LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 -- "White Snake," an animated film co-produced by Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation and California-based Warner Bros. Pictures, will hit the big screen in the United States on Friday.

Released by American film distributor GKIDS in the United States, the film is set to open in Los Angeles at Landmark's Nuart Theatre on Friday, to be followed by other selected theatres across the country on Nov. 29.

The film draws inspiration from a Chinese folktale which features the romantic tragedy of a young man named Xu Xian and the white snake maiden Bai Suzhen. It is the first time Warner Bros. has participated in a co-production animated film project. It is also the first Warner Bros film that tells a Chinese folk story.

"Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love," wrote GKIDS on its official website.

"We hope to tell an ancient fantasy story about love while people living in 2019 would still be touched and provoked about what true love means," the co-directors of the film, Amp Wong and Zhao Ji, wrote in a filmmaker letter to American moviegoers posted on the Landmark Theatres chain's website.

"As filmmakers from China, we aimed to bring the Chinese artistic style into CG animation," they noted, adding that they have started working on the sequel to the film one year ago.

"White Snake" and two other Chinese-themed films, "Ne Zha" and "Abominable," are among a record 32 features submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.

"White Snake" was released in Chinese mainland in January and grossed 451 million yuan (around 64.4 million U.S. dollars) at box office, according to the Chinese film database Maoyan. The film boasts a 9.3 out of 10 user rating on the Maoyan platform, averaged from more than 420,000 viewers.