Mak dau goo si (2001)

Director:

Toe Yuen

Writers:

Alice Mak (comic)
Alice Mak (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 2001 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Comedy | Family

Plot:

McDull is not the brightest kid on the block, but he continuously tries to do his best to please his mother. Still it seems he may not be destined for great things like she wishes, but McDull strives to try anyway. |

Plot Keywords:

Poverty | Working Mom | Olympics | Animal That Acts Human | Stupidity

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jan Lamb	...	McDull (Adult) (voice)
Sandra Ng Kwan Yue	...	Mrs. McDull (voice)
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	School Principal / Logan (voice)

Also Known As:

Mai dou gu shi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
My Life as McDull (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:75 min | Argentina:75 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Hong Kong:I | France:U

Company:

Bliss Picture Ltd.

Quotes:

McDull: Fishball noodle, please.
School Principal and Logan: No noodle left.
McDull: Fishball rice noodle then.
School Principal and Logan: No fishball left.
McDull: Chicken wing noodle then.
School Principal and Logan: No noodle left.
McDull: How about fishball congee?
School Principal and Logan: No fishball left.
McDull: Nothing left today? How about beef noodle?
School Principal and Logan: No noodle left.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Followed by McDull, prince de la bun (2004)

Hong Kong animated film manages to be both for kids and adults as well as being one of the best movies of any sort in many years

Hong Kong animated film that concerns the reflections of an older McDull, seen here as a pig, back on his life as a five or six year old. Its a combination of live action, 2D and 3D animation that could only have come out of Hong Kong.

Beginning with the birth of McDull this film then jumps to his arrival in school and then goes from there. McDull and his mom seem to be taking on the world alone and we see how she struggles to raise her son and get by as McDull is seen to be both unaware of the poverty that he was living in (as the child) and yet as the adult he's keenly aware that his mom was doing the best she could to raise him as a single parent. It manages to both captures the bliss of the innocence of being a child as well as the melancholy of how the knowing adult looking at the same situation would see it. It warms and breaks your heart at the same time.

Absolutely a great film the films one real flaw is that its a bit too disjointed. The pieces don't always fit together or lead into each other in such away as to make a unified whole. I was hoping that in the end it would all come together and while it didn't quite the final piece manages to wrap it all up nicely.

Largely unavailable outside of Asia this film really needs to be seen elsewhere in the world. I understand why the film hasn't been seen in the US since its "manage to have it both childlike and adult" style would be off putting to a studio who wouldn't know how to market it. But considering that the film spawned a sequel, Karaoke discs, a toy line, and more in Asia one would think that this is truly a movie for everyone (its mix of adult and kids humor makes it almost a movie one could grow up with) If you love great movies see this film.