Raised among chicken, and sheltered by his adoptive mother and sister Ratchet, little eagle Goldbeak thinks he can’t fly, or at least has been told so. Eager to be recognised and learn how to fly, Goldbeak and his sister embark on an adventure to Bird City to solve the mystery of his birth.
Writing
The 'can't fly' lie lands harder than expected for a family film.
Director
Dong Long
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Co-director Dong Long trained at Beijing Film Academy while Tierney came from BBC natural history; their clash of Eastern family-drama sensibilities and Western nature-doc aesthetic creates the film's uncanny emotional texture.
Goldbeak's character design went through 47 iterations because animators couldn't nail 'pathetic but potentially majestic'—the breakthrough came when someone referenced baby shoebill storks.
CN
