Ne Zha 2 (2025)

"Ne Zha 2" stars Lü Yanting, Joseph Cao, Han Mo, Lü Qi, Zhang Jiaming, Wang Deshun, Yu Chen, Li Nan, Zhou Yongxi, and Yang Wei.  Released in China on January 29, 2025, the film has Nezha and Ao Bing traveling to reclaim their bodies following a catastrophe.

The film was written and directed by Jiaozi (Yang Yu), who's known for directing the short films "See Through" and "The Boss's Woman".  It is a sequel to Jiaozi's 2019 film "Ne Zha", loosely based on the novel Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin.  If there's one of the things I enjoy about animation, it's that it creates an influence on a global scale.  Many animated features in America have their share of greatness in their storytelling and presentations, but the ones made in other countries are different stories altogether.  That is if the proper effort is put into them.  Not all animated films from various countries stick the landing, but when they do, they can be something worth mentioning when it comes to animation.  Japan is the primary example due to the masterpieces from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, but that changed in 2019 when Chinese filmmaker Jiaozi made history with his first animation debut in his home country: a loose adaptation of China's mythological history involving demons and spirits.

For those who don't know, "Ne Zha" is an animated fantasy adventure film depicting the tale of a young, unruly boy who's reincarnated from the cursed Demon Orb.  The boy, destined to destroy the world and die from its curse, fights to change his fate while uncovering a sinister plot from a mischievous god and an army of dragons.  Despite being Jiaozi's feature debut and the first animated film produced by a new studio, "Ne Zha" defied expectations to become one of the biggest commercial successes in China.  Combined with state-of-the-art CGI animation and a story that combines action, humor, and heart, the film became a staple of big things to come for Jiaozi and animation studio Chengdu Coco Cartoon, as well as the start of the Fengshen Cinematic Universe.  This franchise continued with a spin-off involving another popular Chinese figure, Jiang Ziya, in 2020, but we haven't seen Nezha return to the big screen until now.  Last month saw the release of the long-awaited sequel to "Ne Zha", which broke even more box office records than expected, including becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time and the highest-grossing film in a single country, China, surpassing "The Force Awakens".  With the film now released in America, I figured I would take the time to see if this sequel is good enough to achieve such surprising results, especially since I recently watched its predecessor.  With that said, let's travel back to this world of demons and immortals and see if this animated follow-up is worth the six-year wait.  

The story takes place immediately after the events of "Ne Zha".  Nezha (Yanting), a young boy born with the Demon Orb, and his friend Ao Bing (Mo) were struck by the heavenly lightning together, destroying their physical bodies.  Even though they survived by becoming spirits, their souls are still in danger of being dissipated, so Nezha's mentor, Taiyi Zhenren (Jiaming), attempts to reshape their bodies with his Sacred Lotus.  Unfortunately, Ao Bing's new body was destroyed after defending Chentang Pass from his father, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang (Nan), and Taiyi's brother, Shen Gongbao (Wei), as an act of revenge.  As part of a ceasefire deal, Ao Bing and Nezha would have to share Nezha's body for seven days.  To create a new body for Ao Bing, the two friends and Taiyi embark on a quest to complete the three trials created by Master Xian Wuliang (Deshun) to win a mystical potion.  

As mentioned earlier, I watched "Ne Zha" for free on YouTube out of curiosity, and I was surprised to see how good it was.  Besides the English dub being iffy regarding the vocal performances, "Ne Zha" was a remarkable display of CGI animation that emphasized its epic set pieces and action on a grander scale amid its straightforward yet engrossing plot involving fate.  Would I consider it another animated masterpiece?  Maybe.  But it did get me curious about the future that lies ahead for China's animated franchise.  Unfortunately, I didn't check out the Jiang Ziya spin-off, which is set in the same universe as "Ne Zha", but don't worry.  I will check it out eventually.  Because of this experience, I was in a good position to check out the sequel, which was playing at my favorite cinema, especially since I had heard a lot of chatter about its record-breaking box office run.  At this rate, it could end up being the first animated movie to earn over $2 billion worldwide, serving as a huge wake-up call to the animation studios in America to step up their animation game.  It certainly has that type of popularity from its predecessor to make this much money, but is the quality also good enough to warrant that success?  Absolutely!

