The Best Director

Chapter 160: Everyone Says I Love You

Having established two CG movie plans for “Ice Age 2” and “Kung Fu Panda, Blue Sky Studios was set to move full steam ahead. “Ice Age 2” would continue with the original production team, with Carlos Saldanha taking on the role of director alone, Chris Wedge stepping back as a producer, and Mike Thurmeier and a team of scriptwriters continuing to write the script, aiming for a release in the summer of’04.

With a wealth of pre-existing character designs, concept art for settings, and research on prehistoric environments, preparations for “Ice Age 2” were relatively minimal, allowing the team to quickly begin formal production. “Kung Fu Panda,” on the other hand, was starting from scratch. Chris Wedge was also a major producer while inviting Jonathan Abel as a producer and scriptwriter; Wang Yang would serve as scriptwriter and supervising producer.

Clearly, “Kung Fu Panda” would need some time before it could enter the formal production stage. The production team had to be carefully assembled, finalizing the script, designing character images, concept art for scenes, etc. Also, the team had to immerse themselves in Chinese culture to ensure each animator understood the “Chinese flavor”… Preparations could even be more work than a live-action blockbuster.

When the screenings from May 24 to May 30 came to an end, the fresh results of the North American weekly box office rankings were out.

star Wars Episode : Attack of the Clones” continued to top the charts, raking in $70.01 million across 3,161 theaters, even though its reputation was still not high, with a Rotten Tomatoes audience approval of 67% from general critics (T-Meter-Critics) and a rotten 40% from top critics. Still, with an audience approval rate of 69%, this sci-fi film managed, with its remarkable confidence, to reach a North American total box office of $210 million after a limited premiere and two weeks of official release.

Remaining in second place on the weekly chart was “Spider-Man,” which took in another $41.6794 million, bringing its North American total box office to $340 million; “Ice Age” also continued to surge forward, bringing in $31,843 million in its third week, climbing to sixth place in the history of CG animated films with a total box office of $140 million! Its performance overseas was even more satisfying, with a final box office expected to be even better than North America.

So far, “Ice Age” has been screened in 37 countries and regions overseas, with the UK box office reaching $15.64 million in the same three weeks, Germany $24.57 million, Mexico $14.85 million, Australia $6.79 million, Hong Kong $1.07 million… The current overseas total has already exceeded $100 million US dollars, and with France, Japan, Spain, and other major markets yet to release, analysts predict that a final overseas box office of $200 to $250 million is quite feasible.

This week also saw the release of several new films for the summer, including DreamWorks’ “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” with a production budget of $80 million, which only garnered $20.44 million in its opening weekend. Despite excellent reviews, a loss seemed inevitable; the $38 million horror-drama “Panic Room” managed just $15.34 million, another blow to Sony Pictures Entertainment this summer. Meanwhile, “Sweetheart” continued its steady decline, taking in another $7.24 million, less than $2 million shy of its $80 million goal, securing a safe landing.

During this time, Wang Yang was of course buried in the editing of “District 9 with Lee Smith every day, with the color grading beginning on the edited parts by Weta Digital and the colorists, and Jan Kaczmarek starting on the score. Everything was progressing as fast as expected, allowing Wang Yang to confidently give himself and the team a week off, a well-deserved rest before resuming the sprint for the second half.

I’m heading to Hong Kong! About to board the plane!” In the elegant lounge of the first-class waiting area, Wang Yang sat on a comfortable sofa, jeans and a T-shirt, tapping on the keyboard of his laptop: “This is my first trip to Asia! Ever since I was very young, I’ve always wanted to see the East. My master always told me about its unique beauty, but I never had the chance to go. This time it’s fantastic, I will be visiting several cities, and watching World Cup matches! Wish me luck!”

He happily finished writing the blog post and clicked to upload it, enjoying blogging because it allowed him to share his joy with everyone.

Yang, I saw that, I’ll write one too.” Sitting casually next to him, Jessica in a ponytail and casual clothes, did not lift her gaze from her laptop screen as she enthusiastically typed: “Off to Asia with Yang, this is going to be a fun and happy trip! I’m ready for crazy shopping, dear friends, wait for my gifts…”

Glancing at her screen full of rapidly moving letters, and seeing both himself and her engrossed in their computers, Wang Yang playfully called out with a “Hey,” and chuckled, “We’re like IT fanatics right now.” Jessica continued to immerse herself in the typing, replying without looking away, “Mm… IT, done!” She stretched lazily, a sign she had been working for quite some time.

