The Proud General 骄傲的将军 （1956） ~ Chinese Movies&TV

Today, I will introduce a Chinese animated feature produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio which called The Proud General (骄傲的将军Jiāo’ào de Jiāngjūn) So let us have a brief introduction.

Plot

After a victorious military campaign, a general returns home to glory and prosperity. The king rewards him and claims that all enemies will be intimidated by the general. From then on, the general no longer practices martial arts. He eats, drinks, lives the glamorous life, and doesn’t bother anymore with sharpening his weapons. When the enemy one day returns, his own arrogance leads to his defeat and eventually to the downfall of the whole nation.

Production

The film was heavily influenced by Disney from the perspective of character design, movement and storytelling point of view. The music is derived from the Beijing Opera. The clothing, architecture, and props do have a strong sense of Chinese cultural influence. It was one of the first films to use the art of water ink painting in a lengthy production.

This film also tell us that an army which is cocksure about its invincibility is doomed to defeat. So we must keep in mind, as an proverb said, “to win without pride “.