Pili (TV series)

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Pili (Traditional Chinese: 霹靂) is a puppet show from Taiwan. It is made by Pili International Multimedia. The TV series started in 1985, and it still continues today. It is one of the most popular TV shows in Taiwan. Pili puppet show is performed by many kinds of puppets, some of them are cool, some are intelligent, and some are funny. Unlike traditional puppet shows, Pili puppet show uses state-of-the-art animation to help present its fighting art. The delicate design of the appearance and characteristics of each puppet has made Pili puppet show a well-known entertainment in Taiwan.

In 2000, the Pili movie Legend of the Sacred Stone was released. It was released on DVD in Taiwan and Japan (the Japanese edit significantly shortened).The Japanese release includes some humorously bad optional English subtitles, while the Taiwanese release has no English, so the only imports and bootlegs of the film generally found in North America have been of the Japanese version.

In February 2006, a company called Animation Collective created an edited version of Pili on Cartoon Network called Wulin Warriors. Many fans of the original series complained about the poor quality of the scripts and changes made for the American version. One example was the character Ye Hsiao-Chai (Scar in Wulin Warriors), who is a mute in the Taiwanese version of the series, but in the American version he speaks frequently. Many Cartoon Network viewers were hostile to Wulin Warriors because the programming of the series was part of a shift in the channel's focus to include live action programs. Cartoon Network cancelled Wulin Warriors after only two episodes.

[edit] Links

• Pili International Multimedia - English language web site of the series' creators
• Animation Collective - Developed Wulin Warriors for American television