연합뉴스
| yna@yna.co.kr 2024-04-08 09:22:07
SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- In South Korea, the production of theatrical animation films outside of children's works is not particularly active, and many are skeptical about the commercial success potential of theatrical animations targeting audiences above the teenage age group.
In this context, the new animation film 'Yumi's Cells: The Movie', directed by Kim Da-hee, which was released on the 3rd of this month, is seen as an ambitious challenge.
Based on the popular Naver webtoon by Lee Dong-gun, the first theatrical animation adaptation of 'Yumi's Cells' aims to leverage the original work's popularity to potentially reshape the industry's atmosphere.
The webtoon 'Yumi's Cells', depicting the daily life and romantic endeavors of a woman in her 30s named Yumi, has garnered immense popularity among young female readers, accumulating over 3.5 billion views. It was also adapted into a drama starring Kim Go-eun, further boosting its popularity.
During a meeting held on the 5th at the Locus Studio, located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the female director stated, "Before taking on this project, I had thoughts like 'Will this really work?' I wanted to break through such doubts myself."
She expressed hopes that, just as K-content ranging from webtoons to food enjoys global success, 'Yumi's Cells: The Movie' could demonstrate that anime can also thrive in this sphere.
She further remarked, "I hope this work receives global recognition as a piece that contributes to the assessment that K-anime is worth watching… Building on this, I hope more animations targeting older age groups (beyond children) will be produced in South Korea."
The 3D animation 'Yumi's Cells: The Movie' brings the character Yumi to life in a 3D format, while the director expressed concerns about ensuring that Yumi's expressions and actions do not feel alien compared to the original depiction.
When casting for Yumi's voice acting role, the director deliberated extensively, ultimately selecting voice actress Yoon Ah-yeong, known for her role as Doraemon in the 'Doraemon' series.
In the film, Yumi's personality was characterized based on the ISFP type of the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), which is popular among the MZ generation for character classification. This served as the foundation for fleshing out Yumi's thoughts and behaviors.
'Yumi's Cells: The Movie' intertwines the virtual world of cells representing Yumi's various emotions with her real-life experiences.
The director emphasized, "I strived to ensure that the story of the cells doesn't overshadow Yumi's story, balancing both aspects equally."
The film depicts Yumi's struggles and wanderings in her work life and relationships, as she eventually finds her own path. Viewers will discover reflections of themselves in the ordinary life of Yumi.
The director concluded, "I believe everyone has experienced situations similar to Yumi's," noting that the film's strength and charm lie in its ability to evoke empathy.
Although Yumi's cells engage in conflicts over Yumi's choices, they ultimately share a unified goal of seeking Yumi's happiness.
Kim Da-hee previously worked on storyboarding for Hong Sung-ho's animation 'Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs' (2019) and was involved in directing 'Running Man: Revengers' (2023), a theatrical animation inspired by the SBS variety show 'Running Man'.
She also served as the co-director for the animation adaptation of 'Yumi's Cells', which portrayed Yumi's real-world in live-action and her cell's virtual world in animation format.
[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]