Little Trang Quynh: The Legend of Kim Nguu is a film version developed from the online cartoon series Little Trang Quynh, which once attracted a large audience on the YouTube platform.
The film opens with an incident when the father of the boy Quynh is accused by the court of stealing a treasure. Quynh is lucky to escape and begins his journey to find a way to clear his family's name. Throughout the adventure, he and his group of friends constantly face challenges, especially a plot from a force that is trying to revive the Nine-Tailed Fox to spread chaos throughout the world.
Little Mandarin Quynh: The legend of Kim Nguu is adapted from the anecdotes of the famous mischievous mandarin.
Efforts to enhance identity through visuals
In terms of visuals, Trang Quynh nhi shows a significant investment in conveying culture and origins through each frame. Viewers can easily see images that are deeply Vietnamese such as banyan trees, wells, village gates or patterns from Dong Ho paintings and Bat Trang pottery.
These details not only help shape the cultural space but also create a sense of closeness and familiarity for Vietnamese children and parents. At the same time, in order to bring closeness to children, the crew divided the film into two versions dubbed in the North and the South. If the warm voices of the child stars in the North create a rustic, simple feeling, the Southern accent brings a lot of laughter through the hearty dialogue and a few "trendy" sentences.
The film also brings surprises in the action department, with a series of quite smooth animations. Segments such as Quynh's parents fighting with the bandits, the clash of the dragon in the wilderness, or the great battle between the group of friends and the Nine-Tailed Fox at the end are all built rhythmically, vividly and have a "satisfying" feeling. This is a big plus, showing that the creative team has learned a lot from international animated films in terms of camera design and staging.
The visual aspect of the film is limited, but convincing enough.
Besides, it is impossible not to mention the rich visual scenes, such as the moment when the moonlight shines down on the river, creating a shimmering jade curtain, or the brilliant flower fields when the group enters the Mist Village.
During the early screening, many young viewers expressed their excitement when witnessing Quynh riding a golden buffalo gliding through the air - an image that is both magical and clearly shows the spirit of "folk spirit".
However, the film's weaknesses are also revealed when it comes to details. The characters' facial expressions are sometimes quite stiff and unnatural, creating the feeling of "watching" a video game. Although the special effects can be improved over time, this is still a big obstacle if you want to conquer the demanding audience who are used to Pixar, DreamWorks or Ghibli.
The character's facial movements are still stiff.
Safe script, just stop at storytelling level for children
The biggest drawback of Trang Quynh Nhi lies in the storytelling - the decisive factor for the success or failure of an animated film when it wants to reach beyond the young audience. While major film studios around the world are trying to break the stereotype that "animated films are for children" with stories that have psychological depth and life philosophy (like Inside Out, Kungfu Panda , or Spirited Away ), Trang Quynh Nhi still chooses the safe direction with the motif of good and evil confronting each other and good ultimately winning. The story does not have a twist (unexpected detail) strong enough to create a highlight, nor does it have a real twist that makes adults think after watching.
What is more regrettable is that the main character, although inspired by the image of Trang Quynh, who is famous for his intelligence and resourcefulness in folk literature, does not really show his intelligence. Most of the boy's "intelligence" is mentioned through the dialogue of other characters, instead of through actions or the way he solves situations.
Even in many climaxes, the script chooses to open the way by "accidental help" or luck, making the plot unconvincing and easy.
The intelligence of the young mandarin is not yet clear.
Not to mention, the filmmakers' combination of Vietnamese legends with foreign elements such as the Nine-Tailed Fox - a familiar magical beast in Chinese or Japanese mythology - creates a sense of dissonance. Meanwhile, Vietnam has a rich treasure trove of folk monsters such as the Fox Spirit, the Fish Spirit, the Wood Spirit, or the legends of Tan Vien Son Thanh, but unfortunately the film ignores these unique materials.
From the middle of the film, the story began to lose control when many supporting characters appeared without clear roles, causing the film to ramble. The overuse of humorous situations - sometimes somewhat offensive - also made many adults uncomfortable, whileeducational elements such as village customs, rules of conduct, or etiquette... were overshadowed. That should have been the necessary insertion for children after the laughter.
Remarkable effort, but no breakthrough
After two days of early screening (June 14-15), Trang Quynh nhi: The legend of Kim Nguu attracted attention mainly from families and children. This is a positive sign showing that the Vietnamese animation market still has a lot of potential for development if there is a reasonable investment strategy.
However, for Vietnamese animation to be able to get closer to international standards, or at least satisfy both parents and children - like How to train your dragon or Turning red did - the most important factor is still the script. An engaging, intelligent story that is both familiar and profound is still what helps animation overcome the boundaries of age, culture and taste.
With what has been shown, Trang Quynh nhi: The legend of Kim Nguu is a remarkable start, but cannot be considered a big enough push for Vietnamese animation to break through on the regional map.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/trang-quynh-chi-phu-hop-khan-gia-nhi-3362736.html
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