I would be willing to bet that you have never heard of the movie that currently holds the international record for the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Ne Zha 2. If so, don’t sweat it, because the Chinese fantasy flick, which has amassed nearly $2 billion worldwide since coming out in January 2025, only recently acquired a wide theatrical U.S. release on the upcoming 2025 movies schedule, and will be hitting the screens, courtesy of A24, on August 22.
In the meantime, if you have a Peacock subscription or the Tubi app, you can catch up on the story so far by streaming the original Ne Zha (pronounced “nuh-jah”) from 2019. Having recently watched it, I must say that, speaking as someone who has rarely been interested in high-concept fantasy stories, I would recommend this film even if it did not have a massively popular sequel making its way to the States. Allow me to explain…
Ne Zha's Premise Is Avatar: The Last Airbender Meets The Omen Meets Hellboy
In director Yu Yang’s Ne Zha, which is inspired by Chinese folklore, the young title character (voiced by Yanting Lu and by Kei Gambit in the English dub) is the reincarnation of a mystical artifact known as the Demon Pill, which has the power to spawn hellish beings. However, he is born to a supportive mortal family who wish to make the three-year lifespan he has been cursed with a fulfilling one. Thus, in order to gain the respect of the townspeople who fear him for what he truly is, his parents have him trained to channel his angst and demonic powers into protecting them from more fearsome creatures.
So, in other words, imagine if the Antichrist, while still in his child years like Damien from the horror movie classic, The Omen, was given the chance to defy his destiny as a force of destruction, similar to the title character of Hellboy, and use his dangerous, elemental powers to defeat evil, kind of like the action you see in the beloved animated TV show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you consider yourself a fan of any of those titles, you might just get a kick out of Ne Zha.
The Fantasy Elements, While Complex, Are Easy To Follow
As established, I have had trouble getting into even some of the most acclaimed fantasy movies in the past. This is mainly because, as someone with ADD, I tend to struggle to keep up with all of the mystical lore these types of stories often incorporate. However, that is thankfully not the case with Ne Zha.
The film sets up a great deal of exposition in only the first 5 or 10 minutes, which initially had me weary of all the details I would be challenged to keep track of. However, I was surprised by how effectively the story keeps its most essential plot points clear and concise throughout, and without resorting to egregious spoonfeeding. Audiences of all ages should be able to follow the plot of Ne Zha without any trouble, making it a perfect kids movie for the whole family.
The Battle Sequences Are Quite Epic
No matter what genre a movie falls under, a good way for it to hold my attention is with a solid action sequence. Well, I can assure you that Ne Zha certainly does not fail in that regard, boasting a plethora of fun and intense, but also family-friendly, battle scenes from beginning to end.
The action even incorporates some fantasy elements that I was never perturbed by, and even found them to be stunningly unique. For instance, one sequence sees Ne Zha taking on a monstrous creature that emits from his mouth bubbles that turn anyone who touches them into stone.
The Humor Offers A Little Bit Of Everything
The only aspect of Ne Zha that is more pervasive than its incorporation of stylized fight sequences and mystical lore is jokes, and I mean all kinds of them. There are moments of slapstick right out of a Three Stooges short (often courtesy of Ne Zha’s bumbling immortal mentor, Taiyi Zhenren, voiced by Zhang Jiaming and Mike Pollock in the English dub) and even some self-aware, parodic tones that reminded me of the Shrek movies, which are gaining a fifth installment soon.
Make no mistake, though: these bits of humor are not simply comic relief sprinkled between scenes here and there. There are more jokes than there are earnest moments throughout this entire, 110-minute action-packed fantasy film. Yet, while some gags land more successfully than others, in my opinion, they never really feel out of place, keeping the tone flush and steering clear of cheapening the more serious moments they follow.
At Its Core, Ne Zha Is A Story About Outcasts
Ne Zha is the rare kind of animated fantasy epic that I feel manages to exceed genre parameters and appeal to audiences of all ages and walks of life. If I were to point out the one key element that helps it achieve this, I would say it is the theme of social ostracism.
Because of his hellish origins, Ne Zha struggles to make friends or even share a single moment of civility with anyone outside of his family or other than Taiyi. Without giving too much away, this does change for him when he meets Ao Bing (Han Mo, and Aleks Le in the English dub), who also struggles with loneliness for his own bizarre reasons that come close to threatening their friendship. Through its depiction of their complicated bond, Ne Zha becomes an inspiring tale of peace that older audiences can admire and younger audiences can learn from.
I must admit, I did not expect to enjoy this film very much, but I think it would be time well spent to stream Ne Zha on Peacock or Tubi, or even rent it on Amazon. I have a good feeling that, once you check it out, you will be looking forward to the upcoming A24 movie that follows it, Ne Zha 2, as much as I am.
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