The next ‘Frozen’? Expectations for ‘Heartsping: Teenieping of Love’ soar with high reservation rate

The ticket reservation rate for “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the film prequel to South Korean hit animation series “Catch! Teenieping,” has recorded 95 percent well before its opening at theaters on Aug. 7, according to ShowBox, the film’s distributor.

The record is raising anticipation on whether the Korean animated film will become the next “Frozen,” a 2019 hit Disney animated film that saw the presales of tickets top 1.1 million -- the first animated film to reach such a milestone at the box office according to Korean Film Council data.

Most of the tickets sold preopening are for stage greetings which take place at cinemas in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Busan and Daegu before the movie screening, where actors in Teenieping costumes make appearances.

“We have even received requests for additional stage greetings, at which audiences get to meet with the Teenieping characters before the screening starts,” said an official from ShowBox.

On Tuesday, ShowBox released a statement asking people to avoid buying tickets secondhand on social network platforms or through online communities.

“Teenieping,” a 2020 TV animation series by SAMG Entertainment, revolves around Princess Romi of the Emotion Kingdom who comes to Earth to catch cute and mischievous creatures called Teeniepings, each of which has a unique power linked to an emotion or concept it represents.

The TV series, which has run for three seasons, has captured the attention of young TV viewers in Korea and China as well as Netflix subscribers around the world, recording an accumulated 800 million views. Some 90 types of Teeniepings appear on the show, and Teenieping figures have become some of the top-ranking toys in Korea.

“Heartsping: Teenieping of Love” tells the story of what happened to Princess Romi before coming to Earth and her fateful encounter with Heartsping who becomes her soulmate.

Top animation experts took part in making the film, ensuring the quality of the 86-minute movie.

Kim Su-hoon doubles as director of the film and CEO of SAMG Entertainment, and is responsible for the Teenieping worldview. Kim said he differentiated the movie from the TV series by adding various effects as a family movie, including realistic outfits and even the natural movement of hair based on simulations.

Character visualization was helmed by renowned animation director Kim Young-jin, behind “Miniforce” and “Go Go Dino.” Kim said he focused on the storytelling and emotional development of Romi and Heartsping. The TV series, by comparison, was focused on introducing the various Teenieping characters.

Various effects technologies were used in scenes to show large forests and grasslands, as well as a large crowd of people.

Music director Kim Tae-ho created a soundtrack with lyrical melodies and upbeat rhythms to appeal to young audiences. The soundtrack also blends well with the story and feelings throughout the film.

K-pop girl group aespa’s Winter took part in the movie’s main theme song. Its dance challenge across social media channels has already recorded some 3 million combined views.

“Heartsping: Teenieping of Love” hits local theaters on Aug. 7.