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Read the following text and answer the quiz below.
[1] An animated film about a journey into the afterlife has become a hit in Hong Kong. Another World is an adaptation of Naka Saijo’s novel Sennenki: Thousand-Year Journey of an Oni. The film tells the story of a deceased young girl (voiced by Christy Choi Hiu-tung) who is escorted through the afterlife by the spirit guide Gudo (Chung Suet-ying) as she searches for her little brother. Its dazzling imagery sets a new benchmark for animation in Hong Kong cinema. But it’s not the only animated film to venture into the afterlife. Here are four others.
[2] All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
This fantasy musical follows streetwise German shepherd Charlie B. Barkin. When he is double-crossed and murdered by his scheming former partner, Charlie finds himself in a serene version of heaven, where he learns that all dogs are inherently good-natured. He tricks his way back to Earth, where he befriends a young girl with the magical ability to talk to animals. However, Charlie’s fate eventually catches up with him.
[3] Spirited Away (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s supernatural fantasy broke box office records upon its release. It also scooped the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin Film Festival before winning the Oscar for best animated feature film.
[4] The story follows 10-year-old Chihiro. She moves to the countryside with her parents, only to take an unexpected short cut into a magical spirit world populated by all manner of yokai demons and flying dragons. When her parents are transformed into pigs, our plucky heroine takes a job at a chaotic bathhouse in an effort to earn her family’s safe return.
[5] Coco (2017)
Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, provides the setting for Pixar’s vibrant musical favourite. The film won two Oscars at the 90th Academy Awards, for best animated feature and best original song.
[6] It tells the story of Miguel, a young Mexican boy who grows up in a household where music is mysteriously banned. When his secret passion for the guitar is discovered, his instrument is destroyed. Stealing a replacement from the family mausoleum, Miguel is magicked away to the Land of the Dead. There, he learns about his family’s secret history from his ghostly ancestors.
[7] Soul (2020)
In this toe-tapping fantasy, Pixar takes us to the Great Beyond once again. Music remained the central hook, winning the film Oscars for best animated feature and best original score.
[8] Jamie Foxx lends his voice to secondary school music teacher Joe Gardner, who yearns to be a jazz pianist. But after dying in a freak accident, Joe finds himself in the afterlife. There, he navigates a host of different spiritual realms and is made mentor to a disgruntled new soul named 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), before eventually making it back to Earth in the body of a house cat.
Source: South China Morning Post, November 4
