Disney goes for Asian tale

WALT DISNEY is being Asianified. The US movie maker has moved on from its normal diet of Western fairy tales such as Snow White and looked east for inspiration.

            The newest film is The Secret of the Magic Gourd, a mix of live action and 3D computer-generated characters, based on a novel written by children’s author Zhang Tianyi in China in 1958. It will spread to cinemas in various countries after its summer launch on the mainland.

            A boy has a sentient, wish-granting magic gourd (hey, that’s no more far-fetched than a talking mirror with a beauty fixation).

            Hong Kong songstress Gigi Leung fills the role of the child’s teacher, and provides star power eye-candy on the way.

            Disney is using local partners (the China Film Group Corp. and Centro Digital Pictures) to give it a genuine Eastern flavour.

            You can buy Disney-themed cookies and snacks these days, but I doubt if movie-tie-in gourds will be on sale. Gourds may be related to melons, but kids are unlikely to want to chow down on the latest cute Disney character.