Despite the fact that nominations have not yet been announced, Penglai is a short film generating lots of Oscar buzz, and with good reason. Penglai tells the story of a fisherman who, after catching a fish with many torsos, seeks a fabled island of the same name. The story is told through fantastic narration by none other than Scarlett Johansson, but it is the short film's distinctive blend of art styles that makes it a must-see. Traditional Chinese and contemporary pop art styles are blended to dazzling effect, making Penglai a comment on shifting cultures and the nature of humanity and giving new context to the story of the fisherman.
Penglai was written and directed by Momo Wang, a Chinese artist and designer who currently works as an animator and creative director at Illumination (the minds behind Despicable Me, Sing, and The Secret Life of Pets). Wang first became recognized for her work as a student, when she created the bunny character Tuzki which quickly became a hit around the globe. Highly prolific, Wang has created numerous graphic novels, pieces of fine art, NFTs, and short films, though Penglai is her first to be made through a major studio.
Momo Wang spoke with Screen Rant about her personal connection to Penglai and the way she blended different art styles to create the breathtaking short film. Please note that this interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Momo Wang on Penglai
Screen Rant: Penglai feels like a very traditional story. What did you draw from when coming up with the idea and writing the short?
Momo Wang: I have been drawing since I was four or five years old. One day, I drew goldfish in my drawing class, and I took that drawing home, and I put it on the wall; I was really happy with it. The next morning, at five or six A.M., I woke up, looked at that drawing, and the fish became alive. They started to swim, circle by circle on the wall, and then went back to the drawing. That was a really impressive moment for me, and I ed it for many years.
More than fifteen years later, I had to go to college, so I cleaned up my home and I found that drawing again. Again, I put it on the wall. The next day at five or six in the morning, the same time as before, I looked at the drawing, but nothing happened. I thought, "Why? It's the same drawing, in the same place, but I didn't think the goldfish became alive." I thought maybe it was like how many years ago in China, there were a lot of magical creatures; dragons flying around in the sky. Many years later, we learned, "Okay, there are no dragons, there are no unicorns," so all the magical things disappeared because people stopped believing.
That's one of the personal reasons I wanted to make this film; to have a discussion of, "What do you want to believe, and what is the truth? What about imagination?" Also, Penglai is my grandparents' hometown, and in Chinese culture, Penglai represents where the dream is, where the Buddha lives. There is so much beautiful imagination surrounding it, so I thought it could be fun to make a film about Penglai, about imagination, our world, and believing.
You mentioned the creatures; there are so many beautiful ones in this short. Were they out of stories and legends, or did you invent any of them for Penglai?
Momo Wang: They are from a really, really early Chinese book from almost two thousand years ago called the Shan Hai Jing. People made drawings in the book about all the magical creatures in early China, so that's pretty fun. I took all my inspiration for the monsters from that book, and then I redesigned them to put them in this film. Also, at the end of the fisherman's journey when he sees all the magical creatures, the last one that's big with feathers is actually the same monster we see in Shang-Chi. It's a monster called the Di Jiang in Chinese culture. Once you see that monster, that means a storm is coming, so, there's also a lot of cultural elements and information behind those.
And I know you used a number of different art styles to make this. Can you talk about what those are?
Momo Wang: I used traditional Chinese painting with Tibetan thangka mixed with pop art, because the story is both modern and traditional. It's a story about a young guy who saw a UFO in early China, so I wanted to make the visual design, the art style, the music, and the story Western-meets-Eastern and traditional-meets-modern. So for the art style, we used traditional art mixed with pop art.
For the music, we use a lot of traditional instruments from China and Far Eastern countries. We used the sarangi from India and the sanxian from China, mixed with hip-hop. Also, in the music for the highlight shot, you can hear an electronic female voice in the background. She's singing a traditional Tibeten mantra about hope, going home, and best wishes. Every time you see the female Buddha, you also hear signature electronic sounds, representing that she's actually an astronaut. All the music and the art fit with the story and help the storytelling.
Wow. I love the music in this.
Momo Wang: Chad Cannon, the composer, is really good. He's also the composer of American Factory.
How was it to work with Scarlett Johansson on the narration?
Momo Wang: She's extremely professional. It was incredible working with her; I'm very happy. It was a big honor to work with her on this film.
You mentioned the story about the goldfish you drew, but how long have you had the idea to actually make this short?
Momo Wang: Years ago, I read a story from a 9th-century Chinese book of short stories. There's one story in that book where a young guy was hiking and met a person from the moon who shared a lot of knowledge that nobody knew at the time. Now, when people look at the book, they think, "That young guy in early China probably he met somebody who time-traveled." I feel that's really interesting, so I mixed that story with my goldfish experience. That was the original inspiration for the story of Penglai.
Also, when I was at CalArts, I did a two-minute animation clip that was a really early version of Penglai. Not many images, not much animation - it was just to show the concept. After I graduated from CalArts, I got a chance to know Chris Meledandri, who is the CEO of Illumination, so in a presentation with him I showed him that two-minute version, and he was really interested. Finally, we ended up with Illumination wanting to produce Penglai, and at the same time offering me a job as the animation creative director at Illumination. I got the chance to work on bigger films, and at the same time direct my first short film.
That's amazing. Finally, what do you want people to take away from Penglai once they see it?
Momo Wang: I feel that Penglai is kind of experimental for its culture-based art style, music, and story. As an animation director, I would really like to make some excellent work to inspire people, and even inspire the industry. I'm also really happy just to have directed this project. I got a chance to work with so many talented people, and now I also have more confidence for my other future films.
I'm actually working on my first feature film, and I'm really excited about that. [This has helped me believe] that in the future I can produce excellent animation films, which can bring people hope and inspire an audience. I feel really excited for that. Also, it's exciting to see how far Penglai can go.
About Penglai
In Penglai, mixing animation and puppetry, Wang weaves past, present and future into an original myth, animated with intricate traditional imagery that explodes into a modern visual language all its own. Penglai celebrates the human spirit and our belief that there is hope for a future beyond what we see in our everyday lives. The film's dazzling, kinetic animation honors historical Chinese & Buddhist art and culture and propels it forward into a bold new era.
The trailer for Penglai can be seen here.