Date: Mar 7th 2014 10:51a.m.

Contributed by:
ywang16

Millions of Chinese moviegoers are flocking to theaters to see Dad, Where Are We Going?, the feature film spin-off of Hunan TV’s reality show of the same name, about celebrity fatherhood. The original TV series was imported from South Korea and adapted to Chinese audiences, fitting perfectly within the cultural discourse of evolving traditional family values and fatherhood in society.

The film follows a story structure similar to the reality show and features celebrity dads Tian Liang, Olympic diver and actor, Taiwanese actor Jimmy Lin, actor Guo Tao, model Zhang Liang and film director Wang Yuelun, with their children, aged 3 to 5. The parent-child duos compete in various challenges while their interactions and relationships are fleshed out on screen. This time, the families are sent to Guangzhou’s Chimelong Safari Park where each pairing completes tasks such as brushing animals’ teeth and feeding tiger cubs.

Adorable kids, small fluffy animals—a recipe for cuteness overload and campiness. But it’s surprising just how heartwarming the film turned out to be. The kids are simply too cute to function, with their silly antics, mouthy one-liners and hilarious displays of frankness that no actor could ever emulate. At the same time, the relationships between father and child come across as incredibly sincere and personal, and the silver screen intimately captures the unbreakable attachment they have for each other.

Dad, Where Are We Going? is screening at theaters around town