Sparkling Red Star

Sparkling Red Star (Chinese: 闪闪的红星 孩子的天空) is a 2007 Chinese animated film produced by Puzzle Animation Studio Limited in collaboration with the Bayi Film Studio of the People's Liberation Army. It is an animated remake of the 1974 children's propaganda film Sparkling Red Star, which was made during the Cultural Revolution. The film concerns a boy who helps the Red Army fight a greedy landlord in his village. Story The story is set in 1937 against the background of the Red Army's Long March. In Liuxi Village in Jiangxi, an innocent and cheerful child, Pan Dongzi (潘东子), spends his carefree childhood. However, after reaching 10 years of age, he begins to experience the sorrows and joys of life. Pan's father is a Red Army sympathizer. He, along with other villagers, have been partitioning grain harvests out into two sections, one to be handed over to the landlord, the other to be saved for the Red Army, who are due to pass through their village. Hu Hansan, the tyrannical landlord of the village, finds out about this, and Pan's father is captured. The Red Guards of the Red Army show up just in time to save Pan's father, and in return Pan begins to worship Xiuzhu, the Captain of Red Guards. The villagers of Liuxi Village enjoyed a period of happiness under the protection of the Red Guards. When the Red Army has to leave on the Long March, Pan's father goes with them. Before leaving, Pan's father give him a red star badge as a symbol of encouragement. Only a few members of the Red Guard remain stationed in Liuxi Village. Hu, the landlord, hires a number of cold-blooded killers and occupies Liuxi Village. Pan and his mother flee and follow the Red Guards.