New Century Anime Warrior

Chapter 107 Premiere (Two chapters combined)

And as he said, the premiere was indeed a star-studded event with a large number of celebrities in attendance.

Although it wasn't his first time walking the red carpet, Si Hua was still inexplicably a little nervous. Maybe it's just that otaku are naturally not used to being in the public eye.

"Don't be nervous, just pretend these flashes don't exist."

Lin Lin gently comforted Si Hua, holding his hand.

She's getting more and more used to holding Si Hua's hand. She even subconsciously takes his arm whenever she gets close to him, acting like an old married couple.

"My eyes are being blinded by the light, how can I pretend these lights don't exist?"

Si Hua wanted to blink a few more times to relieve the discomfort.

As soon as they stepped off the car onto the red carpet, Si Hua and Lin Lin were immediately surrounded by reporters.

After all, one of the highlights of the evening is Disney's youngest and first Chinese director, a figure hailed as a genius.

Although co-creative director does sound like a filler title.

But at least the reporters who were able to come to the scene were all industry elites, and they knew very well that the person in charge of this Disney animated film of the year was this young man who was only twenty years old.

The other is a talented female singer who is well-known even in the European and American music scene.

Not to mention that she is also the singer of the theme song for this movie and the voice actress for the female lead. Now it seems that she has the potential to become a star in America.

Moreover, these two are almost always seen together, they're always the subject of discussion!

Fortunately, these reporters had some professional ethics and kept their distance, not actually shoving their equipment directly into the two people's faces.

"Stephen, how did you manage to remake this movie?"

"Could you explain why Disney appointed a young person like you as co-creative director?"

Do you think this animated film can reverse Disney's decline?

"Is Linda your girlfriend?"

The questions that came up were all quite serious, but things took a turn for the worse starting with the EntertainmentTonight reporter.

This is an entertainment media outlet known for being serious one moment and gossipy the next.

"I heard you two got together in middle school. Isn't early dating forbidden in China?"

"When are you planning to get married?! How many children do you plan to have?!"

"I heard you're hiding twin beauties in your studio? Does Lin Lin know?"

The last sentence was uttered in broken Mandarin with a slightly accented tone, which made Si Hua and Lin Lin, both from Guangnan, feel a strong sense of familiarity.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw it was Chinese. Then I noticed the interview sign on the reporter's microphone: TVB East Weekly, with signs for Next Magazine and Apple Daily nearby.

Oh, so it was paparazzi from Hong Kong and Taiwan who infiltrated. Oh well, it's alright then.

Robert Iger watched the young couple surrounded by flashing lights from afar and couldn't help but sigh to Zheng Yansheng beside him, "Youth is truly wonderful—I hope he can really become that bridge."

"I hope so. After all, you can't stop our rise. Cultural exchanges between the people will serve as a buffer and will be good for both sides."

"I suddenly thought of a very important question." Egger suddenly became serious.

"Ask me, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge if I can."

Zheng Yansheng was also affected by his old friend's expression and responded solemnly.

"Does Stephen's studio really have twins?"

'

""

You disrespectful old man!

"Stephen, this is Dick Cook, the chairman of Disney Studios."

After successfully evading the reporters and entering the venue, Si Hua was led around by Ai Ge, who was preparing to introduce him to the celebrities present.

Many directors and celebrities also came over to say hello, everyone knew that this young Chinese man was the star of the night.

Besides these celebrities, many of Si Hua's family members also came.

Su Yanqiu naturally came as well. After all, CCTV has a special status and is one of the few media outlets that is allowed to enter and film.

Seeing Si Hua being pulled away by those high-ranking officials, Su Yanqiu took the opportunity to pull Lin Lin away as well, whether to have a private chat with her best friend or to do an interview, it was unclear.

In fact, the presence of Chinese government officials was one of the reasons why Disney executives like Dick Cook were mobilized.

The negotiations for Huaxia Theme Park have been basically finalized, and Shanghai Shendi is the owner company jointly established by both parties in accordance with the agreement.

Logically and emotionally, Iger should have brought more Disney executives to today's premiere.

This is also a positive signal from Disney, indicating that they are embracing the Chinese market.

As long as Frozen doesn't flop, Disney's stock price will definitely take off tomorrow. In these turbulent times for global stock markets, that's more important than anything else.

"Young man, thank you for your work for Disney."

Dick Cook may not be as refined and handsome as Robert Iger, but he is a very infectious person when he smiles.

No wonder he was hailed by BusinessWeek as Disney's "most amiable person".

"I also thank Disney for giving a small person like me a chance," Si Hua said with a smile.

It's only right that people carry each other in a sedan chair.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will have many opportunities to communicate in the future."

Aiger watched the interaction between the two and smiled as well.

Dick Cook patted Si Hua on the shoulder and said, "By the way, young man, come with us to see some old friends after the premiere."

"It is an honor, Mr. Cook."

"By the way, Stephen, if you have time, go see Kevin Fitch," Dick Cook said, as if he had just thought of something.

"Hmm? This name sounds familiar?"

