The release of the last episodes were delayed because of censorship reviews.[4]
Synopsis
When the second prince of the fire tribe, Xin Jue (Jiang Chao), was mysteriously killed during his visit to the Ice Tribe for Ka Suo's coming-of-age ceremony, the Fire King Huo Yi (Hu Bing) uses this as an excuse to start a second war between the Fire Tribe and Ice Tribe. With their parents captured and older siblings killed, the two remaining Ice Princes Ka Suo (Feng Shaofeng) and Ying Kong Shi (Ma Tianyu) escape to the mortal world and seek help from realm guardian Li Luo (Victoria Song) to help obtain ice crystals from six tribes in order to restore the Ice Wall, so that the Ice Tribe can be saved.
After the Fire Tribe was defeated with the Deicide Sword, Ka Suo reluctantly battles his brother for the throne, but he wants nothing more than the freedom to be with his lover Li Luo. Ying Kong Shi does everything in his power to take the throne away from Ka Suo, to ensure that Ka Suo has his freedom, while Yan Da (Zhang Meng), the Fire Princess, is willing to give up everything for Shi. Then, Ka Suo's loved ones all die off one by one under the conspiracies of Yuan Ji (Yan Yikuan) and Lian Ji (Kim Hee-sun), and he is determined to find the legendary "veiled lotus". A war between the Ice and Fire Tribe commences again, with Li Tian Jin joining the Fire Tribe to get his revenge on Ka Suo.
As the kindest and most powerful of the ice princes, Ka Suo was his father's presumed successor. However after falling in love with his first love Li Luo, he longs for freedom, but is bound by his responsibility to his kingdom. He is forced to assume the throne to oversee reconstruction efforts for the Ice Tribe after the war.
Later his brother, crowned as King, ordered Ka Suo to marry Li Luo. But the marriage was short lived when she was stabbed by Lan Shang on her wedding night. Ka Suo then goes on a journey with his friends to look for the veiled lotus to try to bring his loved ones back to life.
Feng also plays Ka Suo's ancestor She Mi (舍弥), the first Ice King and founder of the Ice Tribe.
Li Luo is born with lowly civilian status, but with her brave and resolute attitude, she quickly becomes a powerful warrior and envoy for the mortal guards. She meets Ka Suo and the two fall in love. On her wedding, she was accidentally stabbed with the Deicide sword by Lan Shang while saving Ying Kong Shi. She was sealed in ice and placed at the bottom of the Infinity Ocean. She is later brought back to life by the veiled lotus, bearing Lan Shang's appearance. Li Jing is Lan Shang's incarnation and looks just like Li Luo, so she has Lan Shang's soul and Li Luo's looks. She was granted immortality and crowned the Queen of Ice Tribe by Ka Suo. It is later revealed that Li Luo and Lan Shang's souls have switched bodies.
Ying Kong Shi is the younger half-brother of Ka Suo, who wants to replace him as king of the Ice Tribe to set his brother free. He is silent, cold and mysterious in nature.
Sword Spirit Shi is the last piece of soul left of Shi, when he was killed with the Deicide sword. He entered the Holy Snow Shrine with Ka Suo and also befriended Yan Da.
Li Tian Jin is the reincarnation of Ying Kong Shi and is also the Fire Tribe's new ally who wants to get revenge on Ka Suo.
Yan Da is the only current princess of the Fire Tribe. She is known for her unruly ways, stubbornness, and strong nature, even though her training as a warrior is unremarkable among immortals. She is much more kindhearted than she or her father would like to admit, and she develops a very strong bond with Ying Kong Shi.
Lan Shang is the noble mermaid princess who is known for her beauty and loved by many. However, she only has eyes for Ka Suo. After a series of tragic events, she committed suicide by jumping into the ocean, as a mermaid who lost her virginity to a foreign tribe cannot have a tail ever again and cannot breathe underwater. She incarnates by the veiled lotus and bears Li Luo's looks and her memories as Li Luo remains. It is later revealed that Li Luo and Lan Shang's souls have switched bodies.
An invincible and supreme being of Ice Flame Tribe (冰焰族). He created the chaos that ensue in the immortal world, including the assassination of Prince Xin Jue and the conflict between Ka Suo and Ying Kong Shi. He is also Ying Kong Shi's biological father and the last descendant of the Ice Flame Tribe.
Queen of the Mermaid Tribe. Lan Shang's adoptive grandmother and Lian Ji's adoptive mother. She is an opportunistic woman who is willing to sacrifice her children's happiness to achieve peace for her tribe.
Ying Kong Shi's mother and Lan Shang's adoptive aunt. She was an adoptive child of the royal mermaid family and was in love with the Fire King, but was forced by the Mermaid Saint to marry the Ice King. Acting as a spy for the Fire Tribe, the Ice Tribe collapsed under her betrayal.
Current Queen of the Spiritual Tribe. A kind and noble woman who is willing to make sacrifices to protect her tribe. She is engaged to Liao Jian, but was formerly in love with Pian Feng.
