Luofan Chen returns to theaters on October 24 after its brief 2024 run

The Chinese animated film Luofan Chen (落凡尘) is being re-released in Chinese theaters on October 24. The production team announced the return of the film to the national box office two years after its original release in the summer of 2024.

The news comes after many viewers missed it at the time due to the limited number of screenings it had. Despite the good reviews, the film did not get a wide theatrical distribution, which left more than a few people wanting more.

Directed by Zhong Ding, the story draws from the legend of the weaver girl and the cowherd, but it does not focus on the romance. Here the protagonists are the couple's children: Jin Feng and Yu Lu. Jin Feng grew up in heaven and descends to the human world to clear his mother's name, capturing the twenty-eight constellations that scattered across the earth. Along the way he meets a girl named Xiao Fan, who is looking for her mother, and together they travel the world without knowing they are siblings.

The heart of the film lies in the relationship between these two siblings. There is adventure, there is action, but what holds everything together is that family bond that is slowly revealed. One of the lines most remembered by audiences is "feelings are the most powerful magic of mortals."

During its first theatrical run, the film held a 7.9 rating on Douban and a 9.6 on Bilibili. Those numbers placed it among the best-rated Chinese animated films of that summer. That is no small feat considering the competition that season usually brings.

A Chinese mythology rarely explored in animation

What makes Luofan Chen different is how it uses the twenty-eight constellations and the four beasts of Chinese astronomy. They are not just decoration: they are part of the world, the plot, and the powers shown on screen. On top of that, there is the visual work with embroidery, weaving, and shadow theater integrated into the settings and effects.

The film combines 3D animation with hand-drawn sequences that imitate traditional mineral painting. That contrast gives it a texture not seen in other productions of the same style. The celestial curtain scene and the streets of the human world are among the most talked-about by those who saw it.

The work won best animated feature at China's Golden Dragon Awards and received a nomination for best animated film at the 37th Golden Rooster Awards.

This re-release is a second chance for those who did not get to see it in 2024. The announcement does not mention whether there will be screenings outside China, so for now we have to wait and see if any distributor decides to bring it to Latin America.