Recently, a three-year-old character has been dominating Chinese social media, winning the hearts of countless fans. This character is Ne Zha, the protagonist of the animated movie series that bear his name. Five years after the release of Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child, its sequel Ne Zha 2 has not only achieved remarkable box office success but also ignited widespread discussion and a cultural phenomenon.

The Ne Zha phenomenon 

Released on January 29, the Chinese New Year, Ne Zha 2 has made history. Just eight days after its release, it had already become the highest-grossing film of all time in China. On February 8,it became the first film to cross the $1-billion threshold in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to join the coveted billion-dollar club. 

On February 10, Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan further revised its forecast for Ne Zha 2, projecting the animated blockbuster will reach 14.25 billion yuan ($2 billion) in total earnings in China. The new estimate would position the Chinese feature as the highest-grossing animated film in global box office history, and potentially place it among the top seven highest-grossing films of all time across all categories globally. "It's been a long time since I saw a movie that appeals to so many people, regardless of age," Li Hongyi, General Manager of a cinema in Langfang, Hebei Province, who has been in the industry for over a decade, told Beijing Review. 

"This is a major boost for theaters," he added, noting that over 70 percent of the screenings at the cinema are of Ne Zha 2, with movie theaters packed.

The series is loosely based on the stories of Chinese mythological figure Ne Zha, a boy with supernatural powers, from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel The Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi in Chinese). Ne Zha is also featured in the Chinese classic Journey to the West, in which the Monkey King is one of the leading characters.

In the movie series, Ne Zha is born from a magical orb and is destined to fulfill a prophesy of bringing chaos and destruction. Despite being misunderstood and shunned by society, he strives to change his fate. He battles against the expectations placed upon him and ultimately seeks to protect his loved ones and prove that he can be a hero.

Ne Zha 2 explores themes of destiny, rebellion and self-discovery. The narrative delves deeper into his origins and the complexities of his character as he navigates his responsibilities and desires.

What makes it 

The high box office revenue demonstrates that Ne Zha 2 has lived up to expectations. This success reflects the film's engaging storytelling, mature animation technology and the effective connection it has made with audiences. 

The 144-minute film was produced by more than 4,000 animators from 138 companies in five years. Yang Yu, the film's director, popularly known as Jiaozi, revealed in an earlier interview with China Movie Channel, a division of state broadcaster China Central Television, that they pushed every step to the extreme. "The production was initially estimated to take three to four years, but we decided to extend the schedule rather than compromise on quality to meet the deadline," he said.

The production team faced a serious challenge in animating the chains that bound the sea monsters. Initially, concerned with potential tangling and continuity errors, the team considered limiting the chains' appearances to only specific moments. However, after careful thoughts, they decided to retain the chains throughout related scenes. After four months of dedicated work, the team finally achieved the ideal visual effect for the sea monsters and their intricate chain animation.

In terms of character development, Ne Zha 2 breaks away from the traditional model of "black and white" characters. None of the roles in the story are absolute villains. In the film, although Ne Zha is labeled as a "devil child" and suffers from societal prejudice, he insists that "my fate is determined by me, not by heaven," resisting his destiny with the help of his loving parents, as well as his master Taiyi Zhenren.

Take Shen Gongbao, the movie's antagonist, as another example. In traditional mythological stories, he is almost universally known as a villain, having done countless bad deeds that make people despise him. However, in this film, his character is portrayed in a richer and more nuanced manner. The team includes many details that reveal a hint of kindness and softness within him, making him a more fully developed character.

The pursuit of perfection in production has garnered recognition from audiences. On Douban, China's leading media review website, the film had received a rating of 8.5 out of 10 as of mid-February.

"All creations must be rooted in the soil of their growing environment to absorb nourishment," Yang said, adding that many elements from traditional Chinese culture were incorporated into the creation process.

For example, the design of the two funny barrier beasts is inspired by the cultural relics from the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan Province, which dates back to 3000-1200 B.C. Moreover, several action sequences and scenes pay homage to the classic 1979 animated fantasy film Ne Zha Conquers the Dragon King. Produced by pioneering Chinese animation company Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Ne Zha Conquers the Dragon King was the first color widescreen animated feature film in China.

"However, the production models of that time could not keep pace with the rapid development of the contemporary film industry, leading to a bottleneck after a period of brilliance," Zuo Heng, head of the film culture research department at the China Film Archive, said in a recent article published in newspaper People's Daily.

Zuo added that with the deepening of reform in the Chinese film industry in the new era, and the advancements in the economy, technology and cultural market, the Chinese animation industry has gained new momentum, presenting fresh development opportunities.

"A new generation of passionate young filmmakers and innovative film companies is emerging, and the large audience of Chinese animation is responding enthusiastically," Zuo said, adding, "Ne Zha 2 marks the arrival of a new phase for Chinese animation."

(Print Edition Title: Legendary Success)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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