In White Snake, screenwriter Damao revisits the Chinese myth of the White Snake. A snake hunter, Xuan, finds a young woman wandering in the mountains. Amnesiac, she remembers only her first name: Bianca. Under the spell of the young lady, the young man decides to help her rediscover her memory and her past. This decision will confront him with important decisions. Under the human envelope of the woman hides a spirit-snake and the budding love affair between the two individuals greatly displeases the latter’s young sister, Verta.
Signed by Light Chaser Animation studio and Warner Bros., White Snake is an extremely polished production. With superb animations and endearing characters, Wong and Ji’s work should appeal to fans of Asian tales and mythologies. If it does not revolutionize the genre in its approach (the crossroads between love, family and power), the film can have strong repercussions.
Indeed, at the time of this writing, the second part is already available in China. It was released in July 2024 and was offered on US Netflix as of December 1. There are therefore currently more and more Chinese productions coming out in the West and the success of White Snake internationally could push producers to pursue this path. While waiting to discover this first feature film, know that Green Snake, focusing on Bianca’s sister, is available on Netflix.