"Ne Zha 2" utilized everything that made its predecessor a success to create a bigger, bolder, and more fiery continuation that possesses its incredible sense of vibrancy and heart.  One of those factors was the story, which continues Nezha's journey of forming his own destiny.  Both movies share a common theme of fate and what we make of it, not what others believe we should do.  While Nezha does have the makings of a demon regarding his attitude and powers, he strives to seek acceptance from others and embark on his own path.  Instead of repeating the narrative beats as its predecessor, "Ne Zha 2" explores Nezha's growth further as he becomes the protector of his hometown.  While I won't give too much away, I will say that Jiaozi had put plenty of effort into making his protagonist likable through his coming-of-age journey amid his short-tempered persona, especially during the third act, which actually got me tearing up a bit.  The result is a sequel that felt bigger in its cinematic scale, themes, and character moments.  It can be a bit much with its shockingly long runtime of two hours and 24 minutes, but its swift pacing helped keep the wacky and stylized rhythm going without missing out on its sentimental beats.

In addition to his well-written screenplay, Jiaozi also continued to be a surprisingly impressive director in the animation department.  Jiaozi faced many challenges while making his first animation feature as a director, including choosing the proper balance of style, narrative flow, and framework.  Directing an animated film may not be easy, but it can be rewarding if the right effort is put into impressing all types of audiences.  Despite his inexperience, Jiaozi managed to defy the odds by transforming "Ne Zha" into an immersive and consistently diverting phenomenon.  "Ne Zha 2" clearly signifies that Jiaozi has found his groove with his vision by relying on the elements that worked in the first film while improving them without making it feel too bloated.  One of these was the stunning action choreography, which combines stylized energy and vibrancy with wide-angle cinematography, similar to the first film.  The other was the slapstick humor, which may seem dumb at first but was actually humorous for older audiences like me.  Plus, it's surprisingly well-balanced with the drama and some of its dark moments, including the second half.  These elements showed how confident Jiaozi is in directing animation, as he focuses more on providing a worthy story for its presentation than treating it like a cartoon for kids.  While it does have something for the younglings to enjoy, including the slapstick comedy, Jiaozi ensured that the film also had something for the adults to appreciate.

The cast for the Chinese dub reprised their roles from the first film, including Yanting as the title character and Mo as Ao Bing.  Unlike my experience with "Ne Zha", I was able to watch the sequel in its original Chinese dub, so this was my first time reviewing the cast's vocal performances through its original version.  All I can say is that this was a better experience than its predecessor's wonky English dub.  Lü Yanting continues to deliver the fire and occasional charm in his performance as Nezha, while Han Mo delivered plenty of decent moments as Ao Bing.  Taiyi Zhenren is one of the characters whose comedic chops can be hit or miss in terms of direction.  However, the first film proved him to be surprisingly funny through his annoyance, clumsiness, and cartoony appeal, mainly due to Zhang Jiaming's amusing voice performance.  The sequel sees Taiyi as his usual self, like its predecessor, and it's all the better for it.

Finally, we have the animation, which I've been eager to see what it has in store for the sequel.  Unsurprisingly, it managed to meet my high expectations.  This is China's most expensive animated film to date, surpassing "Deep Sea", with the budget being 600 million yuan or $80 million in American terms.  It may not seem as much from the perspective of the United States since it's around the same budget as an Illumination movie, but it's a huge deal in China.  Thankfully, it was money well spent, as the animation plays a significant role in the film's massive scale.  The immense fluidity of the characters' movements matched gracefully with the film's detailed and immersive environments and the thrilling action set pieces, providing a visual grandeur reminiscent of such epics as "Lord of the Rings".  Think of it as "Kung Fu Panda", but with more epicness in its vibrant appearance and color palettes.  Even the paint-like animation during specific sequences looked absolutely astounding.  It is an example of modern CGI animation done right regarding the liveliness and scope of its cinematography and appearance.  

Overall, "Ne Zha 2" is a blazingly stunning and consistently engrossing follow-up that further earns its flames within the animation industry.  Its beefy runtime can be a mild concern for some people, especially those with kids with short attention spans, but I don't seem to mind it at all.  I was constantly engaged from start to finish, and it's not just because of its presentation and action.  It's also because of its worthy story that successfully expands the world, characters, and themes formed by its predecessor while providing a couple of surprisingly sentimental moments to boot.  With its enjoyable voice cast, Jiaozi's direction and screenplay, exciting action set pieces, and incredible animation, the film marks an early contender for my favorite animated feature of 2025. However, that could change as we progress through the year.  It's pretty amazing to see Jiaozi come this far despite his rough beginnings, especially in the animation department.  It goes to show that those who don't give up on forging their own path can make a huge difference. With two successful animated films under his belt, it seems like Jiaozi may have found his niche in animation storytelling.  It's enough to get me intrigued for his next feature, like a potential "Ne Zha 3" or maybe something more original.  We shall see.  Until then, I would gladly recommend it to those who loved the first film.

A