Chang e & the moon
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TITLE: Chang E and the Moon: The Movie
DATES: November 2024
TOOLS: Procreate, Adobe Photoshop
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I created two movie posters for a modern animated film adaptation of the Chinese myth of Chang’e. As a Chinese American, I’m passionate about blending Eastern and Western cultures, and this project allowed me to reinterpret a story from my heritage through a contemporary lens. The posters highlight themes of fantasy, love, and feminism while incorporating a vibrant and cinematic style to appeal to global audiences.
Chang’e is a central figure in Chinese mythology and the Moon Festival. In the most common version, her husband Hou Yi is a skilled archer who saves the world by shooting down nine of ten suns scorching the Earth. As a reward, he receives an elixir of immortality. Depending on the version, Chang’e either drinks the elixir to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, or out of curiosity or greed. She becomes immortal and ascends alone to the moon, where she lives in solitude with only a jade rabbit for company.
THE posters
In my version, I reimagined Chang’e not as a passive or tragic figure defined by her husband’s story, but as someone who chooses immortality and ascension. Rather than being a cautionary tale about disobedience or loneliness, she becomes a symbol of liberation, breaking free from the constraints of a patriarchal society and reclaiming her own narrative. Her exile becomes empowerment: life on the moon is quiet but self-determined, and the jade rabbit is a companion by choice, not a consolation.
