This autumn, the most popular Chinese animated film is perhaps The Legend of Hei, following on from the runaway hit Ne Zha. 6park.com
在这个初秋，紧接着《哪吒》之后，大银幕上最火的国产动画片，大概当属《罗小黑战记》。 6park.com
Adapted from a short animated series of the same title, the film has so far grossed 250 million yuan, a remarkable performance for a domestic animated production — a suggestion that the Chinese animated industry is taking off. 6park.com
这部由同名系列短篇动画孵化的大电影，目前已斩获约2.5亿元的票房。这对于国产二维动画片而言，已经是不错的成绩，也从侧面印证了国漫崛起不再仅仅是一个美好的愿望。 6park.com
It's the first feature-length film derived from a flash cartoon series. The series of 28 five-minute episodes was released online in March 2011. The movie is a prequel of this series. 6park.com
《罗小黑战记》的电影最初来源于一个上线于2011年3月的系列卡通动画。在过去八年中，这个每集大约5分钟的动画番只更新到28集，而电影是系列动画的前传。 6park.com
I watched the online series to learn more about the characters after I watched the movie in a theater last weekend.  6park.com
上周末看完电影后，我也“补课”了网上的系列短篇。



Luo Xiaohei is a small black cat with big eyes. He has a long tail, which can magically split into several pieces and each of them can transform into a creature that looks like a lump of coal. Somewhat like China's mythological figure the Monkey King, who is depicted as possessing the power to transform hair into creatures, Luo's tail also serves as an assistant to the cat. 6park.com
罗小黑是一只大眼睛的小黑猫，它长长的尾巴会分裂成几段，每一段都会变成酷似一只小煤球的“嘿咻”。按照我的理解，嘿咻的作用，有点类似孙悟空从身上拔下的毛，虽然数量没有那么多，但每一个都可以单独行动，给本体帮些忙。



For every pet owner, Luo Xiaohei is probably a dream cat. He can hop onto a toilet to flush, supervise other naughty pets such as the guinea pig Bidiu, and even rescue his owner from danger. 6park.com
对于每个“铲屎官”而言，罗小黑大概是他们梦寐以求的喵。这货能自己坐马桶，能看管其它淘气的宠物（比如团鼠比丢），关键时刻还能挺身救主。



During the film's promotional period, director MTJJ once revealed his inspiration came from a stray cat called Xiao Hei he had adopted. Though he built a comfortable home for him, the cat loved to wander and returned home just for meals. So, six months later, the director had to let him go. 6park.com
在宣传期中，导演MTJJ曾透露过“罗小黑”故事的灵感来源于他曾经养过的流浪猫“小黑”。尽管导演给了小黑一个舒服的家，那只野性难驯的猫依然热爱流浪，只是到了饭点才回家。半年之后，无奈的导演只好将它放生了。 6park.com
In the animated series Luo Xiaohei has a home and an owner, a cute 10-year-old girl. With fine paintings, the animated series tells a heartwarming story, which strikes a chord with most cat owners. 6park.com
在系列短篇动画中罗小黑不但有了家，还有了一个可爱的主人叫罗小白，是一个十岁的小女孩。这个温暖治愈、又画风清朗的故事，几乎能融化每一个“铲屎官”的心。



Luo Xiaohei transforms into a boy in the last few episodes. In the animated series, Luo Xiaohei is seriously beaten by a powerful guardian, Diting, because he sneaks into the god Laojun's residence to steal the god's valuable treasure, tian ming zhu (sky-shinning pearl). As he gets injured and thus loses the power to transform into a human being, Luo Xiaohei has to wander the city as a cat and is adopted by Luo Xiaobai. 6park.com
有趣的是，做动画很慢的导演MTJJ直到最后几集，才让罗小黑现出人形。因为在短篇动画的开头，猫妖罗小黑去盗取老君的天明珠，被看守宝藏的谛听打伤了，因此功力大损难以恢复人形，而后被罗小白收养了。 6park.com
The feature-length film is more plot-driven. The most valuable characteristic of the Luo Xiaohei franchise is its oriental mythological universe, which fictionalizes a modern society of coexisting human beings and monsters, as well as giving a convincing explanation about the existence and reproduction of monsters. 6park.com
而到了情节更紧凑的大电影中，场面更为恢宏，世界观也更为庞大。“罗小黑”这个IP的可贵和可爱之处，在于其已搭建了一个有东方神话特色的宇宙体系，描述了一个人妖共存的现代世界，并对妖的存在和繁衍进行了相对合理的解释。



Monsters in the film are a group of creatures with supernatural powers. They have existed since ancient times, when they were worshiped as gods. But with urbanization and industrialization until the latest internet era, humans have evolved and now live in the same places monsters have for generations. Aside from conflict, some monsters are attracted by the lifestyle and civilization of human beings and choose to move to humans' cities. 6park.com
按照这个IP的逻辑：妖是一群有着超能力的生灵，在古代人类社会已经存在，当时因为人类生产力低下，他们被敬奉为神。而随着人类文明的不断演进，当人类进入工业化时代乃至如今的互联网时代后，妖曾经赖以栖息的自然环境不断被城市化所蚕食。在人妖冲突之际，有些妖也被人类文明和人类生活方式所吸引，选择在人类的都市生活。



The franchise is inspired by Chinese mythology, exemplified by famous figures in the likes of Laojun, Ne Zha, Diting, Xuanli, and blends the country's unique martial arts into the tales.  6park.com
这个故事体系托底于中国神话体系（比如老君、哪吒、谛听、玄离这些神或神兽），加上了中国特有的武侠元素。 6park.com
A bit like Ne Zha, the franchise Luo Xiaohei shows us the possible future that domestic producers have the potential to build an oriental mythological universe on screen. Animation is perhaps the most medium to create a Chinese cinematic universe similar to the world's most lucrative franchise, Marvel Cinematic Universe. 6park.com
就像之前大热的《哪吒》一样，“罗小黑”让我们看到了一个东方神话宇宙的雏形和希望。动画这个最不限制想象力的领域，也最有可能先于真人电影，出现一个类似于漫威这样的电影宇宙。



当然，这个话题有些扯远了，也过于乐观了。《哪吒》是单片；“罗小黑”系列目前仍显单薄，还是治愈和卖萌为主。也许，对不少“铲屎官”而言，罗小黑的小黑猫造型比他的小男孩儿造型更有吸引力呢。