Calabash Brothers
Encyclopedia
Calabash Brothers is a Chinese animation
TV series
produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio
. It is also referred to as "Bottle Gourd Brothers", "Hulu Brothers", "Seven Brothers" and "Pumpkin Brothers".
. While it has been praised as much as Havoc in Heaven
domestically, it was released at a point when the Chinese animation industry was in a relatively downed state compared to the rest of the international community. Still, the series was translated into 7 different languages. The episodes were produced with a vast amount of paper-cut animations
led by Zhou Keqin
who became the director of paper-cut animations in 1975.
Mountains, one a Scorpion spirit and the other a Snake spirit. One day, a pangolin
happens to drill a hole on the slope and the two spirits escape from the cave, causing grave harm to the nearby residents. The pangolin hurries to an old man and says that only by growing calabashes in seven colors can they annihilate the spirits. So the old man spares no time in growing seven calabashes, each a different color of the rainbow
: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
The calabashes ripen sequentially, falling off their stems to the ground, and transforming into seven boys. Each has a unique supernatural ability such as super-strength, enhanced hearing and sight, invisibility
, and pyrokinesis
, as well as a weakness. Each of them also have above average strength and speed given that all of them have shown the ability to lift items several times their own weight and leap several metals. With a combined effort, they set on a mission to defeat the demons in a 13 episode-long adventure.. Upon defeating the demons, the seven brothers seal themselves together into a mountain with all the colours of the rainbow, ready to awaken to fight evil should it ever arise again.
In a sequel series, it is later revealed that there was a third demon, specifically the sister to the snake spirit, that had been in hiding underground during the whole battle. The only survivor from the defeat of the two demons, a humanoid toad with a blinded eye, comes and desperately reports the news. Naturally, the demon is enraged and attacks the mountain that contains the seven brothers, releasing and defeating each of them. However, upon their defeat they fuse together into a single boy with the powers of all seven who successfully vanquishes the final demon.
): Has super-strength and is able to grow to immense proportions at will. He is a headstrong individual, albeit slightly gullible. Attempting to storm the spirits' fortress, he fell into an illusion trap laid by the spirits, and was imprisoned for most of the series. Being the eldest, he is referred to as the "big" brother, which is also fitting with his abilities. In the second series, he is captured by the third demon with a special golden coin that traps him inside it.
Second Brother (Orange
): Has enhanced hearing and sight. He is the cleverest of his brothers, often coming up with effective strategies against enemy forces. He fell victim to the spirits' enchanted mirror, and was blinded for part of the series. He also partially lost his hearing, but was able to recover it along with his sight. He was able to use his recovered abilities and quick thinking to work with his Sixth Brother in a plan to free all the brothers that were trapped in the fortress. In the second series, the third demon uses a special fan to blind him with hurricane winds and capture him with a net.
Third Brother (Yellow
): Has invulnerability. He is a fearless individual, but is also the most impulsive (so much so he left the vine before he was ready to transform). Like his eldest brother, he attempted to storm the fortress, but his over-confidence allowed him to be trapped by an enchanted Urumi
. Before capture, he successfully shattered the enchanted mirror, thus preventing the spirits from spying on the Calabash Mountains anymore. In the second series he, befitting his impulsive nature, falls off the mountain on his accord and proceeds to engage the third demon and her forces. Out of the seven brothers he, noticeably, lasts the longest and very nearly defeated the third demon until she found that his bottom was normal and managed to knock him out by striking it.
Fourth Brother (Green
): Able to create and control fire and lightning at will. Although he does not require a source to draw fire or lightning from, he is particularly sensitive to the cold, which causes him to become drowsy and fall asleep. The spirits' gave him a special "cooling" wine that put him to sleep before freezing him in a block of ice. The Fourth and Fifth brothers transformed one right after the other, and as a result are closer to one another. In the second series, he is the last brother to be captured when the third demon uses a tub of oil to mix with his fire to knock him out while he was distracted.
