Ne Zha 2 (dir. Yu Yang)
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 144 mins
UK Distributor: CineAsia UK
UK Release Date: 21 March 2025
WHO’S IN NE ZHA 2?
Lü Yanting, Joseph Cao, Han Mo, Lü Qi, Zhang Jiaming, Wang Deshun, Li Nan, Yu Chen, Zhou Yongxi, Yang Wei
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Yu Yang (director, writer), Wenzhang Liu (producer), Roc Chen, Wan Pin Chu and Rui Yang (composers), TBA (editor)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The spirits of two powerful warriors must share a body until they can return to life…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON NE ZHA 2?
Until recently, it seemed like Ne Zha 2 would fall into obscurity in the world of Western animation. Sure, the Chinese CGI production – a sequel to the 2019 fantasy film Ne Zha – would have gained an audience in its native country, where the first film is far more popular and revered, but internationally it was ever unlikely to make waves among audiences more used to Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination and even fellow Asian animation giant Studio Ghibli.
But then, a funny thing happened: people in China didn’t just go and see it, they REALLY went and saw it. Within a month of its release, it became not just the highest-grossing film in Chinese history, with more than $2 billion in the bank (that’s roughly 14 billion in local currency), but quickly zipped past higher-profile films like Inside Out 2, Frozen 2, The Super Mario Bros Movie and others to become the biggest animated film of all time. The latter statistic is what has gotten most Western audiences curious, for how on Earth could an obscure CG film from China – itself a sequel to a film that virtually nobody outside of the country is even aware of – defeat the likes of Disney to anoint itself king of all animation?
Once they see it, though, they’ll have a bit more of an understanding, for while Ne Zha 2 might not be exactly on par with what we’re more used to over here in the West, it is a bold and rather fascinating epic that was made for the big screen, both visually and in terms of its powerful themes.
For the many who have never seen the first Ne Zha film (myself included), the film quickly catches viewers up to speed… but in doing so, it comes off as nonsense you’d hear from someone who’s actually on speed. Nonetheless, here’s what I could gather, and please feel free to correct me if I make any mistakes: Ne Zha (Lü Yanting) and Ao Bing (Han Mo) are two powerful young warriors and best friends who were formed from two parts of the same pearl – with Ne Zha possessing fiery demon powers, while Ao Bing comes from a line of shapeshifting dragons – but at some point their spirits were separated from their physical bodies, which are under repair by the time we’re reunited with them. But when Ao Bing’s father Ao Guang (Li Nan) attacks their home, he and Ne Zha are forced to temporarily share the same body as they head out to complete a series of tasks that will bring about peace and get into all sorts of hands-on action and spiritual encounters along the way.
I may be missing some vital details, but that’s as much as I was able to get from a film that doesn’t really make it easy for anyone who’s not already familiar with these characters or this universe. From that perspective, the movie initially comes across as a completely bonkers ride: within minutes, we’re introduced to dragons in lava dens, daggers that can split transportive portals in the sky, warriors made up of anthropomorphised sharks, octopuses and various other animals, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s even a flying pig. Again, I have no idea if the first film is packed with such insanity, or if it’s a case where the sequel doubles down on everything to an almost unbearably heightened degree, but it is fun to see how this world operates and how certain beings, be they mortal or mystic, function together.
Making Ne Zha 2 especially wild to watch are the vast tonal swings it tends to make. There’ll be a big, epic and rather bloody battle scene where soldiers are being killed by animal demons, sandwiched in between Minions-level slapstick comedy complete with green fart clouds, jokes about drinking urine and eating vomit, and even a Dumb and Dumber reference, all before we later visit the aftermath of a destructive scene where one can clearly see charred bodies in and around the background. It’s wild to describe and even wilder to witness such sudden switches, but Ne Zha 2 at least seems unapologetic with its fluctuating tone and leans proudly into its own brand of chaos, unlike some Western-animated films where the juvenile humour isn’t as comfortably embraced amidst the heavier drama.
If such narrative switches are too much to handle, there is still plenty of stuff to get behind with this film. For one, it is a gorgeously animated film, with heavily detailed CGI bringing to life many photorealistic characters and backgrounds that are packed with colourful visuals and even the occasional creative design. It’s also a film where you can definitely feel the scope, particularly in sequences that take place in vast and expansive landscapes, whether it be in the middle of the ocean or high up in a cloud kingdom or in the middle of a giant cauldron of lava, to where I’d highly recommend viewing this film on an IMAX screen as you’ll get a feel for the grand scale on which it is operating.
As for narrative essentials like story and character, you’ll get much of what you’re expecting, even if it’s never anything truly groundbreaking. There is a strong and likeable bond between the two main characters as they embark on this spiritual journey together, and while some of the supporting comic relief can sometimes get in the way of a scene’s overall tone, they are mercifully not forced upon the viewer and tend to come and go whenever required. Emotional moments later on hit harder since the film also does a good job at setting up genuine stakes for the heroes, while also giving some of the villains a bit of extra background that makes them a bit more three-dimensional than the average generic baddie.
A few minor issues aside, Ne Zha 2 is an impressively made and reasonably animated film that feels exceptionally cinematic, and deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen possible to get the full effect of its epic nature. Though it’s interesting to see how the likes of Disney, DreamWorks etc will respond in order to reclaim their stolen box office crown – you just know that they’re cooking up surprise re-releases of past billion-grossing animated movies to get it over the line, and if/when that happens, we’ll all know it’s a sign that China has spooked them good.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Ne Zha 2 is an impressively cinematic Chinese animated epic that boasts some gorgeous visuals and weighty storytelling, though its batty world-building and wild tonal shifts will take some getting used to for viewers unfamiliar with this franchise.
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