AI-assisted animated feature 'Lotus Lantern: Asking Heaven' premieres on Tencent Video

On October 31, Lotus Lantern: Asking Heaven arrived on Tencent Video and Aurora TV, an animated film of nearly 120 minutes presented as an "AI-assisted production." It is based on the legend of Chenxiang rescuing his mother, but restructures the mythological narrative around "the mortal heart questioning heavenly rules." Behind it is a local team from Shenzhen.

It is produced by Shenzhen Ouxi Network Technology, directed by Lai Yi, and written by Zhu Mengxing. It is not a short vertical series or a short AI drama: it is a full-length feature competing in the market. And the first-day numbers back it up. On Tencent Video it reached a popularity index of 17,009 and ranked first in the animated film chart and on the trending list. On Maoyan it was first in the overall popularity ranking. Related topics on Douyin surpassed 205 million views.

Five animated characters in a countryside landscape at sunset.m.sohu.com

The technical side is where the challenge is most visible. AI still has shortcomings at each stage: image stability, consistency of expressions and movements, and emotional subtlety. In a feature film, the demands are harsh: characters must maintain consistent expressions, movements, and emotions across thousands of shots. That is a recognized difficulty in the industry. But the technology is advancing fast, and the improvement in visual consistency and transitions is noticeable month by month. Shenzhen, with its investment in computing power, models, and scenarios, is a testing ground for that iteration.

Shenzhen is one of the national experimental zones for next-generation artificial intelligence innovation and is accelerating its "AI pioneer city" plan. In 2025, the scale of the core AI industry exceeded 220 billion yuan, with more than 2,600 companies above the designated size. That same year, the 2025-2026 action plan was published, setting the direction of "AI + creative design" and supporting the application of large models in radio, television, video games, and anime. There are subsidies such as "training coupons," "corpus coupons," and "model coupons" that reduce computing and R&D costs. The support network, from computing to scenarios, is taking shape.

A new tool for telling Chinese myths

When the computing power and scenarios of the "AI pioneer city" meet the creativity of a local team, the contemporary expression of Chinese mythology gains a new tool. This step shows that technology can serve to retell Chinese stories. Every time a myth is reignited, it not only awakens shared memories across generations, but also reaffirms confidence in one's own culture.

What do you think about a full-length feature being animated with AI assistance? Tell us in the comments.