China Synopsis
九色鹿
In ancient times, a Persian merchant gets lost in a windstorm. Suddenly a spiritual deer of nine colors appears to guide the man. Later on, the deer rescues a man drowning in a river. In exchange, the man promises not to reveal the deer's whereabouts. The man reaches an imperial palace. The king insists on hunting down the spiritual deer down to make clothes out of the deer skin. The man gives in to his greed and leads an army of warriors to the spot. He falls into the river again, hoping the deer will show up to rescue him. This time, all the warriors' arrows turn into dust and the man is drowned
The 1980–1982 China Window
5 China films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. The Nine-Colored Deer sits at position #2.
#1Teahouse
★ 8.7 · 1982
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#2The Nine-Colored Deer
★ 7.9 · 1981
#3Three Monks
★ 7.5 · 1980
#4Shaolin Temple
★ 6.8 · 1982
#5The True Story of Ah Q
★ 6.8 · 1981
Other Titles From Shanghai Animation Film Studio
The 1980s China Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1980s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Nine-Colored Deer premiered. 23 total titles in this decade from China.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #109 of 946 China films indexed here (88th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +1.2 points above the China average of 6.7/10.
Among China Animation productions specifically: #25 of 97 (top 26%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | China |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Production Companies | Shanghai Animation Film Studio |
| Runtime | 25m |
| Release Date | June 28, 1981 |
| IMDb | tt6822390 |