When Pixar Animation Studios' shading artist Tang Lan, a Shanghai native who graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute, heard director Dan Scanlon sharing his inspiration for the film Onward, she couldn't hold back her tears.

As the latest and 22nd feature produced by Pixar and distributed by Disney, Onward was released across Chinese mainland theaters on Aug 19, and received plaudits, exemplified by a score of 7.7 points out of 10 on the country's popular review site Douban.

"Onward is rooted in the director's own life. It resonates with me, and has stirred me to explore my own past," says Tang, during a telephone interview with China Daily.

Perhaps best known for Pixar's animated film Monsters University, Scanlon lost his father when he was about a year old. He and his 3-year-old brother were raised by their single mother in suburban Detroit.

His late father had remained a "mystery" to the siblings. That changed when a cassette tape sent from a relative helped Scanlon and his elderly brother-who were respectively 16 and 18 years old then-by giving them a rare glimpse of their father for the first time.

Recorded on the eve of their parents' wedding in the 1970s, the tape mostly contains the conversations of their mother's and father's parents. But when Scanlon heard the two simple words-"hello "and "goodbye"-from their late father, it was like a magical moment.

Onward is built on this sort of sad, yet also heartwarming, theme. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the tale fictionalizes two sibling elves, 16-year-old introvert Ian and his fun-loving brother, 19-year-old Barley.

With a wizard's staff, a spell and a gem, the siblings try to bring their late father back to life to spend one more day with them. Unfortunately, the magic goes awry and only conjures half the father, his legs, forcing the brothers to embark on a quest to find out if there is still a little magic left to bring the rest of their father back.

For Tang, who started working at Pixar in 2008, the film is reminiscent of her own life.

As her parents were assigned to work in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, she had grown up with her father's parents in Shanghai, barely seeing her father and mother before she was 10.

"I had often tried to imagine how my parents would get along with me if I could live with them," she recalls. "My grandparents have passed away. If I could (possess magic), I wish I could have one more dinner together with my grandparents."

Tang, who was also involved in the production of Pixar's Monsters University and Coco, reveals her main job is polishing props and items in the films according to their particular textures and characteristics, enabling them to convey hidden messages pertinent to the stories.

Speaking about the most valuable lessons she has learned at Pixar, she attributes it to "the understanding of failure".

"Most people probably think Pixar clearly knows how to start a new project, as the studio is stable and successful, consistently producing quality work. But the fact is that we struggle to get through every film, and every time we have to overcome new technical difficulties," she says.

Speaking about her impression of Tang and Pixar's other Chinese staff members, producer Kori Rae says they have done a remarkable job to help bring the whole fantasy world to life.

Unlike most fantasy stories which are set in ancient times, Onward takes place in a modern world populated with mythical creatures, such as elves, sprites, satyrs, gnomes and trolls.

Despite the fact that mythology, folklore and fairy tales were used as a base to design the characters, director Scanlon reveals the Pixar animators have tried to make all the characters look real and warm by giving them human features and expressions.

"It's part of the fun of animation. You'll see the creatures like you've never seen before," says the director.