''Mug Travel'' (), known as ''My Friend Bernard'' in English, is a 2007 South Korean

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Modern c ...

film, directed by Lim Ah-ron and based on his animated TV series, ''

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...

''.

Plot

A little girl named Bebe (known as Sam in the English version), all alone on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, is given a magical pendant from

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

and embarks on a fantastical adventure. Travelling in a mug with the power of teleportation, Bebe explores a variety of exotic locations from the desert to the North Pole, accompanied by a host of characters including Backkom the polar bear (Bernard in the English version) and Kongkong the penguin (Lloyd in the English version), Bebe and her friends go on a series of adventures through an Arctic tundra and a desert oasis. During this trip they encounter a variety of challenges, including a sea monster, a skiing adventure, and an ominous cave.

Production

Produced by RG Animation Studios and directed by Lim Ah-ron, ''Mug Travel'' is a feature film adaptation of Lim's computer-animated TV series '' Backkom''.Bynum, Aaron H.
Korea's 'Mug Travel' Wins at Bimini Animation Festival
. ''Animation Insider'', 4 April 2007. Retrieved on 21 November 2008. The film and TV series were made at the same time on a combined budget of $5.9 million, after Lim noticed a gap in the market for shows aimed at

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

children.Paquet, darcy.
Aaron Lim a recognized animator
. ''Variety'', 30 August 2007. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.

Release

''Mug Travel'' was released in South Korea on 22 March 2007,
(2007). ''Koreanfilm.org''. Retrieved on 20 November 2008. and was ranked eighth at the Korean box office on its opening weekend with 48,244 admissions. Over the course of its theatrical run, the film accumulated a total of 135,261 admissions nationwide, and grossed $608,835. ''Mug Travel'' was screened at the Fifth Bimini Animation Festival, held in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

in March 2007, where it was the winner of "The Best Film for Children" award. It was subsequently selected to participate in the non-competition category at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film, which ran from 5–17 April 2007 in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

.D'Sa, Nigel.
Fantastic Invites 2 Korean Films
. ''Korean Film Council'', 20 March 2007. Retrieved on 21 November 2008.

References

External links

* (Dead link) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mug Travel 2007 3D films 2007 films 2007 comedy films 2007 computer-animated films 2000s South Korean films 2000s children's comedy films 2000s children's animated films 2000s Christmas comedy films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean 3D films South Korean animated films South Korean children's films South Korean Christmas films Children's Christmas films Animated comedy films Anime-influenced animated films 3D animated films Animated films based on animated television series Animated films about polar bears Animated films about penguins Animated films about lizards Animated films about children Santa Claus in film Animated Christmas films Animated films about friendship Animated films set in the Arctic Animated films set in deserts Films set in 2007 Animated films without speech

Plot

Production

Release

See also

References

External links