Jessie, let’s chat!” said Wang Yang, patting her thigh. Jessica turned and smiled at him, and he said with a grin, “I’m feeling so excited right now, you know, like when I was a kid going to summer camp.” His eyes twinkled with the warmth of pleasant memories as he added, “Babe, I lost my first kiss at a summer camp at the age of 12.” Jessica frowned slightly and whispered, “Wow, that lucky girl!”

No, not a girl, nor a boy…” Wang Yang suddenly realized he had gotten overly excited, talking about first kisses in front of a girl who had given him everything? How foolish. He said, awkwardly, “It wasn’t a human, it was a horse, a black one…” Jessica blinked in confusion and said incredulously, “A horse?” Wang Yang looked into her eyes, then suddenly nodded with a smile, “OK, it was a girl, named Jessica.”

Having said that, he leaned over and kissed her lips. In the private rest room, it was just the two of them, so they kissed passionately, only parting after a while, breathless. Jessica’s heart pounded wildly, any displeasure she might have felt was long gone, replaced by amusement. She asked, “Was her name really Jessica too?”

Wang Yang was stunned, feeling an urge to collapse. Who would remember the name? It was just a summer camp, and afterwards everyone went their separate ways, with no stories developing from it. He was already doing great remembering the event at all! He couldn’t help laughing and said earnestly, “Yeah, she looked a lot like you, I even thought she was you, that’s why I kissed her.” Jessica nodded and said, “You’re lying, right?” She laughed and punched him on the shoulder, “Liar.”

Do you still remember any Chinese?” Wang Yang changed the subject, rubbing his numb shoulder, and joked, “They all speak Chinese in Hong Kong. What would you do if you got lost?”

Since the beginning of the year, Jessica had been studying the language with great interest and effort, attending systematic classes taught by professional teachers every week, and practicing with Wang Yang from time to time, so now she could speak some Chinese, albeit not fluently. Hearing his question, she confidently replied, “I remember everything!” Wang Yang, disbelieving, scoffed, “That good? Say a few sentences let me hear.” Jessica slowly recited, “My name is Jessica, thankyou, goodbye. I am lost, and…” Her eyes rolled up as she smiled and said, “I love you.”

Wow, I love you too. I’ll admit you’re pretty good!” Wang Yang suddenly widened his eyes as if he remembered something and said, “I almost forgot, they speak Cantonese in Hong Kong, haha, you don’t know that, do you?” Jessica opened her mouth, struggling, “I, I… I don’t know it.” Wang Yang laughed, “Listen, I’ll teach you, though it might not be quite standard…”

The two of them chatted and laughed for a long time, until the boarding call sounded and a waiter knocked on the door to remind them. They then packed up their carry-ons and left the rest room for the boarding gate to board the plane. As they were about to join the other passengers entering the gate, Jessica suddenly exclaimed without warning, “I forgot something!” Wang Yang frowned, hoping there wouldn’t be a last-minute obstacle, and quickly asked, “What?”

Joshua, Joshua!” Jessica hastily took out her phone from her purse, dialed a number, and said gravely, “Joshua, remember not to feed Danny at random, follow the portion I set! If he gets fat, I’ll have Yang beat you up with kung fu! Wang Yang turned aside to wipe his forehead, deciding not to say “Let Danny eat more if he wants” after all…

The enormous plane soared into the sky, heading for the other side of the Earth.

This time, the two were traveling to Asia for tourism, fun, shopping, and watching the World Cup; it was not a work trip, with no work plans whatsoever. Although both of them desired a world of just the two of them, considering the unfamiliarity with Asia and the tight schedule, they brought along their personal assistant, Susan McCarthy. She sat in business class, but from any seat, one could enjoy the vast expanse of whiteness outside the window.

After more than ten hours, with a stopover in Tokyo, the plane smoothly landed at Hong Kong International Airport on a sunny midday. After disembarking and passing through security, Wang Yang, Jessica, and Susan McCarthy walked on the marble floor of the arrival hall. Wang Yang, carrying a canvas bag, looked curiously around, feeling an inexplicable excitement within, finally stepping onto the land of his ancestors’ origin!

The spacious and bright arrival hall was nothing special, but every signboard had Chinese characters, and nearly everyone bustling about had black hair and eyes, speaking Cantonese. An uncle loudly complained, “Asking two more questions and they accuse me of being oblivious, what kind of service attitude is that these days…” A girl with black hair and a round face paused to talk on her phone, “Mommy, I’ve just landed, where are you at?”

