(PRE-ORDER) Legend of the Sacred Stone (Std Blu-ray) (DEAF CROCODILE)

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LEGEND OF THE SACRED STONE (2000)

A spectacular wuxia martial arts epic filled with occult secrets and sword play, but told entirely with Taiwanese budaixi glove puppets!

Legend Of The Sacred Stone (Sheng Shi Chuan Shuo) is a wildly imaginative wuxia fantasy directed by Chris Huang, blending high-flying martial arts spectacle with the centuries-old tradition of Taiwanese budaixi glove puppetry. Based on the long-running and hugely popular PILI franchise (launched in 1984), the film transforms elaborate wuxia storytelling into a visually striking puppet-driven epic filled with swordplay, supernatural forces, and mythic conflict. Set in the martial world of Wulin, the story follows the noble warrior Su Huan-Jen and his allies as they battle the sinister Mo Kuei and his spectral assassins, "The Unkind," to prevent them from seizing the all-powerful Sacred Stone.

Fusing the aesthetics of classic Shaw Brothers cinema with unexpected tonal and visual influences, Legend Of The Sacred Stone evokes everything from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin to Thunderbirds Are Go, Team America: World Police, and The Dark Crystal. The result is a singular cinematic experience where intricately designed puppets engage in gravity-defying combat--leaping, spinning, and even riding flying swords--while navigating a world of hidden tombs, lakes of fire, and mystical energies. Equal parts operatic and surreal, the film balances intense action with moments of humor and theatricality, particularly through the bizarre and charismatic villains whose exaggerated personalities add a unique flavor to the narrative.

This first-ever U.S. release presents the film in its original Taiwanese Hokkien language with English subtitles, accompanied by a robust set of bonus materials including a new interview with Huang and the PILI puppeteering team, an audio commentary by puppeteer and filmmaker Ben Wolf Page, and a visual essay by film historian Evan Chester. A newly assembled "Su Huan-Jen Character Spotlight" traces the evolution of the iconic hero across nearly four decades of PILI storytelling, offering valuable context for newcomers and longtime fans alike. A one-of-a-kind fusion of traditional artistry and genre filmmaking, Legend Of The Sacred Stone stands as a dazzling entry in both wuxia cinema and global puppet animation.