By John Corrado
Ne Zha II is the Chinese blockbuster that became the highest grossing animated film of all time, beating the record previously set by Inside Out 2 just last year, almost entirely from what it grossed in China alone.
The film had previously been released in North American theatres earlier this year, and now we are getting an English-language dub to help it reach an even wider audience. This new version, which was overseen by director Jiao Zi and is being put out by A24, makes the film more accessible for younger, English-speaking viewers who maybe aren’t yet able to keep up with subtitles.
The sequel begins right where 2019’s Ne Zha – a massive hit in its own right – left off. The story itself is rooted in Chinese mythology, centred around our mischievous but mostly endearing demon boy protagonist Ne Zha (Crystal Lee), who was born to mortal parents Lady Yin (Michelle Yeoh) and Li Jing (Vincent Rodriguez III).
Ne Zha and his warrior friend Ao Bing (Aleks Le) have had their physical bodies destroyed, and are reincarnated through an ancient ceremony overseen by Master Taiyi Zhenren (Rick Zeiff), involving a sacred lotus. The reincarnation ends up forcing Ne Zha and Ao Bing to share a body, leading to unique character dynamics and some physical comedy. This is all setting the stage for a grand showdown with the immortal Shen Gongbao (Daniel Riordan) and the Dragon King.
Like the first one, Ne Zha II can be darker and weirder than what we usually expect from American animation, and it also features some surprisingly crude bodily humour, with depictions of vomit and urination that are admittedly a bit jarring. The sequel also runs long at nearly two-and-a-half-hours, and the mythology and storytelling can get a bit convoluted and even confusing at times, especially for audiences not as versed in the cultural aspects. It can sometimes be hard to keep up with everything going on.
But Ne Zha II is carried by some truly impressive animation, and mainly serves as a massive big screen spectacle (especially in IMAX, which is how it was screened for press). On a purely technical level, it’s nearly flawless, with the animators continuing to outdo themselves with each visually stunning sequence. By the end of it, it’s as if they are saying “looky what we can do” with every new set-piece. This is a film that is made to dazzle and overwhelm the senses, especially during the big finale, which throws a lot at the audience with every element that we see onscreen.
The number of box off records that Ne Zha II has broken thus far can’t be understated. For starters, this is the first international film to make over a billion dollars, the first animated film to make over $2.2 billion (beating records previously held by sequels Inside Out 2 and Shrek 2), and the fifth highest grossing film of all time. Which is all to say that it can only go up from here. While many purists will still prefer to see the film in its original Chinese version, this English dub stands on its own merits. Even if there are brief moments when the lips don’t quite sync, the actors all fit their roles well, and, with the exception of Oscar-winner Yeoh, the film largely avoids celebrity casting.
Yes, the film is rooted in dense, culturally specific mythology that will be unfamiliar to a lot of Western viewers. But the story’s strong messages about accepting differences, and learning to rise above your destiny even if others only see you as a monster, hold universal appeal. The often dazzling visuals and action scenes are enough to warrant a recommendation to see this one on the big screen.
The Joy of Movies 