Flame Node Entertainment, the Chinese animation production and distribution company behind "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," has announced that they are partnering with Wizart Animation, a Russian computer animation studio, to produce "Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice."
The two companies have agreed to a collaboration on both "financial and creative" aspects for the feature film, valued at $10 million. The deal, signed earlier this week, coincided with the Chinese release on around 3,400 screens of the first installment of the Russian franchise, "Snow Queen."
The partnership marks the first time a Chinese company will have influence in the production of a Russian film. It is the most recent evidence of China and Russia growing closer in the entertainment industry, following the Chinese release of Russian patriotic film, "The Dawns Here Are Quiet."
This will be the first time a Russian animation has been released in China.
Leading up to the release of "Snow Queen," the two companies have been forging close relations for the past two years.
According to Feng Yi, head of Flame Node Entertainment, the deal was a "major decision for both companies."
"Given the peculiarities of filmmaking in China, we hope that this collaboration will emerge in a long-term partnership and development of the Snow Queen franchise. We are happy to work with Wizart since their projects are globally known, targeting international audience and, from my perspective, are worth bringing to the Chinese market," said Yi.
The franchise was launched in 2012, with the first film, "Snow Queen," a joint production involving Russia, France, the U.S.A., U.A.E. and Iran. It was based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name written by Hans Christian Anderson about a queen who created a world of eternal winter.
The original film drew comparisons to the 2013 Walt Disney Pictures release, "Frozen," which is based on the same fairy tale. Although, critics say that the Russian film was significantly more faithful to the original story.