This new CG animated film is a cosmic fantasy, but it’s also grounded firmly in the real world. Suha is a girl just entering her teens, and she’s not happy. She’s mourning her father who died a year ago, she’s having constant arguments with her mum, and she’s terrified of the dark.

Just over fifty years ago, South Korea released its first feature-length animated film. A Story of Hong Gil Dong (Shin Dong-hun, 1967) is based on a nationally famed hero story, dating back centuries. This cartoon version was specifically adapted from a 1960s comic-strip retelling, written by the director’s brother.