Fifth Brother (Cyan
): Able to create and control water at will. While he has a higher tolerance against fire, his ability to create water is limited, and he at times requires to draw from an external source. His affinity with water gave him a taste for wine, and the spirits' were able to trap him when he became drunk after they summoned a gigantic wine goblet that kept refilling itself for him to drink eventually causing him to fall into a coma. The Fourth and Fifth brothers transformed one right after the other, and as a result are closer to one another. In the second series, he is captured when while repleneshing his supply of water, the third demon uses a special pollution artifact to poison the water and him.
Sixth Brother (Blue
): Is able to become invisible and sometimes incorporeal, enabling him to escape even when he has been caught. He is the most mischievous of his brothers, and enjoys using his powers to wreak havoc within the spirits' fortress. Being invisible, he was able to steal an artifact from the spirits to release his captured brothers. Due to the time the Second Brother spent with his younger brothers while recovering, the two of them are closer to one another, and the older sometimes scolds the younger for sidetracking on his tasks to have fun. In the second series he is captured when the third demon attaches a leaf as a tail to him and capturing him with a copper spike trap.
Little Brother (Purple
): Although lacking any powers of his own, the youngest brother possesses a magical gourd which is able to draw anything he wishes into its center. He is also able to use it to manipulate the emotions of others. He is the most affectionate and trusting of his brothers, even willing to hand over his gourd when asked. He was brainwashed by the spirits to serve them, and used his magical gourd to draw his brothers into its center; the spirits then took the gourd from him and drew him in as well. He was able to recover his senses in the final episode, and reclaimed his gourd to trap the spirits. In the second series, he manages to capture the third demon and her henchman but she, in turn, uses a special insect to eat its way out of his gourd and captures him.
Diamond Brother (White
): A fusion of all seven brothers created when the seven brothers utilize a magical lotus sent by a mountain spirit. He has all the powers of the seven brothers (except the seventh) and is incredibly powerful. He however has a fatal weakness, the diamond gem that hangs around his neck is the source of his power and when removed, he becomes an ordinary boy. However, if he can come into contact with sunlight, the gemstone will automatically come to him and he will regain his full power.
that has a hooked stinger. In humanoid form, he can still manipulate and lengthen his hooked stinger at will, as well as transform one of his hands into scorpion claws. He has been shown to "teleport" from one place to another, as shown by a blackish tornado
traveling to his destination.
Snake Queen: One of the spirits who were sealed in and escaped from the Calabash Mountain. She should be regarded as the major threat because of her magic artifact, able to conjure multiple weapons imbued with magic as well as enchanted wind able to freeze objects in blocks of ice.
Snake Sister: An incredibly powerful spirit with various different magical artifacts. Her two most prized and revered is a small ornate dagger she keeps in her hair which can become 48 different weapons and a small purse that can summon 308 different magical artifacts. It is primarily because of these two artifacts that she had successfully captured the seven Calabash Brothers. Even without these artifacts she is incredibly resilient even able to regenerate after being cut in two and is also able to spit poison gas. Her final ability, when both the previous artifacts were destroyed by the Diamond Brother, is to become a massive two headed hydra like snake with immense strength and can spit lightning and tornadoes from each head.
Chinese animation
Chinese animation or Manhua Anime, in narrow sense, refers to animations that are made in China. In broad sense, it may refers to animations that are made in any Chinese speaking countries such as People's Republic of China , Republic of China , Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.- History :The...
TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio
Shanghai Animation Film Studio is the animation division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese animations.-History:...
. It is also referred to as "Bottle Gourd Brothers", "Hulu Brothers", "Seven Brothers" and "Pumpkin Brothers".
