The 1964 and 1998 Journey to the West cartoons weren’t my only experience with animated versions of these beloved characters. Other places they appeared include The Legend of Nezha series, a “prequel” telling of Nezha and Lord Li’s story before they ended up in Heaven trying to capture Sun Wukong, and Lotus Lantern, a “sequel” featuring Erlang’s family and Sun Wukong post-Buddhahood. These two stories have cemented themselves in my brain as part of my Journey to the West headcanon.
Recently I re-watched Lotus Lantern and was happy to find that it held up. At least, it held up better than the 1999 Journey to the West cartoon series did. (The 1963 Havoc in Heaven is still great.) I had completely forgotten about its Lion King influences, the slight overuse of Hanna-Barbera-style sound effects, and the nostalgia-inducing music. I also thought, hey, there aren’t that many lines in this movie, and it’s written in modern Chinese in language meant for kids. This should be fun to translate.
If you find the magic in Journey to the West bizarre and want to experience more of that mythos or if you want a short romp in another culture’s expectations, I really encourage you to take a chance on Lotus Lantern. I won’t lie, it’s no Pixar or Ghibli, but you get to see Sun Wukong as a Buddha. Here’s a translated script for you to follow along.
Etymology Adventures 