What if someone combined the adorable little monsters of Pokémon with the high-flying wuxia wire-fighting of films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? Well, you’d probably get something like Monster Hunt, the new film from director Raman Hui (Shrek, Madagascar, Antz) that blew box office records to smithereens in China where it is the highest-grossing film in the country’s history. Set in an ancient world suffused with magic and monsters, Monster Hunt follows two parents — one human, one a monster queen — who have a baby that’s just cute as a button. The only twist is that this baby happens to be a li’l monster that looks kind of like a sentient parsnip. The other twist is that everyone and their mother wants to capture the little tyke so they can devour it, imprison it, or do any manner of things that you probably shouldn’t do to a baby.
The film opens in 2D and 3D in both English language and in Mandarin with English subtitles on January 22, 2016. But before that, we have an exclusive clip for you to give you an idea of why it’s a terrible idea to steal somebody’s baby — even if it is mildly monstrous. Because these parents will come correct and they will ruin your fancy dinner with all manner of martial arts.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“In a mythical ancient world, monsters rule the land while humans keep to their own kingdom. But when adorable baby monster Wuba is born to a human father and monster queen, mortals and creatures alike set out to capture the newborn, and Wubaâs epic adventure begins.”
What do you think? Will you be seeing Monster Hunt? Let us know in the comments below!