Dong-dong is a lonely child who plays alone. One day, he enters a stationery store to purchase a bag of marbles but gets candy instead. The moment he puts a piece of candy in his mouth, he hears a voice calling him. He can hear the couch, a dog, his deceased grandmother and even his father's thoughts. Thanks to the candy, Dong-dong musters up the courage to approach and talk to someone.

By Xu Aiying
Video = Toei Animation's official YouTube channel

"Magic Candies," which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at this year's Academy Awards held in March, made its domestic release on May 28.

The work is based on the picture books "Magic Candies" (2017) and "I Am a Dog" (2019) both by children's literary author Baek Heena. In 2020, she became the first Korean to win the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award of Sweden, the richest global honor for children's and young adult literature.

The animated work was directed by Daisuke Nishio, famous for hits like "Doctor Slump," Dragon Ball" and "One Piece," and produced by Takashi Washio, who created the Pretty Cure series. "Magic Candies" is the first Japanese animated work based on a Korean children's story.

At a May 23 news conference for the film at Lotte Cinema in Seoul's Gwangjin-gu District, Washio explained how he came about turning the story into an animated short. He said he first heard of Baek's book through a recommendation, found the story captivating and decided to make an animation based on it.

The film stays true to the original story. Using Baek's method of using clay to depict each scene, "Magic Candies" shows scenes of Korean streets, apartments and signs in Hangeul (Korean alphabet) in the background to show that the protagonist Dong-dong is a Korean child. The animation model and screenplay devised by Toei were completed by reflecting Baek's opinions and feedback and making changes.

"To be loved worldwide is something I'm grateful for, but I was worried that the original's identity might be compromised," Baek said. "The production crew went to great lengths to retain the originality of the story and the Korean background and sentiment, something I'm thankful for."

Last year, the film won eight honors at leading global events like the jury and audience prizes for animated shorts at the New York International Children's Film Festival.

Beyond just a children's story, the film received acclaim for its message that elicited empathy from people of all ages in delicately dealing with the universal themes of social disconnection and loneliness of this era.

"I knew that commercial success is hard for animated shorts, but I wanted to make it anyway I could," Washio said. "It all started with a desire to make a good film, but I never expected an Oscar nomination."

Baek added, "When making picture books, I prioritize completeness of a work above results like awards. I want it to be something I can be proud wherever it is, so I care little for awards."

Washio said he is planning a project based on a Korean webtoons. "I'm still in the early stages so I'll need some time for completion," he said. "I think what matters is to make a good film regardless if it's in Japan or Korea."

xuaiy@korea.kr