''My Life as McDull'' (
Chinese: 麥兜故事) is a 2001 Hong Kong animated
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
. The film surrounds the life of
McDull
McDull () is an anthropomorphic pig cartoon character that was created in Hong Kong by cartoonist Alice Mak and Brian Tse. Although McDull first made his appearance as a supporting character in the ''McMug'' comics strips, he has since become ...
, a hugely popular cartoon pig character created by
Alice Mak and
Brian Tse Brian Tse may refer to:
* Brian Tse (writer), Hong Kong writer
* Brian Tse (singer) (born 1985), Hong Kong singer and actor
{{Hndis, Tse, Brian ...
which has appeared on
comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
ever since the 1990s. In 2004, the sequel to this film, ''
McDull, Prince de la Bun'', was released.
Awards
The FIPRESCI prize at the 26th
Hong Kong International Film Festival
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong.
HKIFF screens around 230 films ...
(2002)
Grand Prix at the
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
,
Annecy
Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(2003)
Synopsis
McDull is not the brightest kid, but he continually tries his best to please his mother. Although it seems that he may not be destined for great things in life as his mother wishes, McDull never gives up.
The story focuses on several tales about McDull and his childhood. This is told as a narrative reflection of a now adult McDull. These tales muddle up in imaginative uses of
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
and heaps of local
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
culture. From tales about a
turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
dinner to dreams of following in
Ye Zhicheng's footsteps, McDull faces ebbs and flows with his demanding but devoted mother. In a part of the film, McDull decides to train to be an Olympic-level athlete like the Hong Kong Olympian
Ye Zhicheng. However, the trade he learns is Cheung Chau bun-snatching. Realising that bun-snatching is not a formal sporting event in the
Olympic games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, McDull's mother writes a letter to the chairman of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
), asking him/her with her limited proficiency of English to sanctify the so-called sport event.
There is a significant amount of material in the movie which is culturally relevant to Hong Kong. For example, a large proportion of the humour and appeal of the movie arises from its complex wordplay and subtle hints of Hong Kong's historical legacy and dynamic.
The songs featured in the film are bright and beguiling, and are not overbearing as some musical animations are likely to become. The film's animation is trouble-free and colourful changing at times as stories alter, but echoing the fashion of the innovative artwork. It uses a number of contemporary
Computer Graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
animations in several scenes to illustrate an urban Hong Kong, but it skillfully shows Hong Kong as the dirty
conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...
it is rather than the high-pitched clean cityscape that many travel advertisements like to portray.
The genial and timid piglet McDull has cheered up the lives of kids, professors, housewives and CEOs, because he epitomises the uncontainable and happy-go-lucky spirit of Hong Kong. His no-holds-barred porcobiography is a frame-by-frame account of life growing up in the slums of
Kung Pui Chi, set against the colourful campaign of a post-97 Hong Kong trudging along regardless of downturn woes. Pouncing shots of busy
6A streets, slimy cafés, plus sights and smells of local flavour fused with animation, live object shooting and 3-D computer graphics define the film.
See also
*
Hong Kong–Maldives relations
External links
*
*
{{McDull
2001 films
2000s Cantonese-language films
Hong Kong animated films
Films based on comic strips
Television shows based on comic strips
Yellow Bus
Chinese children's films
2001 animated films
McDull
Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film winners
2000s Hong Kong films