Walt Disney Co.'s first Chinese co-production, an animated film called The Magic Gourd, will be released this summer.

The movie is the first of a series of Chinese-language films planned with state-owned China Film Group.

The Magic Gourd, a Disney film based on a Chinese children's tale, will be released this summer.
(Walt Disney Co. /Associated Press)

Based on a novel written by the late Chinese children's writer Zhang Tianyi, it is about a boy who discovers a gourd that grants him wishes.

The story should already be familiar to Chinese children, because it has already been adapted into a TV cartoon.

Disney did not rely on its own famed animators in creating The Magic Gourd, but worked with Hong Kong special effects studio Centro Digital Pictures, which also did Kill Bill.

"We respect and appreciate the deep-rooted rich Chinese local culture," Stanley Cheung, managing director of Disney China, said in a statement.

Asia has a large network of animators, and animation talent often comes at a discount.

Disney has moved away from its usual strategy of promoting its mainstay stories and characters in China, because mainland audiences are somewhat unfamiliar with Mickey Mouse, Minnie and Donald Duck.

However, its 4,200 Disney Corner merchandise outlets in China are doing the job of introducing Chinese children to the characters.

Disney also has deals to get its animated programs on Chinese television. The Disney movie Eight Below is currently showing in China, and Cars will soon hit the screen.

Disney has partnered with Shanda Interactive Entertainment to develop an online game in China based on Disney characters.

With files from the Associated Press