Young deity morphs into box-office champion

Sequel to 2019 sleeper hit showcases the growing talent of domestic animators and global appeal of the country's strong storytelling capabilities, Xu Fan reports.

He may be just 3 years old but he is amassing wealth and sparking a cultural phenomenon across the country.

Despite his bad temper and unconventional appearance — sporting dark circles under his eyes and uneven teeth — this toddler deity named Nezha occasionally morphs into a powerful teenager, shattering box-office records at an astonishing pace.

Since debuting on Jan 29, the first day of the Chinese New Year, the sequel to the 2019 sleeper hit Ne Zha, Ne Zha 2, by director Yang Yu, better known as Jiaozi (Dumpling), has become China's highest-grossing film in just eight days and five hours. On Feb 7, it replaced Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become the single market's box-office champion. By Friday, the film has raked in over 10.7 billion yuan ($1.47 billion), soaring to be the world's second-highest-grossing animated film.

With its domestic revenue still rising, accounting for over 80 percent of daily ticket receipts this week, "it's almost certain that the film's box-office haul will reach over 14 billion yuan", says Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association.

"Ne Zha 2 has not only enhanced a strong foundation for the growth of Chinese animation but has also elevated Chinese cinema's standing worldwide," Rao adds.

Cao Xiaohui, deputy dean of the China Animation Research School at the Beijing Film Academy, says the film supports a promising future for Chinese animators. "Drawing inspiration from the country's rich cultural heritage to tell stories that resonate with modern audiences and showcasing an artistic style infused with Eastern aesthetics on the big screen can serve as valuable directions for local filmmakers to explore," Cao adds.

Lu Shengzhang, the former dean of the Department of Animation and Comics at the Communication University of China, highlights the film's success as a sign of the positive evolution in Chinese animation. With over two decades of development in domestic animation education and the unprecedented expansion of the Chinese film industry, China has nurtured a talented pool of animators capable of competing globally, he says.

"Chinese animators would study in countries like the United States and France to learn animation, but now their skills have reached a top-notch level," Lu further introduces, adding that the stunning visual effects showcased in Ne Zha 2 can also be seen in other blockbusters like Deep Sea and Chang'an. The former is a 2023 fantasy film exploring youth depression, the latter a hit from the same year that recreates literature masters of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).