Teenieping sequel 'Teenieping: Legend of the Whale Heartstone' to be released on August 5th

'Teenieping: Heartsping', which wrote a new history for domestic animation, is set to target the summer movie market with its sequel. 'Teenieping: Legend of the Whale Heartstone', confirmed for release on August 5, is the second story in the theatrical trilogy of the 'Catch! Teenieping' series, which has built a fandom through TV and YouTube since 2020.

This work follows the journey of the protagonist, Romi, to save her mother, Queen Belita, who has disappeared into the sea due to a crisis. Romi heads toward the mysterious ocean world along with her best friend, Heartsping, and the sea boy, Kite. Featuring mysterious underwater cities, giant deep-sea creatures, and a new villain named Levius, it presents a fantasy adventure that is more expanded than the previous film.

The driving force of the previous film's 1.24 million viewers and the mother-daughter narrative

The previous film, 'Teenieping: Heartsping', broke the genre limitations of children's animation and created a box office sensation, recording a cumulative audience of 1.24 million. This is the first time in 12 years that a Korean animation has surpassed the 1 million viewer mark, and it achieved a feat of ranking in the TOP 3 of all-time domestic animation box office rankings. At the time, it showed high satisfaction, with the CGV Golden Egg Index reaching as high as 97%.

This sequel inherits the box office formula shown by the previous film while adding depth to the narrative. Director Kim Su-hun explained that while the previous film was about the process of discovering love, this work is a story about understanding love. In particular, by setting the sea as the mother's heart and the whale as a symbol of maternal love, it puts a mother-daughter narrative at the forefront that appeals not only to children but also to the parent generation. The director added that he hopes the ocean will provide a time for audiences to reflect on themselves and their families.

From NCT WISH Jae Hee to Baek Ji-young, a spectacular OST lineup

The participation of artists to enhance musical perfection is also noteworthy. Unlike the previous film, which drew attention through aespa's Winter's participation, various vocalists who can attract the interest of K-pop fans are participating this time.

The main OST, 'Open Your Eyes', enhances the song's perfection as it is sung as a duet by Hearts2Hearts Yuha and NCT WISH Jae Hee. In addition, Hearts2Hearts Ye-on, singer Baek Ji-young, actress Jung Ji-so, and Gwyn, who was the runner-up on 'Sing Again 4', will participate to add immersion to the film.