The Legend of Hei

The Legend of Hei follows a cat spirit named Luo Xiaohei, whose forest home is destroyed by human development. Adrift and searching for a new place to live, he falls in with a band of other spirits who take him in and speak of reclaiming the land they consider theirs. His path then crosses with Wuxian, a human who separates him from the group, and the two travel together while Xiaohei learns to manage his own powers and works out where his loyalties lie.

The film is an animated fantasy adventure from China, directed by MTJJ, who wrote the screenplay with Kexin Peng and Fengxishenlei. It is the first feature MTJJ directed, followed by The Legend of Hei 2 in 2025. The voice cast includes Shan Xin as Luo Xiaohei, Liu Mingyue as Wuxian, Hao Xianghai as Fengxi, Ding Dang as Luozhu, Yuntu Cao as Xuhuai and Sheng Feng as Tianhu. It was produced by MTJJ alongside Beijing Guangying Gongchang Wenhua Chuanbo, Dream Castle and Heyi Capital, and runs 102 minutes.

Released in August 2019, the film took in about 48 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.3 out of 10 from roughly two thousand votes, while on TMDB it sits at 8.4 from a smaller pool of voters, a gap that suggests the film plays particularly well with viewers who seek out animation from China.