Displaced when humans clear his forest, the small black cat spirit Luo Xiaohei falls in with Fengxi, a rogue spirit who dreams of taking land back from humanity by force. When the veteran human executor Wuxian separates Xiaohei from the group, captor and captive make a slow journey across sea and countryside, and the little spirit begins to question which side can truly offer him a home.
Details & facts
- Chinese
- 罗小黑战记
- Pinyin
- Luo Xiaohei Zhanji
- Released
- September 7, 2019
- Format
- 2D animation
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Box office
- $45 million worldwide
- Studio
- Beijing HMCH Animation
- Director
- MTJJ (木头)
- Source
- Original work
MTJJ, creator of the Legend of Luo Xiaohei web series that began in 2011, directed this hand-drawn theatrical prequel at the Beijing studio HMCH (Hanmu Chunhua). It opened in China on September 7, 2019, took the top box office spot on its opening day ahead of Hobbs & Shaw, and finished with about 315 million yuan, roughly $45 million, a strong result for an independent 2D production. Shout! Factory brought the film to North America in 2021 with a new English dub. Its following at home and abroad set up The Legend of Hei 2, which reached theaters in 2025 with a GKIDS release in North America.
