Korean animated film to open in North America

A new South Korean 3-D animated film will open at 3,000 theaters in North America next month, making it the biggest release ever for a Korean movie, the culture ministry said Tuesday.

“The Nutjob” is set to open on Jan. 17, 2014, through Open Road Films, a major United States movie distributor, after four years of co-production with Canada, the ministry said in a release.

The 45 billion won ($42.8 million) movie depicts the adventure of Seolli the squirrel and his friends who raid a peanut store in a downtown area to steal peanuts needed to get through the winter. The film features a scene in which the main characters sing and dance to “Gangnam Style” together with an animated character of the song‘s artist Psy.

According to the ministry, the production cost was partially covered by direct and indirect support from the Korean government and loans from two local banks.

With the North American release of “The Nutjob,” the ministry says, government plans to increase its support for the country’s animation industry.

The government allocated 22.4 billion won from its 2014 budget to support the industry, an increase from this year’s 17.2 billion won, the ministry said.

The Korean release of “The Nutjob” is due on Jan. 29. (Yonhap News)