Earlier this year, one film shattered box office records, becoming the first animated and non-American film to gross two billion dollars, passing the likes of Inside Out 2 (2024) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) within mere weeks of release. Sitting with the box office titans, including James Cameron and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time, Ne Zha II is currently gearing up for a rerelease of the English dub in IMAX, courtesy of A24.
Based on the highly popular figure from Chinese mythology and the novel Investiture of the Gods, the Chinese animated epic continues the story of Ne Zha (Crystal Lee) and his friend Ao Bing (Aleks Le), expanding upon the rich, complex folklore established in Ne Zha (2019).
Picking up right where its predecessor left off, both Ne Zha and Ao Bing have been left without bodies; however, they’ve both been given a second chance to have their bodies restored thanks to Ne Zha’s master Taiyi Zhenren (Rick Zeiff). The process is interrupted by an attack, leaving only Ne Zha with a physical body. There is still a way to secure Ao Bing a new body, though—if they complete three trials to become immortal, they can win a potion that will restore the Sacred Lotus needed to restore Ao Bing’s body. In the meantime, Ao Bing and Ne Zha’s souls share Ne Zha’s new body.
I wouldn’t blame you if your head was spinning a bit reading this breakdown. The world of Ne Zha is intricate and rich with many characters, rules, and lore coursing through its veins. Writer-director Jiaozi eases audiences in, though, with a succinct explanation of the lore and the events of the first film, accompanied by gorgeous animation. For anyone feeling daring and going in without having seen the first film, they should be effectively brought up to speed.
Jiaoz continuously weaves in the intricate dynamics and hierarchy of the world throughout the story. Sometimes the momentum fizzles while we are receiving a chunk of exposition, but, for the most part, it isn’t too distracting. Jiaozi asks his audience to lean in and avoid passively watching the film. Ne Zha II demands more from animation audiences and, despite a bump here and there, it more than rewards our attention in droves.
One major payoff comes from the electrifying action sequences that are epic in both scale and scope, rivaling something out of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The camera rarely holds still, sweeping through each battle like a choreographed dance in a way that will leave you breathless as hundreds of combatants duel to grisly ends. The film never shies away from the brutality of the violence, making each punch feel visceral and each battle suffocating. Yet, despite this, it never feels too gruesome for younger audiences.
When the film basks in stillness, the audience is treated to frames that look like gorgeous, IMAX-sized paintings. Bright bold colors and detailed textures create a visual world as vibrant and rich as the folklore it stems from. You can almost feel the softness of the clouds we glide through, the heat from Ne Zha’s flames, and the chill from Ao Bing’s ice magic.
Almost more impressive than its striking visuals is the way Ne Zha II can capture audiences of all ages. The film clocks in at a whopping two hours and twenty-four minutes, much longer than your typical animated fare, so when I went into my screening and saw tons of children, I was a bit nervous for their ability to sit through it.
There was hardly a peep throughout the duration of my screening, thanks largely to Ne Zha II’s command of tone. There is a heaviness to the story as our characters navigate insurmountable tragedy and sacrifice; no one feels safe. Ne Zha, as a character, constantly grapples with the darkness he was born with. There’s gripping politics at play between the immortal beings and the demons. The film navigates all this while sprinkling in an effective fart joke.
Neither undermines the other; rather, they complement each other and prove how this film values its audience. Ne Zha II firmly believes young audiences are capable of grasping bigger, existential ideas while maintaining that adults are allowed to be silly, creating this behemoth communal experience.
While I prefer to experience international films in their original language, A24 has assembled a top-tier voice cast for the English dub to uplift this animated feat.
Lee’s voicework as Ne Zha breathes dimension into the iconic character. She captures his mischievous side, but knows how to tap into the pain he’s struggled with. Ne Zha’s internal battle with his own anger coats each crack and growl in Lee’s voice that will only make you feel for our titular character more than you thought possible.
Ao Bing serves as the perfect counterbalance to Ne Zha thanks to Le’s soothing, grounded approach. Ao Bing emulates the qualities Ne Zha wishes he could be—gentle, calm, serene—and the performance perfectly captures those qualities. But the serenity in his performance doesn’t dampen Ao Bing’s own struggle with achieving his goal.
The other major standout in the new voice cast is Academy Award Winner Michelle Yeoh as Lady Yin, Ne Zha’s mother. Despite her son’s demon origins, Lady Yin always sees the best in her son and believes in his potential to do what’s right. Yeoh’s performance evokes a warm hug drenched in empathy. She is a performer known for the physicality she brings to her roles; here, we get to witness her boil all that energy into a vocal performance that is genuinely quite moving.
To quote the great Guillermo del Toro, “Animation is cinema. Animation is not a genre for kids. It is a medium.” Ne Zha II feels like a testament to this statement, both in its execution and its subsequent success. Its visual and thematic scope emphasizes what is possible in animation when you fully embrace it as a medium and search for art outside of Western comfort zones.
Ne Zha II is an explosive, ambitious epic about identity and destiny that challenges audiences to engage and commit to experiencing art. There is hardly a frame that doesn’t teem with heart and ambition. With any luck, this rerelease will be just the beginning of its journey stateside as we gear up for the fall festivals and award season.
Review Courtesy of Adam Patla
Feature Image Courtesy of Beijing Enlight Pictures via Resonate
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