Background
In the 1980s the series was one of the most popular animation in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. While it has been praised as much as Havoc in Heaven
Havoc in Heaven
Havoc in Heaven , also known as Uproar in Heaven, is a Chinese animated feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers. The film was created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 1960s, and received numerous awards...
domestically, it was released at a point when the Chinese animation industry was in a relatively downed state compared to the rest of the international community. Still, the series was translated into 7 different languages. The episodes were produced with a vast amount of paper-cut animations
Cutout animation
Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...
led by Zhou Keqin
Zhou Keqin
Zhou Keqin was a Chinese writer regarded as a representative of Scar Literature. Born in Jianyang County, Ziyang, Sichuan Province of China, he is famous in China for his novel Xu Mao and His Daughters, published in 1979, which was made into a movie in 1981 and which also won him the first-time...
who became the director of paper-cut animations in 1975.
Story
Legend has it that two demons were jailed in the CalabashCalabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
Mountains, one a Scorpion spirit and the other a Snake spirit. One day, a pangolin
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
happens to drill a hole on the slope and the two spirits escape from the cave, causing grave harm to the nearby residents. The pangolin hurries to an old man and says that only by growing calabashes in seven colors can they annihilate the spirits. So the old man spares no time in growing seven calabashes, each a different color of the rainbow
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
The calabashes ripen sequentially, falling off their stems to the ground, and transforming into seven boys. Each has a unique supernatural ability such as super-strength, enhanced hearing and sight, invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
, and pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
, as well as a weakness. Each of them also have above average strength and speed given that all of them have shown the ability to lift items several times their own weight and leap several metals. With a combined effort, they set on a mission to defeat the demons in a 13 episode-long adventure.. Upon defeating the demons, the seven brothers seal themselves together into a mountain with all the colours of the rainbow, ready to awaken to fight evil should it ever arise again.
In a sequel series, it is later revealed that there was a third demon, specifically the sister to the snake spirit, that had been in hiding underground during the whole battle. The only survivor from the defeat of the two demons, a humanoid toad with a blinded eye, comes and desperately reports the news. Naturally, the demon is enraged and attacks the mountain that contains the seven brothers, releasing and defeating each of them. However, upon their defeat they fuse together into a single boy with the powers of all seven who successfully vanquishes the final demon.
Seven Brothers
Big Brother (RedRed
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
): Has super-strength and is able to grow to immense proportions at will. He is a headstrong individual, albeit slightly gullible. Attempting to storm the spirits' fortress, he fell into an illusion trap laid by the spirits, and was imprisoned for most of the series. Being the eldest, he is referred to as the "big" brother, which is also fitting with his abilities. In the second series, he is captured by the third demon with a special golden coin that traps him inside it.
Second Brother (Orange
Orange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
): Has enhanced hearing and sight. He is the cleverest of his brothers, often coming up with effective strategies against enemy forces. He fell victim to the spirits' enchanted mirror, and was blinded for part of the series. He also partially lost his hearing, but was able to recover it along with his sight. He was able to use his recovered abilities and quick thinking to work with his Sixth Brother in a plan to free all the brothers that were trapped in the fortress. In the second series, the third demon uses a special fan to blind him with hurricane winds and capture him with a net.
Third Brother (Yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
): Has invulnerability. He is a fearless individual, but is also the most impulsive (so much so he left the vine before he was ready to transform). Like his eldest brother, he attempted to storm the fortress, but his over-confidence allowed him to be trapped by an enchanted Urumi
Urumi
The urumi is a long sword made of flexible steel, sharp enough to cut into flesh, but flexible enough to be rolled into a tight coil. Originating in South India, it was most popular in the North Malabar Coast of Kerala and is often mentioned in the ballads of the region.In kalaripayat, the urumi...
. Before capture, he successfully shattered the enchanted mirror, thus preventing the spirits from spying on the Calabash Mountains anymore. In the second series he, befitting his impulsive nature, falls off the mountain on his accord and proceeds to engage the third demon and her forces. Out of the seven brothers he, noticeably, lasts the longest and very nearly defeated the third demon until she found that his bottom was normal and managed to knock him out by striking it.
Fourth Brother (Green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
): Able to create and control fire and lightning at will. Although he does not require a source to draw fire or lightning from, he is particularly sensitive to the cold, which causes him to become drowsy and fall asleep. The spirits' gave him a special "cooling" wine that put him to sleep before freezing him in a block of ice. The Fourth and Fifth brothers transformed one right after the other, and as a result are closer to one another. In the second series, he is the last brother to be captured when the third demon uses a tub of oil to mix with his fire to knock him out while he was distracted.
