Banking on help from Hollywood

The upcoming 3-D animation film Rock Dog will feature a Tibetan mastiff pup pursuing his musical dream. Photos provided to China Daily

The makers of an animation film about a Tibetan mastiff pup－made with an international crew－hope to make a global splash with the movie. Xu Fan reports.

Zheng Jun, one of China's rockers from mid-1990s, says he's now an "animation expert".

Sitting cross-legged on a sofa, a smiling Zheng looks an unlikely rocker.

But he was once a big name in Chinese rock 'n' roll.

The 49-year-old has written and sung a host of songs, which can still be heard in China's karaoke rooms.

Then, filmmaking－a surprising shift after more than two decades in music－caught his fancy seven years ago.

Zheng, along with a few friends, then decided to adapt his first graphic novel, Tibetan Rock Dog, into a big-screen animation film in 2009.

The film is about a Tibetan mastiff pup, whose family has guarded a sheep village for generations.

But the pup, ignoring its father's wish that it take up the family profession, embarks on a journey to a metropolis to pursue his musical dream.

The 3-D animation film, which is set for a national release on July 8, has two versions, unusual for a Chinese-financed animation movie.

The English version features voiceovers by Luke Wilson and Eddie Izzard, while the Mandarin one has crosstalk performer Guo Degang and his son Guo Qilin.