To make the movie, the crew toured to southwestern China's Guizhou province to find inspiration for the settings, where the karst landscape-part of a UNESCO world heritage site and home to an underground world of gigantic caves-as well as the ethnic Miao dwellings, gave a unique look to the film, says Zhao.

Also, the characters' outfits and shoes are based on historical records from the late Tang Dynasty, says Wong, the co-director.

Separately, Zhao says: "We did a computer-generated animation of Chinese brush painting-like sequences, which are scarcely featured in animation films."

Zhao also says that, as traditional Chinese brush paintings present only two-dimensional landscapes, it was technically difficult to make the settings seem real in three-dimensional CG animation.

Is this creative effort enough to win in the lackluster January market, which is currently being dominated by Paramount Pictures' Bumblebee?

The competition is fierce, as Irish film The Breadwinner, a nominee for Best Animation Feature at the 90th Academy Awards and Japanese animation film, Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel, will also be released on Friday.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn