Happy Running (快乐奔跑, Kuàilè bēnpǎo), also known as Running Freely, is a 2009 Chinese animated film directed by Sun Lijun (Director of Little Soldier Zhang Ga and Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit) and published by the Beijing Film Academy.
Set in a world with anthropomorphic vegetables, fruits, and other plants, it is about an anthropomorphic white gourd named Toto, who struggles to be skilled in sports due to his weight. When he learns from his mistakes and trains with his friends, he is able to take on the 101st Super Vegetable Contest, a major event held every four years filled with obstacles that require teamwork to pass.
The film is a message to children to promote exercise and eating organic foods, justified by the fact that the characters are usually anthropomorphic food. The film was released in August 2009.
Tropes used in Happy Running:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The worm monsters appear in static CG animation (Only the ones that come out of the pumpkins).
- Animesque: It has anime-inspired visuals.
- Captain Ersatz: The worm monsters in the Super Vegetable Contest, which look like Wrigglers from Super Mario Bros., hence their ball-like segments.
- Cats Are Magic: Toto's pet cat. He enchants Toto to win in competitions.
- Eldritch Abomination: The monster encountered near the end of the Super vegetable Contest.
- Fanboy: Three fangirls cheer on Toto and Thorn several times.
- Jerkass: Thorn is a very arrogant bully who constantly teases Toto and his friends.
- Team Spirit: Toto's success in the Super Vegetable Contest only comes after he realizes that, instead of struggling alone with his weight (he's a gourd), he needs to train along with his friends.