Little Fierce Loong is a childhood fantasy and a bittersweet fable about two kids from different backgrounds who bond over a surreal Chinese wooden dragon that challenges their views on race and class. We aim to help kids find acceptance in a world often divided by social classes & race & culture.

 

 

In a world divided by race and social class, 10-year-old Hua Mu, an Asian girl, is just starting to build her life in the U.S. with her single mom. Without any connections, she finds solace in her secret friend, Mu Xiao Loong, a wooden Chinese dragon that whispers only to her. Despite the disbelief of those around her, this companionship brightens her days at her mom’s toy stall in the market.

However, her harmony is disrupted by Alex, a 9-year-old privileged dragon toy enthusiast but indeed a lonely boy lacking parental warmth. Alex buys Mu Xiao Loong from Hua Mu’s mom at a high price despite Hua Mu's warnings. At home, Alex commands Mu Xiao Loong to talk, but it backfires, unleashing chaos that only he can see and making him sick. Desperate, Alex seeks Hua Mu's help.

Hua Mu's arrival transforms their relationship. Though filled with hatred for each other, the two kids make a special deal to go on a surreal journey to make their imagination come true -- to have real connections. Guided by Mu Xiao Loong, slowly and softly, the two kids realize how similar they are regarding their shared emotions and experiences concerning the absence of their parents' company and their belief in magic. Just as their friendship blossoms, the adults' arrival brings them back to reality, but this time, they decide to embrace the connection they found in their imagination.

 

 

When I was a little girl, I spent my childhood in Linhai, a small town in China. Then, I moved to the city of Hangzhou, living with my single mother, who doesn't like rich people, and because our financial situation is not very good, I often helped to maintain our run-down house. Some rich kids at school kept their distance because their parents didn't want them to make friends with wild and dirty kids. Because of this, I created a lot of imaginary friends –my toys, and I talked with them instead of the other kids. After I grew older, my distant father came into my life again, and ironically, he shared some completely different perspectives from what he learned from some of his "rich" friends as parents. This challenged my previous beliefs, and I realized how parental influence greatly shapes their children’s beliefs. I began to see these views as incredibly limited. 

After coming to the US, I was surprised at how race, social class, and gender generated so much distance between people. These differences grew even more so during COVID-19. As an Asian woman, “Asian hate” became a real threat to my community, and this makes me worry about kids. Will they be excluded at school as well due to race or class? Do they have an imaginary friend? With all of this in mind, I had the idea to tell a story about two kids from completely different backgrounds, where they ultimately realize that they are not that different regarding their emotions and experiences; they also find that friendship can cross boundaries that adults would find difficult.

The film embodies a wish I've had since childhood, and it's a wish I extend to all children in America. Can we discard our hostile feelings and stereotypes to truly embrace our differences?

Tonelly, our story shares the complexity and bittersweetness of Jojo Rabbit, the adventurous spirit and rebelliousness of Moonrise Kingdom, and we aim to capture the subtlety and loneliness portrayed in Monster. All these films feature children living in environments where they feel disconnected, and this isolation spurs them to create childish yet beautiful imaginations. These become outlets and reasons for them to connect and be curious about each other and understand shared emotions, transcending differences in gender, race, and class.

 

 

In order to tell this beautiful story, make this unique, surreal world, and make our "Wooden Dragon" come alive. We need to hire animators/compositors/gaffers/Steadicam operators... Building a real market with over 30 extras and feeding them to establish our little girl's environment is a huge cost as well. We also need the money to book a beautiful mansion for three days as the boy's place. All the money will go to our camera/sound/production design/producing team, and we have the breakdown below.

 

 

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CONTRIBUTE WITH A PLEDGE

We have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.

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HELP US WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION FOR OVER $2000!!!

Tax deductible donations are made possible through our fiscal sponsor From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) who has been devoted to helping fund independent filmmakers since 1993. For their services they will receive 6% of your donation and an additional 2% for credit card donations.