VFX China mocks US over coronavirus response in an animation short

China mocks US over coronavirus response in an animation short

US president Donald Trump had recently alleged that the novel coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology laboratory. China has released a short animation film, featuring Lego-like figures mocking the US’ response to the coronavirus epidemic.

The film titled Once Upon a Virus released by China’s official Xinhua news agency suggests that China did everything in its power to warn the global community of the coronavirus breakout but the US never took the alerts seriously. And when cases escalated outside China, the US blamed the country for hiding facts, the video suggests. It also mocked the US’ decision to cut funding for WHO.

In the animation, red curtains open to reveal a stage featuring Lego-like figures in the form of a terracotta warrior wearing a face mask and the Statue of Liberty.

The United States and other countries have accused China of misleading the world about the severity of the outbreak, and there are growing calls for an international inquiry into the origins of the virus.

Lego’s press office wrote in an emailed statement on Saturday: “We weren’t involved in making the animation in any way.”

VFX