Satellite Girl and Milk Cow


Satellite Girl and Milk Cow is a South Korean animated feature film that premiered in 2014. It was directed by Jang Hyung-yoon, who is known for short animations such as The Private Life of a Martial Arts Master and I Need a Dad. It was released in South Korea on February 20, 2014, and in North America on June 2, 2018, by GKIDS.
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Plot

Kyung-cheon, an ordinary college student with dreams of becoming a musician, loses his heart as everything in life, including music and love, seems to go wrong. One day, he transforms into a milk cow due to an unknown magical power and is chased by a man looking to harvest the livers of animals turned into humans, as well as a burner who wants to incinerate these transformed beings. Meanwhile, a satellite named Our Star No. 1, which has been drifting in space after losing contact with Earth, becomes interested in Kyung-cheon's song and descends to find its singer. In the process of descending, the satellite accidentally turns into a girl due to a magic spell cast by a wizard named Merlin. Eventually, Kyung-cheon, who has turned into a milk cow, meets the satellite and Merlin in his rooftop room, and their strange cohabitation begins.

Characteristics

Jang Hyung-yoon, a graduate of the Korea Academy of Film Arts, is one of the most well-known directors in the Korean independent animation scene, having established the studio 'Now or Never'. His works are described as having a "somewhat clumsy look and atmosphere, sweet love stories, and unpredictable comedic sense." He has created a unique world in his works, and this particular piece can be seen as an extension of that.
Notably, this film features Our Star No. 1, the first national satellite of South Korea, as the female protagonist. Jang Hyung-yoon explained the choice of featuring Our Star No. 1 as a character, stating, "Our Star No. 1 is in its early 20s in human years, has a similar weight to humans, and the fact that the satellite continues to look toward Earth despite losing contact is quite appealing."
The protagonist Kyung-cheon's name is derived from the music director Go Kyung-choon. Both the name and the character being a musician are similar. Reflecting the lives of modern Korean youth, the film prominently features real-life locations such as Hongdae, Seoul Tower, and the Han River.

Connections to Jang Hyung-yoon's previous works

The concept of a satellite turning into a human is similar to the premise of Jang Hyung-yoon's previous work 'The Private Life of a Martial Arts Master', where the protagonist Jin Yeong-young takes on the form of a vending machine and can transform back into a human at will. Additionally, the love story between a human-turned-satellite and a milk cow resembles the unique love stories shown in works such as 'Tea Time' and 'The Private Life of a Martial Arts Master'. Moreover, this film contains various settings, expressions, and characters drawn from Jang Hyung-yoon's past works. A specific short film from 2008 titled 'Oh! Indieful Film Festival Trailer' features a situation very similar to scenes in this film, and another 2009 short, 'Tomorrow Will Be Normal', shares notable similarities in character design and story elements.

Characters

Main characters




Other characters

  • Fantasy Couple Woman: Jung Yu-mi
  • Fantasy Boy: Choi Do-young
  • Professor: Jang Hyuk-jin
  • Teaching Assistant: Choi Si-hyung
  • Loan Shark: Jang Hyuk-jin
  • Club Owner: Lee Don-yong
  • News Anchor: Choi Jin-woo
  • News Reporter: Jo Eun-sun
  • Playground Kid: Choi Do-young
  • Playground Mom: Choi Do-young
  • Playground Police: Jang Hyuk-jin
  • Playground People: Yeon Sang-ho, Hwang Seok-jung, Choi Jin-woo, Kim Chang-soo, Choi Si-hyung, Kim Hyung-mi, Kim Hye-jin
  • General Yi Sun-sin: Jo Young-gak
  • Bicycle Boy: Choi Si-hyung
  • Passersby: Kim Yae-jin, Choi Jin-woo, Kim Chang-soo, Yeon Sang-ho, Jang Hyung-yoon
  • Voice in the Dark: Jo Young-gak, Go Eun-ha, Pyo Yong-su

Crew

  • Production: Now or Never
  • Provided/Distributed by: Indieplug
  • Director: Jang Hyung-yoon
  • Producer: Jo Young-gak
  • Screenplay: Jang Hyung-yoon, Park Ji-yoon, Jung Eun-kyung, Kang Sun-mi
  • Assistant Director: Park Ji-yoon
  • Storyboard: Jang Hyung-yoon, Park Ji-yoon
  • Character Design: Jang Hyung-yoon, Park Ji-yoon
  • Animation Director: Kim Chang-soo
  • Layout: Park Ji-yoon, Kim Chang-soo
  • Production Producer: Lee Ho
  • Original Art: Kim Young-guk, Lee Hyun-dae, Lee Eun-hye
  • Digital Coloring: Kim Min-ho
  • Editing: Lee Yeon-jung
  • Art Director: Kim Young-jae
  • Art Supervisor: Kim Eun-sook
  • 3D Supervisor: Choi Dong-hyuk
  • Digital Animation: Jo Yong-ik, Kwon Eun-jin
  • Music Director: Go Kyung-choon
  • Sound Supervisor: Pyo Yong-su

OST

The ending song of the film "Beautiful Memory" serves as the main theme for the protagonist Kyung-cheon, while "Wait for Me" is the theme for the protagonist Il-ho.

Miscellaneous

On February 13, 2014, a premiere was held at the Lotte Cinema Hongdae Branch, attended by alumni from KAIST, who played a significant role in the development of Our Star No. 1. Among those present was Park Seong-dong, who was responsible for mission analysis, thermal interpretation, and designing the receiver, demodulator, and antenna for Our Star No. 1. Other attendees included Lee Woo-kyung, Cheon Jin-hwan, Park Seong-jin, and Chu Gil-jae. Director Jang Hyung-yoon mentioned that it was his first time meeting someone involved with the satellite's development. Park Seong-dong expressed gratitude, saying, "Last August marked the 20th anniversary of the launch of Our Star No. 1. I felt grateful and pleased that someone used this subject to make a film."