The studios of donghua

Nanjing's 3D factory

Founded in 1999 in Nanjing, Original Force (原力动画) is one of China's largest CGI studios. It animates A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality and Shrouding the Heavens.

History

Original Force was born in 1999 in Nanjing. The company, now Jiangsu Original Force Digital Technology, employs around 1,500 artists. It has studios in China and Los Angeles, and subsidiaries in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, San Francisco and Thailand.

For a long time the studio worked for video games and cinema, in China and abroad. In 2018 it made the feature Duck Duck Goose (妈妈咪鸭), then contributed to films such as UglyDolls, Jiang Ziya, Deep Sea and Ne Zha 2.

In 2020 it launched the adaptation of A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality (凡人修仙传) on Bilibili, which became a benchmark of 3D donghua. In 2023 it also animated Shrouding the Heavens (遮天) for Tencent, with Xingyue Chenshi, followed by Martial God Asura and King of Fighters: Awaken.

Signature

Original Force is an industrial studio in the best sense: detailed 3D characters, spectacular effects and a rare ability to keep up a weekly series for years. Its video-game experience shows in its fights.

Its donghua on Donghua Fan

The series and films in the catalogue that Original Force worked on.

Other productions

  • Duck Duck Goose (妈妈咪鸭, 2018), feature film
  • The Great Monster of the Forbidden City (故宫里的大怪兽), children's series
  • Martial God Asura (修罗武神)
  • King of Fighters: Awaken (拳皇·觉醒)
  • Contributions to Jiang Ziya, Deep Sea and Ne Zha 2

Trivia

  • It also contributed to Da Tang Yao Tan (大唐妖探), Cheng Teng's 2026 film.
  • The studio changed its name twice before becoming Jiangsu Original Force Digital Technology in 2019.
  • A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality has run continuously since 2020, with seasons, specials and films.

Donghua Fan's take

If 3D xianxia has reached its current level, Original Force deserves much of the credit. A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality remains one of the most faithful and consistent adaptations in the genre.

— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan

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