By Honorary Reporter Fotini Chatzoudi from Greece

Photos edited by Fotini Chatzoudi

Korean animation rakes in billions of USD in revenue every year, but the country's beginnings in the industry in the 1950s were marked by a few ads. Ιn 1956, an animated commercial for Lucky Toothpaste inspired by the traditional folktale of Chunhyang was a hit and marked the entry of Korean animation, or aeni, in domestic advertising.

This commercial was followed by the nation's first animated short "The Ant and the Grasshopper" based on the Aesop fable. Many others that followed eventually led to Korea's first animated feature "Hong Gildong," based on a novel on the "Robin Hood of Korea," in 1967. The movie's huge success fueled the growth of Korean animation through films like "Heungbu and Nolbu," "Robot Taekwon V," "Dooly the Little Dinosaur" and "Pororo."

My five favorite works of aeni are as follows:

(Sources: 1 & 2 Wikipedia; 3 Hancinema.net; 4 Asianwiki; 5 Wikipedia; & background image from Unsplash)

Leafie, A Hen Into The Wild (2011)

This tale is about a hen who raises an adopted duckling as her own and is based on the bestselling children's novel "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly" by Hwang Sun-mi. This
work has a heroic and sad ending that touched my heart.

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs (2019)
This parody of the classic fairytale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" uses computer-generated images as well as elements from "Cinderella." I like this movie's deep message.

Beauty Water (2020)
This horror-thriller for adults is about a chubby woman who uses magic water to fulfill her desire to be more beautiful and popular and to feel loved. It is based on the webtoon "Tales of the Unusual" by Oh Seong-dae and reflects society's ideals of appearance in a macabre way.

Swimming To Sea (2012)
A mackerel from the ocean struggles to survive after being brought to a fish tank at a seafood restaurant. Rather than play dead like the other surviving fish to avoid being eaten, the mackerel strives to break free. This psychological thriller is also geared toward adults and though it might look fun, it is darker than it looks.

Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox (2007)
This enjoyable and heartwarming film is about Yobi, a five-tailed fox who lives in a forest with shipwrecked aliens after her family is killed by fox hunters. Based on the mythical creature gumiho, a fox with nine tails, she is forced to go into the human world after one of the aliens is captured.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.