Film Name: 龟兔再跑 / Tale of The Rally
Compared to the film’s reimagining of the “Tortoise and Hare” fable, the boldness of choosing to reimagine it at all seems more commendable. To speak of the unconventional within the conventional—even the most outstanding animated films like “Toy Story” operate from this very consideration. Yet, to execute such a concept with credibility is no simple feat.
In truth, while the film conceived the innovative idea of reimagining the tortoise and hare race for modern audiences, it hasn’t fully developed this concept.
The original fable’s core message is diligence triumphing over laziness. Yet in this film, the inner reason why the little tortoises defeat the equally diligent hares remains unclear. The first two inconsequential races aren’t worth mentioning, but the final race ending with the rabbit deliberately losing feels rather contrived. The film ultimately lands on the theme of friendship between the tortoise and the rabbit, which is a decent idea. But must the rabbit intentionally lose to the tortoise just to demonstrate friendship?
In reality, out of ten thousand races between a tortoise and a hare, perhaps only one might end in defeat. The fable focuses on that singular instance. Yet in this film, such an outcome occurs three times, significantly diminishing the value of the tortoise’s victory—an event that should carry a sense of the extraordinary, the miraculous, and the monumental.
The opening scene shows the protagonist kicking four pet turtles flying with one big stomp. Audiences won’t find this satisfying; instead, they’ll be confused and jarred. What’s going on here? Midway through, both the tortoise and hare factions bribe the little mouse acting as referee with material gifts. This trope of trading favors for advantages—already criticized in “I Am a Wolf”—is taken to even greater extremes here. Worse, the film offers no condemnation of bribery’s negative consequences, sending profoundly unhealthy psychological messages to viewers, especially young ones. Beyond bribery, gambling elements also appear throughout the film.
Personally, I quite like the rabbits’ visual design. Each of the four rabbits has distinct characteristics. However, in terms of personality, Rabbit and Moving Rabbit are better developed, while Left Rabbit and Right Rabbit feel relatively weak, with their individuality barely explored.
In contrast to the rabbits’ charm, the turtle (sea turtle) designs are far less impressive. Beyond their shells, the turtles are barely recognizable as such. The twin green turtles differ only in their shell patterns and the number of hairs on their heads—one has one hair, the other three. In the second race, when the two turtles must disguise themselves as one, they merely alter their patterns. Even a child knows their identity would be exposed by the hairs on their heads, yet this crucial detail is never addressed. This blatant insult to the audience’s intelligence is deeply disappointing.
The film flows relatively smoothly up until the third race. But the narrative takes a jarring turn afterward: the owner transforms from observer to participant, from animal keeper to slaughterer—a shift for which the audience is utterly unprepared. What began as a tale of internal conflicts among animals abruptly morphs into a story of class struggle between animals and humans. The film seems to shift from Pororo to Bear Story overnight. It’s fair to say the overall conception lacks considerable thought.
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