"You've heard of him? Kevin used to be Lauren Donner's assistant, helping her produce the X-Men series."

"He is someone who knows Marvel comics very well, I mean all of Marvel comics."

Dick Cook explained, "That's why Kevin recently became president of Marvel Studios, but I heard he's run into some problems."

"Just recently, when I went to discuss an exclusive deal with Stan Lee, Stan asked me to do something for Kevin: he hoped I could introduce him to a great screenwriter who understands animation."

"That's why I thought of you."

Dick Cook's words made Si Hua realize that it was Kevin Feige from Marvel. No wonder the name sounded so familiar.

In 2007, Marvel's screenwriters solved the case: the problem was with the script for "Iron Man".

It seems that Marvel is in an even worse situation in this world than in its previous one. Their technology has advanced by so many years, yet Marvel is still dragging its feet until today.

In his previous life, Si Hua happened to see an interview with Jeff Bridges, the Oscar-winning actor who played the villain Obadiah.

He complained that the movie "Iron Man" had already officially started filming, but the script was still not out.

They even joked that the director's first thing to do every day after waking up was to call the screenwriter and ask if he had any good ideas.

With the pressure of a $200 million investment, the Iron Man crew doesn't seem to have it much easier than the Frozen crew.

Fortunately, the movie was a great success in the end, which is quite an interesting anecdote.

"Okay, I agree."

Manga-based movies are also part of the 2D world, so I, a new-century 2D warrior, have an unshirkable duty to participate!

It's definitely not because I'm craving this super IP universe!

Dick Cook and Robert Iger exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "Kevin Fitch is here today too. Let's meet him and get to know him."

"You two can have a proper talk later. This isn't the right place to discuss work, haha."

"Of course," the young Si Hua readily agreed.

After saying goodbye to Dick Cook, Egger led Si Hua through the hall, chatting as they walked.

"Dick has been negotiating an exclusive deal with Stan Lee recently, so he's probably trying to show him his sincerity and capabilities."

"But tonight belongs to you and Frozen. Let's talk about these things after this is over."

Si Hua nodded. "Okay, but I want to correct something. Tonight also belongs to Disney."

Robert Iger burst into laughter at these words; the kid was quite the smooth talker.

Along the way, Aiger kept introducing Si Hua to colleagues and friends he thought were worth getting to know.

Among them are big names such as John Lasseter, who serves as the chief creative officer of both Disney and Pixar; Michael Bay, the director of the wildly popular "Transformers" last month; and Peter Jackson, the director of "The Lord of the Rings," who won the box office with a single film.

The most surprising thing was that Kevin Chen was also at the premiere.

"Uncle Kevin, what brings you here?" Si Hua was pleasantly surprised. He knew that his success was inseparable from the support and guidance of the Chen brothers, Chen Yan and Chen Kevin.

"My nephew's animated film is being released worldwide—how could I, as his uncle, not come to such a big event?"

"Ahem, I'm just the co-creative director, Uncle Kevin, you're exaggerating."

Si Hua quickly corrected him, letting out two awkward laughs.

He didn't want rumors to spread that Si Hua had stolen the credit for "Frozen".

"Come on, who in the industry doesn't know that this new version of Frozen is actually your work? You just need to be the producer."

Chen Kaiwen is right; when a film's script, music, and even its initial core concept all come from the same person.

It's hard to deny that this movie has little to do with this person.

"Speaking of which, you're not from Universal Music—" Si Hua quickly changed the subject.

"I've told you so many times, Universal Music is Universal Music, and Universal Pictures is Universal Pictures. We are two different things," Chen Kaiwen said irritably.

"Don't forget how you got involved in this movie."

Oh right, I almost forgot that I was initially recommended to Disney as a global young music creator by Universal Music, which is how I got the opportunity to participate in this movie.

"Universal Pictures and Disney are competitors and bitter rivals, but what does that have to do with my Universal Music?" Kevin Chen added.

"Kevin is right, Disney's music really can't do without the support of Universal Music."

Robert Iger added, "Universal Music's global distribution network, streaming channels, and international marketing capabilities are important to us in promoting Disney's music products."

"For series like High School Musical, Universal Music is our global distributor."

"I see." Si Hua also barely understood the relationship between these large enterprises.

It's really complicated.

No, does this mean that the rumors that Universal Pictures was going to build a theme park in China might not actually be based on Disney?

Are they genuinely interested in developing a theme park project in China?

Tsk tsk tsk, could this be considered a lucky accident that gave Disney a push and unexpectedly made Iger and the others make up their minds?

"Alright, don't overthink it. These business matters are just for a kid like you to listen to," Chen Kaiwen comforted him.

"It's about time, let's go in." Robert Iger checked the time and suggested ending the small talk.

The premiere of "Frozen" is about to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the El Capitan Theatre!"

"Tonight we will witness the rise of a great work, and of course, the emergence of a genius from the East!"

As the host's extremely exaggerated introduction faded, this Disney animated film with a troubled past finally made its official debut.

It started with a lively chorus.

Taking the initiative is one of Disney's signature moves, instantly capturing the attention of all viewers.

