Mainland China’s most recent hit Ne Zha 2 has been a resounding success since it burst onto the silver screen over the Lunar New Year. The animated fantasy adventure flick rapidly became the first movie to gross over $2 billion in the Chinese box office, making it the highest-grossing film ever in its domestic market. Globally, Ne Zha 2 has surpassed Inside Out 2 to become the world’s highest-grossing animated film, and, in the Hong Kong and Macau markets, has well and truly taken over Frozen 2 and the Minions franchise.
So why on earth has Ne Zha 2 broken so many records? What is the secret sauce that has made it even more popular than Hayao Miyazaki’s globally beloved animated films? Read on to see what we thought of this box office hit.
Time Out Hong Kong’s ‘Ne Zha 2’ film review
When it comes to animated movies and cartoons, Hongkongers are probably more familiar with Japanese animation and Hollywood hits from the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks, and less acquainted with animation from mainland Chinese studios. To be frank, our own knowledge of Chinese animation stops with children’s shows like Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and Nailoong – these always seemed to be rather simply drawn and animated, but this year’s Ne Zha 2 shattered this outdated impression.
Directed by Chinese animation director and producer Jiaozi, this movie is the sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, which was Jiaozi’s first animated feature film. It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China back then, which was an unexpected surprise, as Ne Zha was the Chengdu Coco Cartoon animation studio’s debut feature, and did not star any famous names in its cast of voice actors.
‘Ne Zha’ part one
The Ne Zha series is inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods, which features tales of gods and demons from Chinese folklore and mythology. The deity Ne Zha is one of the characters mentioned in this piece of literature, and the first film features his origin story. The supreme leader of the heavens, Lord Yuanshi Tianzun, suppresses a pearl with spiritual energy by splitting it into the Spirit Pearl – set to be reincarnated into the world as a demon-slaying hero – and the Demon Orb – set to be destroyed by heavenly lightning in three years. Ne Zha was supposed to be this holy reincarnation, but a dastardly plot means he ends up being reincarnated as the Demon Orb instead, and therefore cursed with death.
The first movie covers how Ne Zha deals with his demonic nature, society’s misunderstandings towards him, his friendship with Ao Bing who is the son of the Dragon King, and his ultimate refusal to succumb to a preordained fate. ‘My life is mine, and not the heavens’’ is therefore the tagline for his character.
‘Ne Zha 2’
After six years, Ne Zha 2 follows immediately after the events of the first movie. Unleashing the force of the pearl destroys Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s mortal bodies, but they manage to retain their spirits with the help of Ne Zha’s teacher Taiyi. They go on a quest for a potion that will restore their physical bodies, dealing with magical competitions, family drama, and betrayal along the way.
First impressions
In terms of both scale and special effects, Ne Zha 2 far exceeds its first iteration. From the destruction of Chentang Pass, and palaces made of white jade or that lurk underwater, to the final battle scenes, the film’s visual effects are stunning. In IMAX, featuring unparalleled screen size paired with vibrant colours, it’s easy to notice the details like minor changes in the characters’ expressions – a visual feast that is particularly memorable in Ne Zha’s transformation scene.
As a Chinese production, Ne Zha 2 undoubtedly shows major breakthroughs in visual effects and animation, which have made the world sit up, take notice, and reconsider prior assumptions about their craft. However, it is still some ways away from the polished maturity of Hollywood’s animation work. For example, some expressions and movements in minor characters look rather stiff and not meticulous enough in the details, which affects the viewer’s immersion.
The good parts
Thanks to the blundering comical character of Taiyi (enhanced by his hilarious Sichuanese accent) and the way the fiery Ne Zha throws himself into anything that he encounters, this movie is not short on funny moments. Some of this humour might be diluted or lost in translation to Hong Kong and foreign audiences, but the action sequences are aplenty, making the whole thing feel like a breezy watch.
Ne Zha 2 clocks in at two hours and 24 minutes long, with three times the number of characters than its prequel, and more special effects shots than the total number of shots in Ne Zha. While the pacing was great and gave no time to get bored, the frankly unnecessary amount of characters and plot twists meant it was giving the mishmash of cameos in Avengers: Endgame.
The bad parts
Central to these movies is the idea of seizing your own fate, and not being cowed by your personal background or societal expectations. The themes of family, friendship, and personal growth were also touched upon, but unfortunately, Ne Zha 2 seemed to focus more on advancing the plot and showing off its VFX prowess, rather than on developing the character of its eponymous lead.
Even in the first movie, the treatment of Ne Zha’s growth has been rather rushed – especially in contrast with other animated movies like the Kung Fu Panda series, where the main character gains fresh insights or develops new skills in each arc, and therefore has meaningful growth. In Ne Zha 2, we found it is actually the inner struggles of the villainous leopard demon Shen Gongbao that are more interesting to witness and connect with.
So, is it worth watching?
Overall, Ne Zha 2 is a marvel of contemporary cinema which has deconstructed previous perceptions of animation work from mainland China. Even though character development in the protagonist is rather lacking, the plot is tight, the special effects are clearly painstakingly crafted, making for a visually beautiful work of animation that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.
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