'Moving' aims to put the super back in Korean superhero movies

In a country where superhero movies have failed to enter the spotlight, save those in the "Avengers" universe, upcoming Disney+ original series “Moving” dares to tell a “Korean-style superhero story" and prove that Korean superpowers are...

Webtoon artist Kang Full speaks during a press conference for ″Moving″ at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

In a country where superhero movies have failed to enter the spotlight, save those in the "Avengers" universe, upcoming Disney+ original series “Moving” dares to tell a “Korean-style superhero story" and prove that Korean superpowers are indeed super.

“Moving” is based on the webtoon of the same name by Kang Full, considered of the earliest and most successful webtoonists in Korea who has had a number of hits including “Love Story” (2003), “Apartment” (2004), “Timing” (2005) and “Neighbor” (2008). Kang also directly participated in the adaptation of his webtoon by writing the script for “Moving.”

“I wanted to tell a Korean-style superhero story,” Kang said at a press conference at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Thursday. “What I mean by that is I wanted to give a historical twist to the typical superhero setting. I asked myself, if there are superheroes in Korea, what would they fight for and what would move them? And the answer came from the history of Korea — our experience of being split into two countries, our emphasis on family. So a Korean-style superhero story would focus on these aspects.”

Main poster for ″Moving″ [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

“Moving” surrounds a group of people who have special abilities or superpowers, and tells a story spanning two generations of characters who fight to protect their loved ones. The series drew attention when it was announced for its reported budget of 50 billion won ($39.5 million) and its all-star cast, including Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Ryu Seung-ryong, Ryoo Seung-bum, Cha Tae-hyun and more.

A lot was changed from the original webtoon’s story, and extra characters and more background information was added to the adaptation of “Moving,” according to Kang.

“Two entirely new characters were added in the adaptation, and I wanted to give fans of the original webtoon a kind of present — so I added background stories to the original,” Kang said. “I hope that these new characters and extra stories offer viewers an added layer that they can enjoy.”

The creators of “Moving,” including Kang, director Park In-jee and other producers, spent years preparing for the adaptation — three years to be exact, according to Park. Parts of those preparations were revising the script numerous times, pondering over how to differentiate a “Korean-style superhero story” from typical Hollywood superhero films, and applying world-class visual effects to the screen.

From left, webtoon artist Kang Full, director Park In-jee, visual effects supervisor Lee Sung-kyu speak during a press conference for ″Moving″ at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

“We really put a lot of thought into differentiating it from Hollywood superhero films,” Park said during the press conference. “Hollywood superheroes often fight for the greater good or some grand meaning, but our superheroes simply fight for their loved ones.”

As for the visual effects, according to visual effects supervisor Lee Sung-kyu, “Most films have about 2,000 cuts of visual effects, while ‘Moving’ has 7,540. This threefold jump in visual effects will make watching ‘Moving’ a never-seen-before experience for viewers.”

“A lot of readers and viewers of my work have commended me for having a humanism and world view in my stories, but, really, what I look for first and foremost is entertainment,” Kang said. “I think only of how to entertain people and how to make people have the most fun while reading or watching my work. I hope ‘Moving’ — with our Korean-style superhero story — will entertain a lot of people.”

“Moving” is set to premiere seven episodes out of a total of 20 on Aug. 9.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]