As the story progresses to the middle and the theme song begins to play, the film has already shown the famous scene where Elsa escapes alone into the ice field and raises her hand to build an ice crystal castle.

Realizing that this might be the most important plot twist in the entire film, the entire audience held their breath instantly.

As Lin Lin delivered a captivating performance, blue light spread across the giant screen along the skirt of the female lead, Elsa, with layers of ice crystals rising from the ground, creating a scene that was both grand and lonely.

This scene made the audience hold their breath, until the chorus came, and the entire theater seemed to be lifted up by the song, and everyone subconsciously took a deep breath.

Some forward-thinking girls couldn't help but tremble after seeing such a strong female lead in the storyline.

Stephen S., he understands us women!

As the plot continues, viewers gradually begin to sense something strange.

After all, from the very beginning, they thought that this Disney animation, which was labeled as being remade, would still be a cliché story of a prince saving a princess in order to play it safe.

But then something unexpected happened: Anna shielded her sister from a freezing attack.

When Anna's body was completely frozen into ice crystals, a few small gasps rippled through the theater.

By this time, many people had already mentally prepared themselves for a clichéd plot. Here it comes, isn't it just that the prince's love has to save the day?

But to everyone's surprise, it was the love between the sisters that melted the ice in the end, a twist that brought tears to the eyes of many viewers who were easily moved to tears.

Disney princess animations with family themes are still too rare.

Finally, the silence was broken by the crowd as the sisters embraced and the kingdom returned to warmth, with exclamations and discussions erupting one after another.

The theater lights then came on.

Those present were all industry professionals, and they all stood up and applauded in unison. It must be said that the quality of this animated film far exceeded many people's expectations.

The applause lasted for almost a minute, and at least half of it was genuine congratulations.

Fuck, Disney really struck gold!

Kevin Feige, in particular, clapped the most enthusiastically.

Mr. Egger is right!

This young man truly has the ability to revitalize niche intellectual properties!

Si Hua was not surprised by this scene; it was normal for the original work.

He is very familiar with the original work. Although he is not the biological father, he did personally lead the production of this version of Frozen. It's not an exaggeration to call him a stepfather, is it?

That's my dad too!

"Hahaha, I've succeeded, Daoist Master!"

Box office champion, here I come!

Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere around them, Si Hua whispered a sentence that sounded a bit childish and delusional.

Then he grabbed the pretty girl next to him, their faces pressed together, his chin resting on her smooth, delicate shoulder.

They wished they could meld the other person into their own body.

Lin Lin's body visibly stiffened for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and immediately hugged him back.

Hmph, I'll take advantage of you too!

How much of this was intentional and how much was accidental is none of your business.

But this opportunistic attempt to create chaos did not last long.

Si Hua, who was still hesitating about whether to give him a kiss, was immediately pulled up.

It was Aiger on the other side who pulled Si Hua aside and dragged him directly to the center of the stage.

Damn it, you old bastard, you ruined my plans!

Thank you all for your support!

"The rebirth of the animated feature film 'Frozen' is inseparable from a young creator from the Far East!"

"Stephen S., although only twenty years old, is a true genius. He gave ice and snow a beautiful soul."

"Everyone, please don't hesitate to give us a round of applause!"

After saying that, Aiger put his arm around Si Hua's shoulder and waved to the crowd.

The audience erupted in deafening applause once again, this time accompanied by screams and whistles.

The audience consisted of directors, producers, actors, and behind-the-scenes personnel—all industry insiders—so the emotional impact was naturally maximized.

And this premiere, which many had initially planned to treat as a joke, ended amidst applause that was hard to discern as genuine.

But nobody's really stupid; they can tell the difference between a bad movie and a masterpiece. This "Frozen" and its stepfather are destined to take off.

The kind that you can't stop even if you try.

Perhaps I should go up and exchange a few more pleasantries, trying to build rapport?

Regardless of the ulterior motives of others, the media reporters present could no longer contain their excitement and began to stir.

Various sensational news headlines were already flying around before anyone even left the theater.

"Frozen was a success."

After the event, Aiger led Si Hua to a meeting room.

He said this to Si Hua on the way.

Robert Iger, the helmsman of Disney, is confident that he can elevate even a subpar animated film to the throne.

Not to mention this is Frozen; he hasn't fought such a rich battle in a long time.

Success is the only outcome.

But how successful he will be is probably beyond his control.

The meeting room was already quite full of people, including John Lasseter, Dick Cook, Alan Menken, Kevin Feige, and others—people they had met before the premiere.

After Si Hua greeted them one by one, Aiger spoke up.

"Stephen, this time you not only saved an animation that was on the verge of collapse, but you also proved the direction we should take in the future."

""

"Tradition and conservatism have become our shackles."

Is this why you created the Black Mermaid in the future?

"Now, we want to create another miracle, so we're going to listen to what you young people have to say."

"Kevin, you tell us—whether you can impress us old folks depends on whether you can impress this genius today."

After saying that, he waved to Kevin Feige, who had just taken office as president of Marvel Studios.

Here comes the main dish!