介绍:
In North American and the international market, Disney's 3D animated comedy "Frozen" is commonly accepted as the second step on the company's journey to a renaissance. Step one was taken in 2012 with the family comedy "Wreck-It Ralph." But in China, the film has suffered a fate of obscurity and is only recently showing signs of an improvement in box office numbers.
Built on the traditional fairy tale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson, Disney's latest princess story is a great boost from the original script by adding powerful vocals from Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. I remember reading Anderson's book as a child and envisioning the adventure that runs through the lines. But I never imagined one that is so musical and full of emotion. Watching this piece was quite a pleasant experience.
But, somehow, such a fantastic film received merely lukewarm welcome in the Chinese market. There are two reasons behind this.
First of all, "Frozen" is mainly made for the kids, and would have been a nice choice during the Spring Festival period, a time of family reunion in China. Unfortunately, there happens to be another popular competitor – a domestic title based on the reality TV show of the same name, "Baba Qunaer", or "Where Are We Going, Dad?" With the show attracting extensive viewers across the country, a prolonged episode of the show played on the big screen is enough to get viewers flocking into cinemas. Since its debut on January 31st, "Baba Qunaer" has made 570 million yuan in just ten days, while "Frozen" only landed a meager 85 million in five days.
Secondly, I blame cultural differences. As a film mainly targeted for a young audience, "Frozen" has been translated and dubbed in Chinese. A large chunk of the film's charm is lost in translation. One example, based on my personal observation, is when the snowman made a joke about a male character by calling him a donkey, no one got it and no one laughed. Surely, the same joke works well in a Chinese context, but when it is translated and dubbed, no one notices it.
Another setback rests with the dubbing. The magic in the voices of the original cast is totally deprived in the dubbed version. Some of the songs were practically mumbled out, so the appeal of Disney's comeback piece is totally lost on Chinese moviegoers.
The good news is, as the craze for the talent show ebbs away, the Chinese seem to have discovered this hidden pearl among the bustles of many domestic products. The rising demand for the original version of “Frozen” may be a glimmer of hope for the prospect of this Oscar nominated animated feature's here in China.
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