The Head Dreamer. One of the Seven Saints charged with safeguarding the Ice Tribe. A loyal and kind man who faithfully executes his duty to safeguard dreamers everywhere. He cares deeply for his sister.
Princess of the Dream Tribe and Xing Jiu's sister. She was meant to die on her 100th birthday, but survived and later becomes a Western protector of the Holy Shrine.
Guo Jingming's novel City of Fantasy sold over 1.5 million copies and ranked second in the bestseller's list.[38] Since City of Fantasy's release in 2003, there have been plenty of early attempts to produce a movie adaption. However, the attempts failed as many felt that the novel's fictional universe was too complicated and massive to condense into a movie.[39] The idea of a possible drama adaption of City of Fantasy had been formed since November 2014.
During Ice Fantasy's drama press conference held in August 2015, Hong Kong screenwriter Shen Zhining stated that the plot of the drama would have more stories, conflicts and background information compared to its book counterpart. The history of the tribes and their world's creation had been incorporated into the plot. The Fire Tribe's role in the story would also be expanded.[40][41] On June 10, 2015, the creation of the script and preparations for filming were finished.[42]
Academy Award-winning set designerDan Hennah, who designed the sets for Lord of the Rings, was enlisted to design the sets for the production, which were inspired by the buildings, landscapes and other aspects of ancient China as well as western cultures.[39][42] One particular set, called the "Endless Sea", was reported have an area size of 7,000 square meters, built using 500 tons of artificial snow.[43] It had also been reported that about 300 million yuan was invested for the drama's production, with 2 million yuan to create the main palace alone.[43] Furthermore, more than 100 craftsmen were enlisted to make 6,000 props, with many used in large-scale battle scenes.[44] Around 70 to 80 percent of post-production was centered around the special effects and CGI.[45] Youhug stated: "This should be an unprecedented investment in a domestic drama, we also hope to achieve good visual effect as much as possible."[43]
Guo Jingming acts as the artistic and visual director for the production. Other notable players in production include Dong Cheng Guang as art director, A Ju for make-up guidance, Zhong Jiani as costume and prop designer, and Ma Yucheng as choreographer.[46] The international visual effects company Pixomondo was also enlisted.[47][48]
Additionally, Boston Symphony Orchestra were also engaged to play the instrumental of the drama's background music.[49]
Shi Xiao Xi, the designer of the production's posters, is also a fan of the novel.[50]
Casting
Cast of Ice Fantasy at the show's press conference in August 2015.
It was announced that Feng Shaofeng, Victoria Song, Ma Tianyu, and Zhang Meng would play the main characters, Ka Suo, Li Luo, Ying Kong Shi, and Yan Da. Supporting characters were later revealed through character posters that were posted on the drama's official Weibo account.[46]
On August 12, 2015, Hennah and director Ju Jueliang, who is known for his martial arts films, brainstormed possible designs as well as visited a number of possible locations for filming.[52] The drama was scheduled to shoot for six months, starting from August 16, 2015. Principal photography filming was held in Beijing, China, with location filming held in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia; Beijing and Hebei's Jinzuan Movie City.[47][53] Filming finished in late February 2016 after lasting 187 days, and thereafter the drama entered into post-production phase.[54]
Sponsorship
The production of Ice Fantasy was wholly sponsored by Pechoin.[55][56][57] In addition, Pechoin's spokesperson Jay Chou, a globally acclaimed singer and songwriter, composed theme the song "Shouldn't Be (不该)" for the TV series.[55]
Soundtrack
Ice Fantasy - Original Television Soundtrack (幻城电视剧原声音乐大碟)
The series received low ratings on Douban where it was criticized for its special effects, acting and storyline.[58] However, it was a commercial success and has over 16 billion views online.[59]
Ice Fantasy also available in india his Hindi dubbed version on MX Player
Sequel
Produced by Youhug Media and Tencent Penguin Pictures, the modern sequel series of Ice Fantasy premiered on March 8 on Tencent Video. The series was directed by Zhou Linjao, and written by Shen Zhining and ran for 16 episodes. Primary cast members Feng Shaofeng, Ma Tianyu, Zhang Meng and Madina Memet starred as new versions of their characters, while Zhang Yuqi replaced Victoria Song, who made occasional appearances via stock footage and two surprise cameos. Supporting cast members Xu Ke (Xing Jiu) and Cheng Peipei (Feng Tian) reprised their supporting roles, while Chen Xinyu, Huang Deyi, and Lu Zizhen returned in new roles.[67]
Synopsis
In the year 2020, the CEO of a technology company, Feng Suo, suddenly reclaims the powers of his distant previous incarnation, Ka Suo. At the same time, he meets Luo Luo, the reincarnation of Kingdom Guardian Li Luo. The two reignite the love that defined their past lifetimes and undergo a series of adventures. Tracking them is Ying Kong Shi - the original - and a reincarnation of Yan Da, determined to stop him before his plans for Feng Suo come to fruition. As the four work towards outrunning their respective destinies, old friends and new enemies emerge to write a new chapter of the Ice and Fire tribes' story.
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