Calabash Brothers | |
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Directed by | Hu Jinqing, Ge Guiyun, Zhou Keqin |
Country of origin | China |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Original release | |
Release | 1986 1987 | –
Calabash Brothers or Hulu Brothers (Chinese: 葫芦兄弟; pinyin: Húlu Xiōngdì) is a Chinese animation TV series produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and directed by Hu Jinqing, Ge Guiyun, and Zhou Keqin.[1] It was extremely popular when it aired on TV in 1986–1987.[2]
The series can be variously translated as Calabash Brothers, Hulu Brothers, Gourd Brothers, Seven Brothers or Pumpkin Brothers.[1] In China, the series is popularly known as Huluwa (Chinese: 葫芦娃; pinyin: Húluwá; lit. 'Calabash Babies').[citation needed]
In the 1980s the series was one of the most popular animations in China. While it has been praised as much as Havoc in Heaven domestically, it was released at a point when the Chinese animation industry was in a relatively downed[clarification needed] state compared to that of the rest of the international community.[citation needed] Still, the series was translated into 7 different languages. The episodes were produced with a vast amount of paper-cut animations, led by Zhou Keqin, who became the director of paper-cut animations in 1975.[3]
Legend has it that two demons were jailed in the Calabash Mountain, one a Scorpion spirit and the other a Snake spirit. One day, a pangolin happens to drill a hole on the slope and the two spirits escape from the cave, causing grave harm to the nearby residents. The pangolin hurries to an old man and says that only by growing calabashes in seven colors can they annihilate the spirits. So the old man spares no time in growing seven calabashes, each a different color of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
The calabashes ripen sequentially, falling off their stems to the ground, and transforming into seven boys. Each has a unique supernatural ability such as super-strength, enhanced hearing and sight, invisibility, and pyrokinesis, as well as a weakness. Each of them also have above average strength and speed given that all of them have shown the ability to lift items several times their own weight and leap several metres. With a combined effort, they set on a mission to defeat the demons in a 13 episode-long adventure.[4] Upon defeating the demons, the seven brothers seal themselves together into a mountain with all the colours of the rainbow, ready to awaken to fight evil should it ever arise again.
In a sequel series called "Diamond Brother", it is later revealed that there was a third demon, specifically the sister to the snake spirit, that had been in hiding underground during the whole battle. The only survivor from the defeat of the two demons, a humanoid toad with a blinded eye, comes and desperately reports the news. Naturally, the demon is enraged and attacks the mountain that contains the seven brothers, releasing and defeating each of them. However, upon their defeat they fuse together into a single boy with the powers of all seven (official name is "Diamond Brother") who successfully vanquishes the final demon. After crushing the snake sister in a giant Calabash formed from the seven brothers (who came back into being from the Diamond Brother), the Diamond Brother changes into a mountain, forever at peace.
English Production | Crew | Romanized | Original Version |
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Screenwriters | 编剧 | Yao Zhongli Yang Yuliang Mo Yan |
姚忠礼 杨玉良 墨犊 |
Directors | 导演 | Hu Jinqing Zhou Keqin Shen Zuwei |
胡进庆 周克勤 沈祖慰 |
Design | 造型设计 | Wu Yunchu Jinqing |
吴云初 进庆 |
Background Design | 背景设计 | Chang Baosheng | 常保生 |
Action Design | 动作设计 | Shen Rudong Shen Zuwei Wu Zhongwen Sun Nengzi Zhu Shuqin Lin Jie |
沈如东 沈祖慰 伍仲文 孙能子 朱淑琴 林杰 |
Painted Scene | 绘景 | Duan Xiaoxi Li Qingji Shen Tongchun Zhu Xinghe Gong Jinfu |
段小西 李庆吉 沈同春 朱行和 龚金福 |
Drawing | 绘制 | Yue Huimin Zhi Yangtai |
岳慧 支仰泰 |
Photography | 摄影 | Wu Huarong | 吴华荣 |
Photography Assistant | 摄影助理 | Zhu Yuping | 朱毓平 |
Recording | 录音 | Hou Shekang | 侯申康 |
Editing | 剪辑 | Mo Puzhong | 莫普忠 |
Effects | 效果 | Zhang Yuanhao | 张元浩 |
Recording Assistant | 录音助理 | Yan Miaoying | 虞妙英 |
Editing Assistant | 剪辑助理 | Qiang Xiaobai | 强小柏 |
Composer | 作曲 | Wu Yingju | 吴应炬 |
Performed by | 演奏 | Shanghai Film Orchestra Jin Xiaoping Wang Chi |
上海电影乐团 金晓平 王迟 |
Singing | 演唱 | Shanghai Children's Palace Chorus | 上海市少年宫合唱队 |
Dubbing | 配音 | Fan Jie Zhu Sha Tan Pengfei Chariot Dai Xin Zhu Yi Ni Yilin |
范捷 朱莎 谈鹏飞 战车 戴欣 朱艺 倪以临 |
Dubbing Guide | 配音指导 | Wei Qichang | 韦启昌 |
Production Director | 制片主任 | Wang Yulan | 王玉兰 |
Producer | 制片 | Qian Yueying | 钱月英 |