‘Ne Zha 2’: Hit Chinese Animation Sequel Is A Visual Feast Highlighting Friendship, Family Values And Cultural Treasures

Filled with stunning animation depicting pulsating battles, traditional Chinese culture, and the importance of family and friendship, it is easy to see why Chinese animation fantasy hit, Ne Zha 2, has given Hollywood a good run for its money.

To date, the US$80 million sequel to the 2019 animated hit, Ne Zha, has become the first non-Hollywood film to gross over US$2 billion at the global box office, ousting Disney’s Inside Out 2 (2024) to become the highest-grossing animated film of all-time.

Loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese fantasy novel, Investiture of the Gods, Ne Zha 2 continues the story of cheeky boy god Ne Zha (voiced by Lü Yanting as child/Joseph Cao as adolescent) and stoic dragon prince Ao Bing (Han Mo) who have become spirits after their mortal bodies were destroyed by heavenly lightning in the first film.

In order for Immortal Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming) to reconstruct their bodies fully with the Seven-Colored Sacred Lotus, the duo has to complete a series of trials set up by Immortal Wuliang (Wang Deshun,) whilst battling villains who threaten to annihilate their families.

Directed and written by Jiaozi (Chinese for “dumpling”), Ne Zha 2 may not have as many LOL moments as its predecessor, but the theme of what constitutes good and evil remains.

Add to that, the titular character is still annoyingly cute and adorable although this time the baby-faced deity is very much overshadowed by the film’s jaw-dropping action sequences.

Beautifully illustrated from start to end, the sequel boasts nearly over 2000 special effects shots with contributions from 138 animation companies.

Without further ado, here are the standout bits of Ne Zha 2:

1. Pulsating Battle & Fight Scenes

The film's main highlight is its many breathtaking, high-octave battle and fight scenes.

From Ne Zha’s parents and armies guarding the Chengtang Pass from the marauding Dragon Kings and Queen of the Four Seas, to Nezha/Ao Bing’s skillful duels with different opponents during their trials, to the ultimate finale showdown where both protagonists and antagonists from land, air and sea face off in explosive fashion, the action is simply relentless.

To say Ne Zha 2 is action-packed is truly an understatement.

2. Mesmerizing Backdrops and Locations

Whether it is the pristine white premises of the celestial Jade Palace or the fiery dark depths of the ocean floor where Ao Guang (Li Nan)—the Dragon King of the East Sea and Ao Bing’s father—resides, to the sun-drenched sandy fields of a fascinating groundhog clan, Ne Zha 2 has many eye-catching backdrops that are marvelous to see.

3. Family & Friendship Rule

At the heart of this high-voltage fantasy animated epic, Ne Zha 2 never forgets to remind audiences the importance of family support and having good role models to look up to.

Unlike most versions of the Ne Zha legend where his father is portrayed as very strict (and who eventually becomes the Pagoda-Wielding Heavenly King,) in this film series, the rebellious Ne Zha gets on by thanks mainly to his supportive army general dad Li Jing (Hao Chen) as well as his loving warrior mom Lady Yin (Lu Qi) who provides the most heart-rending, who’s-cutting-onions-here scene in the entire film.

Besides the emotional relationships between Ao Guang and his princely son, and between leopard demon Shen Gaobao (Wei Yang) and his little brother XiaoBao, the admirably strong friendship bond between Ne Zha and Ao Bing is also heartwarming to watch.

4. Historical Cultural Attributes

Like the first film, Ne Zha 2 captures much of the essence of traditional Chinese culture but goes one step further by paying tribute to real-life cultural artefacts.

For instance, the Seven-Colored Sacred Lotus used to reconstruct Ne Zha and Ao Bing's bodies is said to be inspired by a 2,000-year-old gilt-bronze incense burner known as the Boshan Censer, housed at the Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, while the titanic Tianyuan Cauldron (pictured above) draws inspiration from ancient bronze tripods used in 16th Century Shang Dynasty.

Meanwhile, the 8-sided celestial Jade Palace features a Bagua (Chinese for “eight symbols”) design which is rooted in Taoist philosophy, whilst the two comical rock-like barrier guards are based on ancient artefacts unearthed from the Sanxingdui ruins in Sichuan Province.

5. Intriguing Mid-End Credits Scene

The surprisingly long mid-end credits scene showing Immortal Wuliang and his two disciples visiting two prisoners in a dungeon hidden deep within a mountainous terrain is both amusing and telling.

Besides the hilarious nod to modern technology used in an ancient mythical setting, the main takeaway from this sequence is that Ne Zha 3 is definitely in the works and we will also get to see more of Ne Zha’s two older brothers, Jinzha and Muzha.

Hopefully, we will not have to wait another five years to see more adventures of the spear-clad and fiery-wheeled boy deity.

If you cannot get enough of the mischievous Ne Zha, check out the various short films and product-endorsing commercials on YouTube.

Ne Zha 2 is now playing at cinemas worldwide.

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