''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.
See also
*
Korean animation
South Korean animation, or ''aeni'' (; ) is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from South Korea.
Etymology
The word ''aeni'' comes from the English word "animation" as written in Hangeul, 애니메이션 (aenimeisyeon ...
*
List of Christmas films
Many Christmas stories have been Christmas film, adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, these films are sold and re-sold every ...
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