Mug Travel
Mug Travel, known as My Friend Bernard in English, is a 2007 South Korean computer-animated film, directed by Aaron Lim and based on his animated TV series, Bernard.
Plot
A little boy named Bebe, all alone on Christmas, is given a magical pendant from Santa Claus and embarks on a fantastical adventure. Traveling in a giant mug with the power of teleportation, Bebe explores a variety of exotic locations, accompanied by a host of characters including Backkom the polar bear and Kongkong the penguin. Bebe and her friends go on a series of adventures through an ice world and a desert oasis. During this trip they encounter a variety of challenges, including a sea monster and an ominous cave.Production
Produced by RG Animation Studios and directed by Aaron Lim, Mug Travel is a feature film adaptation of Lim's computer-animated TV series Backkom. The film and TV series were made at the same time on a combined budget of $5.9 million, after Lim noticed a gap in the market for shows aimed at preschool children.Release
Mug Travel was released in South Korea on 22 March 2007, and was ranked eighth at the Korean box office on its opening weekend with 48,244 admissions. Over the course of its theatrical run, the film accumulated a total of 135,261 admissions nationwide, and grossed $608,835.Mug Travel was screened at the Fifth Bimini Animation Festival, held in Latvia in March 2007, where it was the winner of "The Best Film for Children" award. It was subsequently selected to participate in the non-competition category at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film, which ran from 5–17 April 2007 in Belgium.