[Movie] Niu Lai, the Chinese Animated movie that was initially a flop

I used to watch animated movies as a child, but I never thought I would watch one now. However, for the past couple of days, a Chinese movie called Niu Lai has been trending and popping up in my social media feeds. I kept hearing that the animation was crude and poor and that the movie was a flop in the initial days of release. But, then, its graphics and videos started trending on social media platforms that made it hit.
People started having Fear of missing out.

Source

The interesting backstory

I found the backstory behind this movie really fascinating. A mother and son struggled to create an animated movie. This process took their precious five years. They handled every aspect of the movie themselves without relying on any AI tools. From the script and voice-overs to the animation, they have done it all.

They didn't have enough budget to purchase expensive equipment or software. So, they created the animation using only the resources they had available.

The backstory itself was so appealing to the heart that anyone might feel that one should go to watch and pay tribute to that mother and son.

The Plot and Setting of the Movie

The story begins in a forest, where a cow gives birth to a small calf that is unable to stand up. Although people urge it to move, it can not walk. It closes its eyes, but a bird encourages it to get up and walk.

He starts walking but stays close to his mother. In simple words, he becomes a "mama's boy."

On the other hand, his father is just like those typical dads who warn him that if he doesn't run, something will eat him.

One of the most lovely scenes in the story occurs when his mother takes him to cross a stream. He refuses to cross it. He says he will do so only when he gets old or when he reaches her age.

But when his mother tells him that it is something for the future, he asks when the future will come. She explains that the future comes tomorrow, but he replies that he won't have grown up by then. So he won't cross the stream until he is as big as her mother.

His mother then shares a wonderful thought with him:

He even makes a small leopard, his friend.Although his mother warns him from leopards, he does so anyway because the small leopard has no mother of its own. He even gives it milk to drink.

The story truly begins with the migration when they move to another location.
During the migration, they have to cross the desert, and the mother provides immense support to her young one, Niu Lai. And he deeply misses his leopard friend.

When suddenly wolves come to attack on them, the leopard reappears and protects them. Subsequently, Niu Lai's mother allows the leopard to join them on their journey.

However, when the wolves attack again, the mother decides to sacrifice her own life to save her children. She submits herself to the wolves and tells her children to keep walking. Although she had promised to return to them but she never does. Years later, when Niu Lai leads a herd and goes back to the same spot, then he senses her mother's spirit and is overcome with memories of her.

But in the meantime, he wakes up and realizes that it was merely a dream. That is where the story ends.

The story moved me personally

This story might be ordinary, but it is about hope, consistency, and life's challenges. it is about the love between a mother and son, about friendship, and about survival. This story left a deep impression on my heart.

At first glance, the animation might make you feel like you are watching an animated movie from the 80s. however, it is a truly excellent story. I feel that this is the exact kind of story children of this time need to watch. Even everyone should watch.

Rating: 81/100

Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.