A tchang čchi jü

You've seen tea pets before - those cute little clay figures you find on trays next to your daily kettle of boiling refreshment. Pour tea on them and watch them change color, or to see if your brew is hot enough. Ah Tang is one such figure, now living among a special collection of them in a local tea shop, but he rarely gets the pours he so desires. Why? He is unfinished, the final handiwork of a tea-pet master who, when tragedy struck, shuttered his workshop. An outcast among his own, Ah Tang's color will never deepen, his purpose incomplete. But fate intervenes when a mysterious orb-shaped robot crashes into the shop. The robot, whom the pets name Xiao Lai, claims it is from the future but otherwise has no memories of its homeland or the specifics of its creation. With nothing left to lose, Ah Tang joins Xiao Lai in an action-packed adventure through the city's underground tunnels and sewers, avoiding the wrath of henchmen rats and a feared thief named Flash on their journey to find the fabled Tree Hole Man, who will unlock the answers to their identities. Popping off the screen with vivacious colors and beautifully composed action sequences, Tea Pets rivals the best of Pixar, a deeply moving, exciting tale of finding yourself. (Seattle International Film Festival)