Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, May 27 /Xinhua/ – The Russian premiere of the Chinese animated film “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” /”Nezha 2” dubbed into Russian was recently held at the Cinema Park Mosfilm movie theater. It became the highest-grossing animated film in the history of world cinema.
An hour before the show began, the lobby on the first floor was packed with spectators, who came in groups and with their families to watch the trailers on the screen and take photos before the show began.
During the two-and-a-half-hour screening in the IMAX theater, which seats more than 500 people, the audience laughed, cheered and applauded the characters.
THE HIGHEST-GROSSING CARTOON HAS BECOME A CULTURAL MASTERPIECE
“This film is a dark horse for us,” Vera Fetishcheva, deputy general director of the Russian film company Arna Media, told Xinhua, adding that the cartoon will hit the country’s big screens on May 29. “We will have more than 1,600 screens all over Russia,” V. Fetishcheva said.
“This Chinese cartoon is a phenomenon; it is currently the highest-grossing animated project in the history of world cinema and is among the top five highest-grossing films,” V. Fetishcheva emphasized.
According to official figures, Ne Zha 2 has already grossed over US$2 billion worldwide.
“We are very proud and really wanted to make sure that Russian viewers also see this project on the big screen,” said V. Fetishcheva. “We hope that it will also make a good profit in Russia.”
“Nezha 2” focuses on Chinese mythology and traditional values, combining this with high-quality entertainment. According to V. Fetischeva, this film will help Russian viewers better understand China and its culture.
DUBBING: “PAIN AND JOY AT THE SAME TIME”
In order for Russian viewers to better understand “Nezha 2,” high-quality dubbing was necessary.
“There were a lot of difficulties in translation, the translation was very complicated, but very pleasant, because solving these issues brought real pleasure,” Maxim Kofov, the author of the adapted translation and the dubbing director for “Nezha 2,” shared with a Xinhua correspondent.
According to him, the film is based on Chinese mythology, and many things implied in the film are quite understandable to the Chinese.
“And in Russia there is a different culture, and we may not understand this. And accordingly, the question immediately arises: how to adapt this?” said M. Kofov, adding that in some moments a certain equivalent from Russian culture was required.
“Appearances can be deceiving. I feel like Nezha is like a grown man in a little kid’s body,” said voice actress Eva Finkelstein, who voiced Nezha.
In her opinion, Nezha’s kind and bright heart is hidden beneath his appearance, and this contrast makes the hero extremely charming.
“For example, the poems that Nezha recites throughout the film. If you translate them literally, they simply won’t work. But if you translate them into something similar in our culture, then it begins to merge with the audience’s interest,” explained M. Kofov. According to him, it was important not just to translate literally, but to convey emotions. This was possible thanks to the excellent work of the dubbing actors and the support of their Chinese colleagues.
“NEZHA 2” IS A GIFT FOR ALL PARENTS AND CHILDREN
“The animation is very good… All the characters are shown well… The dubbing is very clear… The story is about family and love, very beautiful…” Russian viewers shared their feelings with a Xinhua correspondent after watching it.
“I really liked the film, and to be honest, I am very delighted,” said Nikita Stepanov, a member of the central board of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society.
N. Stepanov knows quite a lot about China and Chinese culture, since he was born in China and graduated from school there. “In general, everything is very clear, all these moments that were reflected in the film,” N. Stepanov noted, expressing confidence that “Nezha 2” will help Russian viewers better understand Chinese culture.
For many Russian viewers, Nezha 2 became not only an example of technological progress in Chinese animation, but also a point of contact between the cultures of Russia and China.
“I really liked the film, it’s a family film, really. I saw the first part /”Nezh 1″/ when I was 13, so as soon as I found out that the second part of “Nezh” would be released, I immediately got ready and ran to see it at the first screening,” student Lera told Xinhua.
“I had a lot of emotions. I laughed, I was happy, I cried a lot at many moments. The film is very good, moral,” shared Ksenia, Lera’s younger sister.
According to Lera, the character of “Nezha 2” Shen Gongbao touched her “to the depths of her soul”. “Shen Gongbao’s relationship with his younger brother and his development evoke special emotions in me,” said Lera, looking at Ksenia and adding, “This is /my/ little sister, I am ready to do a lot for her, so this topic touched me very much.”
“This film is a gift to all parents and children and a wish to find understanding between generations,” M. Kofov noted. He reported that as a father of two children aged 10 to 20, he found very interesting and relevant moments in this cartoon for himself.
“You need to be able to let go, you need to be able to understand, you need to be able to find a common language with different generations,” said M. Kofov.
According to him, the transformation of positive and negative characters is one of the most striking moments in “Nezha 2”. “That is, it is a life situation in which there is no clear division into black and white. This prepares the younger generation for a critical view of life,” the Russian director emphasized.
“As in the case of Nezha, and in the case of Ao Bing in the film, it is not who you are by origin that matters, but who you are by your actions,” Lera noted. –0–