Film Name: 大象林旺之一炮成名 / Instant Hit of The Elephant Lin Wang
We always say we hope to see more works with realistic themes. Why? Because real life is the most imaginative world of all. It gives birth to storylines that screenwriters could never dream up with their minds alone. And these storylines exist so reasonably, so logically—they feel far more grounded than those wildly fabricated, reckless fantasies.
“Instant Hit of The Elephant Lin Wang” is a true realist animated work. So when you see the painted elephant trunks, that small detail instantly transports you to the Yunnan-Burma border. Because elephant trunk painting is a real-life practice—those designs steeped in religious ritual are a distillation of history and culture.
The plot where Lin Wang aims to reclaim King Kun’s ivory from the Japanese is particularly brilliant. He doesn’t set himself the grand goal of defeating the Japanese; he merely sets a small, achievable objective to ease his conscience. Yet this modest goal resonates deeply with audiences precisely because it feels authentic and believable.
The idea of conferring military rank upon a horse or elephant would rarely appear in animation unless rooted in reality—such ingenious concepts seldom originate from scriptwriters’ imaginations. Yet when such authenticity surfaces, we seize it and weave it into the narrative, transforming it into the brightest star in the night sky. Humans and animals can forge profound friendships. Awarding military ranks to animals symbolizes our recognition of such comradeship—an affirmation of the animal’s worth and a shared remembrance of their mutual experiences.
Like “A Jewish Girl in Shanghai: The Mystery of The Necklace,” such realistic works often employ flashbacks—presenting an outcome decades later before delving into past memories. This approach is unthinkable in ordinary animations. The depth of history and the weight of reality build an emotional resonance that reaches a profoundly moving climax when the narrative finally returns to the present.
Therefore, despite the film’s shortcomings—such as inconsistent character designs, overly simplified depictions of war, somewhat underdeveloped nostalgia for the homeland, and abrupt shifts in character emotions—I still commend it for the rich, authentic atmosphere of real life that permeates the entire work.
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