Pororo hits big screens

President-elect Park Geun-hye, left, recieves flowers ahead of a screening of “Pororo: the Racing Adventure” at a movie theater in eastern Seoul last Wednesday. Shown in the center is Kim Il-ho, chief of OCON, a Seoul-based animation production company that created the Pororo series. / Yonhap

“Pororo: the Racing Adventure” will open in theaters nationwide Thursday. / Yonhap

A 3D film version of animated TV series “Pororo the Little Penguin” will open in theaters nationwide Thursday. Ahead of the official release of “Pororo: the Racing Adventure,” a press preview was held at a movie theater in eastern Seoul on Wednesday.

The big screen debut of the inquisitive penguin, the main character of the popular animation series, coincides with the 10th anniversary of its creation.

Pororo is a dominating presence in the lives of Korean children. It has become so popular here it has the nickname “Pororo the President.”

President-elect Park Geun-hye made a special guest appearance at the screening and met with industry leaders and university students majoring in animation.

During the meeting, Park stressed increasing the role of cultural content.

“Watching the growth of Pororo over the years, I have come to have great hopes for our creative industries,” Park said during opening remarks at the meeting.

“One of my pledges as a presidential candidate was to promote cultural industries, including animation, as a new growth engine for our country, and I will try to realize my word.”

“Pororo: the Racing Adventure,” is about the penguin and his friends as they compete against world-class athletes in a sleigh race.

Pororo has also become a symbol of hope for the local animation industry, which has yet to produce globally-popular characters.

In the last decade, the TV series has been exported to more than 120 countries. The film will open in 6,000 theaters in China this week, becoming the most widely-released foreign animated film there.

The series revolves around the adventures of Pororo and his friends who live in the snowy village of Porong Porong Forest, who often encounter challenges and learn practical and moral lessons. The cartoon series originally aired on EBS in 2003.

The other major characters are good-natured polar bear Poby, nosy red fox Eddy, timid beaver Loopy, friendly girl penguin Petty and happy-go-lucky humming bird Harry. <The Korea Times/Do Je-hae>