Fifth Brother (Cyan
Cyan
Cyan from , transliterated: kýanos, meaning "dark blue substance") may be used as the name of any of a number of colors in the blue/green range of the spectrum. In reference to the visible spectrum cyan is used to refer to the color obtained by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light or the...
): Able to create and control water at will. While he has a higher tolerance against fire, his ability to create water is limited, and he at times requires to draw from an external source. His affinity with water gave him a taste for wine, and the spirits' were able to trap him when he became drunk after they summoned a gigantic wine goblet that kept refilling itself for him to drink eventually causing him to fall into a coma. The Fourth and Fifth brothers transformed one right after the other, and as a result are closer to one another. In the second series, he is captured when while repleneshing his supply of water, the third demon uses a special pollution artifact to poison the water and him.
Sixth Brother (Blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
): Is able to become invisible and sometimes incorporeal, enabling him to escape even when he has been caught. He is the most mischievous of his brothers, and enjoys using his powers to wreak havoc within the spirits' fortress. Being invisible, he was able to steal an artifact from the spirits to release his captured brothers. Due to the time the Second Brother spent with his younger brothers while recovering, the two of them are closer to one another, and the older sometimes scolds the younger for sidetracking on his tasks to have fun. In the second series he is captured when the third demon attaches a leaf as a tail to him and capturing him with a copper spike trap.
Little Brother (Purple
Purple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
): Although lacking any powers of his own, the youngest brother possesses a magical gourd which is able to draw anything he wishes into its center. He is also able to use it to manipulate the emotions of others. He is the most affectionate and trusting of his brothers, even willing to hand over his gourd when asked. He was brainwashed by the spirits to serve them, and used his magical gourd to draw his brothers into its center; the spirits then took the gourd from him and drew him in as well. He was able to recover his senses in the final episode, and reclaimed his gourd to trap the spirits. In the second series, he manages to capture the third demon and her henchman but she, in turn, uses a special insect to eat its way out of his gourd and captures him.
Diamond Brother (White
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
): A fusion of all seven brothers created when the seven brothers utilize a magical lotus sent by a mountain spirit. He has all the powers of the seven brothers (except the seventh) and is incredibly powerful. He however has a fatal weakness, the diamond gem that hangs around his neck is the source of his power and when removed, he becomes an ordinary boy. However, if he can come into contact with sunlight, the gemstone will automatically come to him and he will regain his full power.
Villains/Soldiers
Scorpion King: One of the spirits who were sealed in and escaped from the Calabash Mountain. He can transform into, namely, a scorpionScorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
that has a hooked stinger. In humanoid form, he can still manipulate and lengthen his hooked stinger at will, as well as transform one of his hands into scorpion claws. He has been shown to "teleport" from one place to another, as shown by a blackish tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
traveling to his destination.
Snake Queen: One of the spirits who were sealed in and escaped from the Calabash Mountain. She should be regarded as the major threat because of her magic artifact, able to conjure multiple weapons imbued with magic as well as enchanted wind able to freeze objects in blocks of ice.
Snake Sister: An incredibly powerful spirit with various different magical artifacts. Her two most prized and revered is a small ornate dagger she keeps in her hair which can become 48 different weapons and a small purse that can summon 308 different magical artifacts. It is primarily because of these two artifacts that she had successfully captured the seven Calabash Brothers. Even without these artifacts she is incredibly resilient even able to regenerate after being cut in two and is also able to spit poison gas. Her final ability, when both the previous artifacts were destroyed by the Diamond Brother, is to become a massive two headed hydra like snake with immense strength and can spit lightning and tornadoes from each head.
Awards
- Won 3rd class award at the Cairo International Children's Film Festival in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. - Won best film of 1988 by the CPC TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
Autonomous Regional Committee.