Chinese mythological animation All Wishes Come True! premieres in London

The Chinese animated mythological comedy film All Wishes Come True! had its UK premiere in London on Thursday night.

Reimagining the well-known Chinese folk tale "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", the story follows Lyu Dongbin, who comes to Penglai, a utopia where mortals and deities coexist, to find a magical lamp in order to restore order to the world.

He recruits Zhongli Quan, the only person who knows what the lamp looks like, and is later joined by six other companions: He Xiangu, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe, and Zhang Guolao.

At the premiere ceremony, director and screenwriter Mu Zhengyang said that he chose the Eight Immortals as the subject of the story because they are ordinary people. "They speak to and speak for us, and they represent every one of us," he said.

"It really resonates with everyone from different backgrounds and very different linguistic backgrounds, and we can really relate to each one of them," he added.

Beverly Andrews, a playwright, director and filmmaker, said that, as a screenwriter, she found a huge difference between Chinese mythology and Greek mythology, which is the basis for much of western play writing.

"I can't think of a mythological tale that's really about a group of people. It's usually the journey of one particular person and they often come from aristocracy," she said.

"And there's often a very lethal relationship between the gods and mortals. Humans are essentially the playthings of the gods; they live at the mercy of the gods. While in Chinese mythology, gods create harmony in the world, so that mortals and immortals can exist on the same plane. That really doesn't exist in Greek mythology," she added.

She also praised the film for doing "absolutely beautifully" in sticking to the essence of a story that is deeply rooted in Chinese mythology, while making it accessible to a general audience.

Mark Logan, a former member of the UK Parliament, said that, for a long time, there had been a stereotype that Chinese people don't have any creativity compared to the West and Hollywood. "When we see a movie like this tonight, from the story and the special effects right through to the humor, it really challenges that perception," he said.

"It was really fun, but also really informative," Nikita Kanda, one of the audience members from the UK, told China Daily. "And the animation really impressed me. I just felt like it felt so real, even though it was a cartoon."

"But, what touches me most is the value in the movie: people do good just to do good; they don't expect anything from it," Kanda added. "They were all good people despite their backgrounds, and they weren't doing it for themselves at all."

As of Friday, the film had grossed 1.54 billion yuan ($227 million), 29 days after its release in Chinese mainland, according to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan.