White Snake

White Snake (simplified Chinese: 白蛇：缘起; traditional Chinese: 白蛇：緣起; pinyin: Báishé: Yuánqǐ; Wade–Giles: Pai2shê2: Yüan2ch'ih3 lit. "The white snake: The origin") is a 2019 Chinesecomputer animation fantasy film directed by Amp Wong and Zhao Ji, with animation production by Light Chaser Animation. The film was inspired by the Chinese folktale Legend of the White Snake and was released in China on January 11, 2019.

The film has been featured in festivals including Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival,[11] BFI London Film Festival,Sitges Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, and Animation Is Film.

The story follows the Chinese fable the Legend of the White Snake. The focus is on a white snake-demon Blanca who loses her memory while being disguised as a human woman and falls in love with a snake hunter. This strongly displeases her young sister, Verta, the green snake-demon.

The story begins two sisters in a traditional Chinese bath, where they both speak of immortality. It then shows that same mysterious woman (named Blanca) who is on a mission to assassinate the general. However, she is caught and is involved in a battle which results in her submerging into water and losing her memories.

She is rescued by a man, Xuan, who takes her to his home, Snake Catcher village, where the villagers catch snakes for the general, as snakes were thought to aid in immortality. Reluctant at first, Blanca is skeptical about Xuan. However, after spending some time with him (and with the reveal that she has magic powers) she starts to fall for him.

They find a jade hair pin which brings back some memories when it is then revealed, that the hairpin too is magical. Xuan reads the inscription, which indicates it was made at "special jade workshop". He and Blanca go journey there together.

Meanwhile, there is a cavern of snake-demon people, who are oppressed by the general. It is revealed that Blanca's sister is alive, a soldier for the Snake master. A snake had previously seen the two together, deeming Blanca a traitor as she is with a snake-catcher.

Her sister, Verta, argues otherwise and says that she will find and return her, whilst also engaging in an insurance policy- if she is not back with Blanca in three days, then the Death Scales embedded in her will explode and kill her. Back with Xuan and Blanca, after a struggle on sea with another snake-demon- Blanca is forced to reveal her demon form, revealing to Xuan that she is in fact a demon. However he disregards this fact and the two bond.

Later they eventually get to Special Jade Workshop, owned by a fox-demon who makes all types of magical weaponry. The fox-demon explains that Blanca brought her the wand to let her use it instead of the original owner. The fox-demon explains that Blanca was warned that using the jade wand could have consequences, such as the memory loss.

After leaving the workshop, Xuan and Blanca return to the Snake Catcher Villager. Verta confronts Blanca and Xuan and tries to get Blanca to return with her. Verta identifies Xuan as a snake catcher and tries to attack him. Blanca defends him and the two sisters fight. During the fight, Xuan and Blanca fall into a hidden underground temple.

While looking at a Daoist altar in the temple, Blanca's memories are triggered. She is shaken by the events and Xuan comforts her -- this leads to a moment of intimacy between them. Afterward Xuan and Blanca leave the temple to find Verta waiting.

Blanca reveals that her memories have been returned and says she will return to the snake demon fold. She says to Xuan that their differences (human and demon) are too great. He asks her to wait for him and leaves to find a way for them to be together.

Later at the fox-demon workshop, Xuan agrees to become a low-level demon in order to be with Blanca.