Five hundred years after wrecking heaven, Sun Wukong lies sealed under a mountain until Liuer, an orphan raised on tales of the Great Sage, stumbles into his prison while fleeing demons. Freed but stripped of most of his power by a lingering seal, the sour, doubting Monkey King grudgingly shields the boy and a kidnapped little girl from a child-stealing mountain spirit, and the road slowly rekindles the hero in him.
Details & facts
- Chinese
- 西游记之大圣归来
- Pinyin
- Xiyouji Zhi Dasheng Guilai
- Released
- July 10, 2015
- Format
- 3DCG animation
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Box office
- $153 million worldwide
- Studio
- October Media
- Director
- Tian Xiaopeng (田晓鹏)
- Source
- Folklore / classic literature: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en
Monkey King: Hero Is Back was written and directed by Tian Xiaopeng in his feature debut, produced through October Media with partners including Hengdian Film & Television. Opening on July 10, 2015, it became a word-of-mouth phenomenon in a summer crowded with bigger releases and finished with about 956 million yuan, roughly $153 million, then the highest total ever for an animated film in China. Its performance is widely credited with proving the commercial case for homegrown animated features, ahead of hits like Big Fish & Begonia and Ne Zha. An English dub with Jackie Chan voicing the Monkey King reached international audiences, and Tian followed the film with Deep Sea in 2023.
