A colorful summer season of children's films.

Not only will the 2025 summer movie season feature popular imported films, but it will also mark the first time that three animated films "made in Vietnam" will be released to the public, offering audiences more choices and exciting competition.

From foreign films...

Released at the end of May, the film Doraemon 2025: Nobita and the Adventure in the Picture World (Japan) has grossed nearly 160 billion VND, continuing its impressive streak of success. This figure also surpasses the impressive record of 147 billion VND set by Doraemon: Nobita and the Earth Symphony (Japan), released in summer 2024, to become the highest-grossing film in Vietnam for this franchise. Doraemon's success stems from the brand's 45-year journey of captivating audiences through its charming and emotionally rich films about the lovable robot cat and his friends.

This year, young audiences and their families are enjoying a vibrant summer with many choices at the cinemas. Released at the same time as Doraemon, the live-action Lilo & Stitch (USA), despite its more modest box office revenue, has already surpassed 30 billion VND. Earlier in May, Shin-chan: Mystery! Tenkasu Academy (Japan) has also grossed over 11 billion VND. Most recently, the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon (USA) (rated K - meaning it's suitable for viewers under 13 with parental or guardian supervision) also topped the box office charts in its opening week and has already grossed nearly 30 billion VND.

With the first month of summer almost over, the box office will soon welcome a series of promising foreign films such as: Elio - The Boy from Earth, Gangsters 2 (USA)... In addition, young audiences in Ho Chi Minh City will have their first opportunity to watch foreign and Vietnamese animated films at the 2025 Children's Film Festival. The event will screen a diverse range of films, from short films to feature films, completely free of charge, and will run until August 15th, every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, at the General Science Library (69 Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City).

...to domestic films

A highlight of this year's summer movie season is the simultaneous release of three Vietnamese animated films for the first time. Released at the end of May, "The Cricket: An Adventure to the Muddy Village" (directed by Mai Phương, produced by Cine Plus) has grossed nearly 20 billion VND, becoming the highest-grossing Vietnamese animated film. The film is still being screened in theaters nationwide.

Scenes from three Vietnamese animated films set to be released in summer 2025.

Originally scheduled to be released on the same day as the film "The Cricket ," the film "Little Trang Quynh: The Legend of the Golden Bull" (directed by Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung, produced by Alpha Animation Studio) has been postponed to June 20th.

Previously, the film had early screenings on June 14th and 15th, grossing nearly 1 billion VND and receiving many positive reviews from critics, the media, and audiences. Immediately afterwards, from July 11th, Wolfoo will return to the big screen with the sequel Wolfoo and the Race of the Three Realms (directed by Vu Duy Khanh, produced by Sconnect Studio). Wolfoo is also the first commercially released animated film franchise in Vietnam, with the film Wolfoo and the Mysterious Island released at the end of 2023, grossing over 5 billion VND.

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 set the goal of releasing the film this summer. "If we didn't dare release it at this time because we were afraid of competing with Doraemon or Lilo & Stitch, we certainly wouldn't be able to develop because avoiding one film would only lead to competing with another," Director Mai Phuong shared.

Meanwhile, director and Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung offered an impartial assessment, acknowledging that the quality of animated films in Vietnam still lags far behind international standards. According to him, Vietnamese animators should strive to conquer each milestone, because even countries with developed animation industries have gone through very difficult periods in winning over audiences and overcoming technical challenges. Director and Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung stated: “I believe that no matter how much effort filmmakers put in, it will be very difficult to develop the animation industry without the support and recognition of the audience.”

Lessons from past confrontations between Vietnamese films and foreign blockbusters reveal a clear transformation: from being at a disadvantage, to competing on equal footing, and now, at times, "overwhelming" their rivals. This pattern likely holds true for animated films as well. However, the market and audiences still need more quality works to solidify confidence and elevate the status of Vietnamese animation.

VAN TUAN

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