Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
A child faces off against the sweltering heat: should she try to capture the sun using a game played with string, or cool it down with a giant, icy bottle of Coca-Cola?
These scenes are part of an animated short produced by Rachel Mow and Ivan Chui, who are both from Hong Kong.
Titled The Sun Is Bad, this three-minute action-comedy follows a feisty girl who is determined to take out the sun because she blames it for melting her city. Set in Hong Kong during the late 1980s, the short reflects residents’ struggles against the heat.
The film is inspired by Mow’s childhood in Hong Kong’s stifling summers, and the 22-year-old director and writer wanted to tell a story about the city through a child’s imagination.
“I used to hate summer and the sun so much as a kid. In Hong Kong, the humidity and heat are so intense, you feel like you’re melting the moment you [go] outside,” said Mow, who graduated last year with Chui, 25, from Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States.
“I would think of different childish ways to try to [battle] the sun, such as using a fishing net.”
The duo’s work was nominated for the Television Academy Foundation’s 43rd College Television Awards in the animation series category. Emulating the prestigious Emmy Awards, it recognises outstanding student productions in the United States.
Chui, who is the short’s producer and animator, added: “We wanted the audience to experience the limitless possibilities of a child’s fantasy world.”
Animate culture
Mow and Chui wanted to transport the audience back in time by infusing their story with Hong Kong culture: neon signs, a family-run grocery and umbrella store, and even the now-sunken Jumbo Floating Restaurant.
“I’ve always been fond of older Hong Kong. I really appreciate how closely knit everyone was and how rich our culture was back then,” Mow said.
Chui and Mow’s three-minute video was the result of a year of hard work. It took a total of 32 script changes, and every eight seconds of animation needed two months to produce. Each second has 24 hand-drawn frames.
Chui said he appreciated the love and effort that went into drawing, tracing and cleaning every frame. “You can see a character come to life as you draw each frame,” he explained.
Through their work, the duo wants to encourage the younger generation in Hong Kong to explore animation. They also hope the city can give more funding and support to local studios.
Use the puzzle below to test your knowledge of the vocabulary words in the story.
Sample answers
-
Stop and think: Why do you think the film is called The Sun Is Bad? Mow used to hate the summers in Hong Kong and used this to showcase a film about a girl who blames the sun for melting her city and tried to get rid of it.
-
Think about it: What details in the short film show old Hong Kong? They used visuals from 1980s Hong Kong, including the neon signs, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, and a family run grocery and umbrella store.
-
Consider: How do Mow and Chui hope to inspire young Hongkongers? They hope youngsters in the city will be more inclined to learn about animation and explore it as a hobby or career, especially since they called out the need for more funding into the medium.