Listening to these voices, Wang Yang took a deep breath of Asian air, pretty nice…

Yang, look over there!” Jessica suddenly brightened, pointing excitedly in a direction. Wang Yang and Susan McCarthy immediately turned to look, only to see a large advertisement poster on a pillar, featuring a beetle-like creature with a red cross over it and, in both Chinese and English, “Aliens are prohibited from entering the plane!”

Haha, I didn’t expect to find this here,” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh, gazing at the poster adorned with the toll-free phone number, MNU logo, and more, murmuring, “Pretty cool.”

Having negotiated with over 40 countries and regions, “District 9,” which adopted a strategy of a global simultaneous release, already has major box-office markets including the United Kingdom, Germany, France in Europe, Mexico, Brazil in South America, and Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan in Asia to name a few; however, it hasn’t been cleared for release in mainland China, and it’s too late now. The governmental agencies there take forever reviewing films, and with no rating system, they often demand cuts and edits, which is really annoying.

It was a regret for Wang Yang that “District 9″ couldn’t be released simultaneously in mainland China. He knew he had many fans there who deserved to enjoy it at the same time as everyone else.

Naturally, a simultaneous release also meant synchronized promotion. Viral marketing had penetrated the whole planet, both online and offline, and these kinds of unconventional posters were part of that.

Oh my God! Yang, you should see that over there—” Susan McCarthy suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Both she and Wang Yang turned in the direction of her gaze, only to see a group of young girls not far ahead, holding posters with beautifully written words like “Welcome to Hong Kong!” “Wang Yang, we love you!” “Amazing Director,” “Love! Young!”… Some held bouquets of flowers and digital cameras among other things.

It’s really Wang Yang!” The short-haired girl with almond-shaped eyes, Lin Peier, caught sight of the trio and let out an uncontrollable shriek, her heart rapidly thumping with immense joy! Just yesterday, when she was refreshing his blog, she didn’t expect to see a newly updated post that Wang Yang was coming to Hong Kong! As the president of the fan club, she felt it was her duty —and her own desire—to call everyone to the airport!

Wasn’t Wang Yang about to catch a flight? There was only one airport in Hong Kong, so using the flights from Los Angeles, it was easy for them to find out when he would arrive. If that blog post was true, and the Amazing Yang’s blog never lied, then here they were. They had stationed people at all the gates and entrances, and now here he was, standing right in front of them, with Jessica Alba by his side, there was no mistaking it!

Aaah!” The throng of girl fans also noticed and their excited screams filled the terminal. Their youthful faces alight with joy, they rushed toward the trio. Lin Peier excitedly said on her phone, “Hurry over here, Wang Yang is right here! Come quick—it’s really Young Master Yang!” Their actions naturally attracted the attention of the others around them—another star-chasing crowd!

Which celebrity? The black-haired, round-faced girl glanced at their target. It seemed to be… her eyes suddenly widened with astonishment as she exclaimed, “Ah! Magic-Young!” She also hurried over at a quick pace.

What’s going on?” Wang Yang’s astonishment was no lighter than theirs. What was happening? He quickly glanced at Jessica and Susan, asking in confusion, “Why is this happening?” Jessica was equally surprised and puzzled, “I have no idea, are they your fans?” Susan McCarthy quickly added, “Did your agents arrange for a fan meet-and-greet at the airport?”

No, not at all!” Both immediately shook their heads. This trip was for leisure, so why would there be such an elaborate welcome? Before they could ponder further, the enthusiastic fans had already surged forward, excitedly shouting, “Yang! Yang!”

Wang Yang was surrounded and jostled by the crowd. Girls like Lin Peier discarded their banners and took out autograph papers and pens, surrounding him, while the flash of digital cameras went off repeatedly, amidst the girls’ shrieks, “So cool!” “SoMAN!” “Can you sign this for me?”…

So man!

Faced with these frenzied cinephile fans, Wang Yang didn’t feel angry but was surprised and somewhat gladly appreciative. He wasn’t often in situations like this, but he wasn’t completely at a loss either. He gracefully took the autograph pen and started signing the items handed to him, smiling and saying in half-fluent Cantonese, “Hello everyone, thankyou…” Before he could finish, the girls let out another round of screams, “You speak Cantonese so cutely!” “Young Master Yang, I really like you! I LOVE YOU!”

Thank you, thankyou!” Inundated with signing requests, Wang Yang could hardly keep up. A long-haired girl wearing a T-shirt with his name on it pleaded, “My name is Zhang Junwei, Shirley, can I take a photo with you? Wang Yang smiled at her and nodded, “OK. Ladies, I’m up for autographs and photos, but could you not squeeze me, please? I just got off the plane and I’m feeling a bit dizzy.” His arm was excitedly wrapped by Zhang Junwei as Lin Peier on the other side pressed the camera button with a click.

