Like the opening scenes of the beautiful, wordless Latvian animated film by Gints Zilbalodis Current started to unfold on the screen, I had a moment of déjà vu. The image of a small black cat with big big eyes frantically navigating a verdant green forest during a shocking disaster – I’d seen it before. The panicked animals, the feeling of a nightmare that ushered them all in, the contrast between the cartoonish style of the cat and his believable feline responses to danger – they all seemed so familiar. Eventually I realized why: I was reminded of the opening scenes of China’s riveting 2019 animated fantasy The legend of Hei.
The legend of Hei begins in a simple place, with Hei the black cat resting peacefully (and adorably) in his forest home, in communion with the little nature spirits that live there. But once things go wrong, events escalate quickly – so quickly that it’s easy to fall behind if you don’t yet know what world he lives in.
The journey of discovery will be an enjoyable experience for viewers who prefer to see films completely untouched. If that’s you, I recommend you don’t read any further (or watch the trailer below) until you’ve seen the movie, because it’s impossible to discuss even the basic setup without touching on things the movie doesn’t initially reveal . Just know that what initially seems like a cute animal story turns into an epic adventure, packed with over-the-top badass, supernatural battles and a sense of melancholy about the state of the environment that ties in well with Current‘s soft elegiac tone.
And even though those opening scenes look visually simple, The legend of Hei mirrors Current by placing a visually streamlined, cartoonish character amid much richer backgrounds, contrasting his stripped-down appearance with the vastness and richness of the world around him.
The legend of Hei has a complicated backstory as a film. Hei first appeared in a 2011 animated Chinese web series called The legend of Luo Xiaoheiwhich expanded into comics in 2015 and was eventually called a mobile game Luo Xiaohei Wars: The Demon Spirit Book. Various sites have transcribed the film’s title differently or confused it with the series, which makes online searching a bit clunky and confusing. Prime Video, for example, streamed the film under the title for a while The legend of Luoxiaohei.
But the film itself stands alone quite well without any background in the other forms of the story. It is a prequel to the web series, so viewers are not expected to know Hei’s history or background. But a grounding in the world of the film can be helpful, because the little black cat from the opening scene in the woods is much more than he seems. (Spoilers on that ahead, although it’s also in this trailer.)
It turns out that Hei isn’t just any cat; he is a young cat ghost, displaced by construction in his forest. He is a capable fighter compared to people his age, but he is not particularly disciplined or experienced, and looks a lot like the black cat at the center of the battle. CurrentHe follows his instincts when in danger, vacillating between fight and flight. But he’s also a combative, proud little cat who leans more toward the “fighting” end of that balance beam. And that gets him into trouble again and again.
It’s especially problematic when he comes into contact with an ancient war between ghost factions. Some spirits are deeply outraged by humanity’s encroachment on the wilderness and want to take back the land they came from, drive people away and tear down the cities they built. Other minds have different agendas. Caught between them, Hei initially sympathizes with whoever shows him kindness (and feeds him – one of the many particularly feline things about him is his appetite and how easily but temporarily food can overcome his distrust).
One of the greatest joys of The legend of Hei is that it doesn’t quite tilt its hand in any direction for most of its runtime, in terms of which side Hei should choose and which side is best intended. This is not a simple good versus evil story. But it is a story about extremely powerful supernatural forces. When they collide, the film takes on an exciting, nervous tone that’s miles away from the opening scenes in the woods. It reflects ideas that Studio Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata would certainly identify with.
Some themes in The legend of Hei feel familiar from Takahata’s Pom Pokoalso about displaced forest spirits figuring out how to tackle humanity’s expansion and plunder of green spaces. That movie is much more comical then The legend of Heibut they share a sense of righteous anger and a sense of unpredictability. Still, The legend of Hei looks more like it in the end Suzume towards the end, or another anime or donghua movie where great magical forces collide in a city setting.
Once The legend of Hei switches to action mode, it has much less in common with that Current – the contrast between a wordless film and a film where characters start every fight with manifestos (including – maybe special – the battle for hearts and minds) can be quite grim. But the core sense of a world out of balance, and of a small, vulnerable cat beset by forces far beyond its control or understanding, remains steadfast in both. Current It ultimately feels like an alternative path for The legend of Heistarting in the same place and exploring some of the same themes, but exploring what those ideas would look like if the main character were really just a cat.
They’re radically different experiences, delivered in radically different animation styles. But they are both heartfelt and sweet, alternating frenetic action with moments of sad, quiet emotion. They are both about unlikely bonds and found family, about the difficulty of relating to other individuals with their own needs and desires (both human and animal). And they are both visually bold and stylized in a way that sets them apart from more familiar Western or Japanese animation. They’re the best kind of double feature: two films that approach similar ideas from radically different directions, but have just enough in common to feel like there’s an intentional conversation between two works of art.
Current is now in limited release in New York and Los Angeles and will expand to wide release on December 6. The legend of Hei is streaming Crispy roll, TubiAnd Plexand is available for digital rental or purchase on online platforms.