Havoc in Heaven
Directed by Wan Laiming at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio between 1961 and 1964, this color feature film stands as a landmark of Chinese animation.
Havoc in Heaven is a color animated feature film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in two parts, released in 1961 (Part One) and 1964 (Part Two). Directed by Wan Laiming and co-produced by the four Wan brothers, the films were merged for release in 1965, with an original total runtime of 114 minutes (the 2012 high-definition remastered version was edited to 92 minutes). Adapted from the first seven chapters of Journey to the West, the film tells the story of the stone monkey, Sun Wukong, who demands the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the East Sea Dragon King, strikes the Book of Life and Death from the records, and is tricked into ascending to Heaven to be appointed as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. His rebellion culminates in the theft of the Peaches of Immortality and the Golden Elixir, the overturning of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and the chaos he wreaks upon the Lingxiao Hall. The story concludes with Wukong repelling the heavenly soldiers and generals and leading his followers back to Flower-Fruit Mountain. The film features voice acting by Qiu Yuefeng and Fu Runsheng, with character designs by Zhang Guangyu that blend Peking Opera masks, New Year paintings, and Dunhuang art. The score utilizes Peking Opera percussion and traditional folk instruments. A masterpiece of Chinese animation, the film won Best Film at the London International Film Festival (1978) and received awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival; consequently, "Havoc in Heaven" has become a common Chinese idiom.