In 2019, the animated fantasy adventure Ne Zha captivated China – and the world. Jiaozi’s debut feature was one of China’s biggest hits and one of the world’s most successful non-English productions. The second part, released in China on January 29, has already surpassed its predecessor at the box office.
Ne Zha 2 is out in India in its original Mandarin with English subtitles. The sequel is a thrilling, propulsive epic saga of filial duty, sacrifice and collaboration against a common enemy, presented through some of the most gobsmacking visuals ever seen in animated films.
The franchise is loosely based on the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods. Ne Zha has already inspired a slew of Chinese productions, including the animated Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979).
The first movie was the origin story of Ne Zha, who is the result of a divine boon. A celestial pearl is split into two elements, the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Orb, to contain its energies. According to a prophecy, the Spirit Pearl will be born as the child of the warrior Li Jing and his wife Yin.
The Spirit Pearl’s bumbling guardian Taiyi is tricked by the wizard Shen into a swap. The Spirit Pearl is born as the underwater Dragon King’s son Ao Bing, while Li Jing and Yin find themselves as Ne Zha’s parents.
Ne Zha lives up to his demonic reputation. The boy with dark circles under his eyes and oversized teeth is despised in his kingdom, which only pushes him towards further havoc. Ne Zha’s uncontrollable anger finds an outlet, and a higher purpose, when he meets Ao Bing.
Ne Zha 2 is vastly more ambitious in every way – the number of events and characters, the scale, the backdrops, the visual effects.
The sequel sees Ne Zha and Ao Bin teaming up against the Dragon King’s wrath. Even as the Dragon King wages war on Ne Zha’s kingdom, Ne Zha and Ao Bin journey to the heavenly abode of the Immortal sorcerer Wuilang to seek greater powers.
Densely plotted and relentlessly paced, the 144-minute movie pauses only for potty jokes and silly humour. There is so much going on at times that it’s hard to take everything in at one go.
In the first film, the fantasy elements were grounded in relatable human characters. Ne Zha was every inch the stubborn, destructive and unreasonable last-born son endlessly running circles around his family, minders and Taiyi.
In Ne Zha 2, Jiaozi dispenses with character building and pulls out all stops for a spectacular display of his virtuosity in the animation medium. The gorgeously detailed frames inspired from Chinese design and the hectic battle scenes rival, if not surpass, big-budget Hollywood productions.
Several sequences linger in memory – Wuilang’s jade palace that floats above the clouds, the Dragon King’s underwater lair, the motifs of fire and water represented by Ne Zha and Ao Bing, the undulating swarms of rival armies in the extended climax. One of the most poignant scenes in an otherwise action-heavy film sees Ne Zha acknowledge his love for his mother. Jiaozi’s ambition is staggering in its scope but eye-watering in other ways too.
