hankyoreh

a Hen into the Wild.”　　

By Song Ho-jin　

The mother hen “Leafie” and her duckling son “Greenie” have been taking flight.

Since its July 27 premiere, “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild” (direction by Oh Sung-yun) has been fast approaching the milestone of becoming the first South Korean animated feature to cross the one-million-viewer threshold. As of Sunday morning, computerized calculations for theater admissions by the Korean Film Council put total audience numbers for “Leafie” at 813,450. With an average of 70 thousand to 80 thousand viewers seeing the film on weekdays, analysts are predicting the one-million-viewer barrier will be crossed as early as Monday.

Prior to this, the 733,433 admissions recorded for “Leafie” as of Saturday morning, eleven days after its premiere, put it ahead of the 720 thousand admissions for the 2007 release of the digitally restored “Robot Taekwon V” with the most admissions for a South Korean animated feature.

Previously, domestic animated films had been facing a prolonged slump. Made at a cost of over 10 billion won, “Wonderful Days” (2003) drew a scant 220 thousand viewers, and “Yobi, the Five-Tailed Fox” (2006) and “Audition” (2009) also performed dismally at the box office.

“Leafie” tells of the adventures, romance, and heartbreak experienced by the title character, a hen who has escaped her coop, and the duckling Greenie, who emerges from the first egg she hatches. The film boasts a strong storyline, which was adapted from a children’s book by Hwang Seon-mi that sold more than a million copies. Adding to the enjoyment are elements not present in the source work, including the humorous character of Otter and a scene of a duckling guard flying competition. Actors Moon So-ri, Choi Min-sik, Yoo Seung-ho, and Park Chol-min lend their voices to the characters.

“It seems like adults as well are sympathizing with the maternal love Leafie shows to Greenie, who is not her own son, and with the search for identity,” said film critic Jeong Ji-ouk.

Pure production costs for “Leafie,” not including marketing expenses, came out to 3 billion won ($2.8 million). Attention is now focusing on whether it will pass the 1.5 million viewer break-even point.

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