Tofu Stars in New 3D Films.

China is about to cash in on the booming 3D movie market with what they hope will be their SpongeBob SquarePants.

In production from Magic Dumpling Entertainment, “Tofu Boy” has all the makings of a Chinese 3D blockbuster. The story draws from the classic tale of, Pinocchio but we don’t know how similar the new film will actually be to the original story. Perhaps the figure sculpted from tofu rather than wood will also wish upon a star that he could become a real boy.

Asia seems to be on an animated tofu binge. Japanese film makers recently released their own 3D version of a soy based character fittingly called “Tofu Boy.” Instead of being completely made of tofu flesh, the Japanese character is just a nerdy human who carries plate of wobbling tofu as he confronts evil spirits and demons. Sounds awesome!

Tofu is making it’s way into American films as well. Earlier this year, the smash hit Kung-Fu Panda followed a martial arts practicing panda who gets energy from eating tofu. The studio even designed limited edition tofu packages to help market the movie.

After being popular for over 2,000 years, it looks like tofu is finally ready for its close-up.