (director: Vu Duy Khanh, produced by Sconnect Studio). Wolfoo is also the first commercial animated film brand in Vietnam with the film version Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island released in theaters at the end of 2023, earning more than 5 billion VND in revenue.

The competition between Vietnamese and international animated films is also a highlight of this year's summer children's film season. Director Mai Phuong revealed that from the beginning, the film crew had set a goal of releasing the film this summer. "If we did not dare to release it at this time because we were afraid of competing with Doraemon or Lilo & Stitch, we would definitely not be able to develop because if we avoid this film, we will eventually encounter another film," director Mai Phuong shared.

Meanwhile, director - Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung gave an impartial assessment and admitted that the quality of animated films in Vietnam is still quite far behind international standards. According to him, Vietnamese animators should conquer each milestone, because even countries with developed animation industries have to go through very difficult stages in conquering audiences as well as overcoming technical problems. Director - Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung acknowledged: "One thing I believe is that no matter how hard filmmakers try, it is still very difficult to develop the animation industry without the consensus and recognition of the audience."

Lessons from past confrontations between Vietnamese films and foreign blockbusters show a clear journey of transformation: from being at a disadvantage, to competing fairly, and now at times “overpowering” the opponent. That rule will probably also be true for animated films. However, the market and the audience still need more quality works to strengthen trust and raise the position of Vietnamese animation.

VAN TUAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/mua-phim-thieu-nhi-he-da-sac-post800588.html