Director Raman Hui’s initial encounter with the “The Tiger’s Apprentice” animated film script was not just a mere exploration of another cinematic venture; it was a voyage into his own past.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hui, who discovered his passion for drawing at a young age, found himself moving to Silicon Valley to become an animator. While Hui fulfilled his dream to work for Pacific Data Images, later acquired by DreamWorks Animation, he spent years trying to isolate himself from coworkers because he spoke little English.
Hui frequented the bustling streets of San Francisco, particularly the cultural hub of Chinatown, a place he considers his second home. When Hui picked up “The Tiger’s Apprentice” script by David Magee and Christopher Yost, he realized his personal connection to the story runs deep, discovering that the story about mythical creatures is also about the very essence of his own life.
“Every weekend, I would go up to San Francisco to spend time in Chinatown to get food and watch movies from Hong Kong,” Hui tells NextShark. “So when I read this story is about this Chinese teenager who lives in San Francisco, and then all these things in childhood happened to him, I was like, ‘Hey, I feel like I know this kid.’”
via Paramount Plus
The Paramount Plus film follows Chinese American teenager Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo), who discovers his magical powers for the first time and meets a mythical tiger named Hu (Henry Golding), who then informs him of his lineage of protectors known as the Guardians. Lee, as Hui describes, is a quiet boy who felt like he didn’t fit in, who was embarrassed about his background and just wanted to be normal.
“I was a little bit like that,” Hui admits. “It’s kind of like Tom is a reflection of us in a way. Like when I first went to the U.S., my English was so bad. I could barely carry a conversation, so I felt very insecure. If people talked to me, I don’t know how to…