However, upon hearing his words, the thirty-odd girl fans loosened their grip a bit and asked with concern, “It’s not too serious, is it?” “Don’t scare me!” Those who had already received autographs shifted their targets and surrounded Jessica to ask for her signature, a bespectacled girl said, laughing and using English to express her admiration for her, “Jessica, you’re so beautiful, you dance really well!”

Thankyou, you’re very beautiful too,” Jessica said with a toothy smile, signing autographs for them, while glancing at Wang Yang, who was surrounded by layers of people, signing autographs, taking pictures, and putting his arm around shoulders… he was swamped. She wanted to know the answer, why was it like this? She asked, “How did you know we were here?” The bespectacled girl and others all laughed and said, “Blogs!”

Susan McCarthy watched the chaotic commotion with a sense of helplessness, obviously she couldn’t “resolve” so many movie fans by herself. However, she had already taken the initiative to make a phone call with her cell phone, informing the chauffeur who was arranged to pick them up to come over quickly. But… she saw another group of excited fans carrying signs, rushing over, also numbering over thirty; on the other side, an even larger group was gathering and coming over.

Oh my God! Susan stood dumbfounded, even the driver couldn’t handle this, she muttered to herself, “Looks like I have to call airport security!”

Magic-Young!” “Ah, Young Master Yang!” The rapid footsteps approached and soon, nearly a hundred excited fans swarmed in, making the area even more impenetrable, and Wang Yang, overwhelmed by the crowd, could not help but wail, finally feeling it wasn’t so good-

As the number of fanatical fans increased, and Wang Yang was signing autographs as if he had just fought several rounds of boxing, and Jessica was protected closely by Susan McCarthy, several airport security guards at last arrived, parted the encircling fans, and escorted the trio towards the outside of the departure terminal. Along the way, fans followed step by step, their cameras flashing non-stop, occasionally calling out in high-pitched voices, “Yang, Yang!”

With a smile on his face, Wang Yang waved to them in a friendly manner, but autographs and photos were “sold out.” It took a long time to walk a short distance, and they finally arrived outside the departure terminal, where the long-awaited limousine door was already open. Jessica smiled at the crowd and got in; Wang Yang stood at the door, looked around at the crazed fans, and said with a laugh in his unstandardized Cantonese, “Thankyou all for your support, I’m so happy to be in such a nickname I love Hong Kong, bye-bye!”

Ahhh!” Amidst the fans’ screams, he waved, then bent over and got into the car, closing the door behind him. After Susan McCarthy got into the passenger seat, the driver Li Dongming started the car and slowly drove away.

Watching the car as it was about to pull away, Lin Pei’er, who got autographs and photos, and was so happy she could laugh out loud in her dreams, raised her hands high and laughed loudly, “Everybody follow me and shout together, Yang, I love you!” Surrounding fans like Zhang Junwei and over a hundred others clapped their hands in unison and shouted with laughter, “Yang, I love you!”

Phew!” Wang Yang leaned back against the soft backrest, took a long breath, listening to the fading shouts, he looked back through the rear window at some fans chasing the car with smiling faces, and shook his head, “My God, the movie fans in Hong Kong are too enthusiastic! What’s going on? I feel like I’m Tom Cruise, unbelievable! What movie have I been in? Wow!”

Everyone in the car burst into laughter, Jessica pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear and straightened his crumpled clothes for him, sighing, “Yang, that was a bit scary.” Susan also let out a puff of breath and spread her hands with a laugh, “We almost couldn’t get out of the airport.” Thirty-something Li Dongming, while driving, laughed in English, “It’s not surprising at all, don’t you know? Magic Yang here is a national idol, everyone likes you! Every girl loves the young and handsome Magic director!”

Ha! Thank you very much,” Wang Yang laughed, clasping his hands in appreciation. Jessica patted his thigh, smiling with her lips pursed, “Everyone. Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders; he browsed Chinese websites and naturally knew that the entertainment section always had news and street shots of him. Compared to America, his popularity in the Greater China region was higher; but he had never expected it to be this wild. Thinking back to the situation just before, he smiled and said, “Then I really should’ve come earlier, my fans have been waiting a long time.”

As the car had already left the airport, Li Dongming asked, “Where to now? Straight to the hotel, or?” Wang Yang looked at Jessica and asked, “Are you tired?” Jessica shook her head and smiled, “I’m fine, you decide.”

Then let’s go see Victoria Harbour,” suggested Wang Yang, looking out at the blue sky and white clouds, and laughed, “It’s still early!”

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