Red Empire Productions, an Australian hybrid-AI studio, and Organic Media Group are collaborating on “Alishan Escape: A Mandopop Ghost Adventure,” an original animated musical project. The film draws inspiration from Taiwan’s Ghost Month traditions, Buddhist philosophy, Indigenous tribal cultures, and contemporary Asian pop music, designed for theatrical release to international audiences.
The story centers on an international pop star who travels to Taiwan to complete an unfinished song written by her late parents. During Ghost Month, she enters the realm of the dead and must recover her voice and finish the song before returning to the living in time for her concert. The narrative combines elements of contemporary Mandopop music, ancient mythology, comedy, and supernatural adventure set against Taiwanese landscapes and spiritual settings.
The creative team includes animator Greg Manwaring, whose career spans over 35 years and includes work on productions such as “The Lion King,” “The Iron Giant,” “Pocahontas,” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Steve Chicorel, co-founder of Organic Media Group, developed the story, wrote feature treatments for the first two films in the proposed franchise, and created original music and lyrics. The team has produced a temporary soundtrack and completed feature treatments for potential sequels.
Chicorel, a UCLA MFA-trained screenwriter and producer, spent nearly two decades in Taiwan, where the project evolved through his engagement with local culture. As a multi-instrumentalist with expertise in rock, folk, world music, and traditional Chinese instruments including the erhu, pipa, and guzheng, he created the story to celebrate Taiwanese culture while delivering an emotional cinematic musical experience.
Red Empire Productions and Organic Media Group are pursuing discussions with a major studio’s animation division regarding continued development of the franchise. The collaboration emphasizes hybrid-AI techniques combined with human creativity, incorporating live singers, actors, and dancers whose performances inform character movement and emotion.
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