'The King of Kings' success signals new era of global confidence for Korean creators: director

The appeal of the Korean animated film "The King of Kings" is driven by its high-quality production and universal theme of love, not just its faith-based nature, according to its director. At a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, director and scriptwriter Jang Seong-ho said he chose the life of Jesus Christ for his debut film to fill a notable void. Despite Jesus' "massive influence" on human history, he said, there had never been a major animated film dedicated to his story. Inspired by Charles Dickens' "The Life of Our Lord," the film follows the author as he tells the story of Christ to his son, Walter, and cat, Willa. It boasts an impressive voice cast, including Oscar Isaac and Pierce Brosnan. Released in the United States on April 11, the movie has already earned $68 million at the global box office. Its success has also set a new record in the U.S., where it became the highest-grossing Korean film by surpassing Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning "Parasite." From the project's inception a decade ago, the director planned to target the North American market, knowing it was the only waWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times