“NE ZHA 2” is a 2025 Chinese animated fantasy adventure comedy film written and directed by Jiaozi. It is the sequel to “Ne Zha” (2019). To be honest, I don’t usually follow this genre of film, so I went into it without any expectations. The story picks up the tale of the Chinese mythological character Ne Zha and his friend Ao Bing. After a sacrifice, only Ne Zha’s body can be recreated, but he carries Ao Bing’s spirit within him. Ne Zha calls upon this spirit in his fight against the wicked Master Shen. Just from this introduction, do you think there may be some spiritual connections?
“Ne Zha 2” was released in theaters across China in January 2025. It achieved remarkable success at the box office, raking in over $2 billion while costing around $80 million to make, which makes it the highest-grossing animated film ever and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time. Do you think the movie might be good?
Let me start by saying that I watched this film in 3-D. I had heard about the stunning visuals, so I thought, Why not? I must say that while 3D doesn’t always work for everyone, in this case, it is glorious! This is one of the top three 3-D effect movies I’ve ever seen, alongside “A Christmas Carol” with Jim Carrey and “Avatar”. The visual quality is so impressive that it could easily enter the debate for the best ever. The 3-D effects are not only breathtaking; the artwork and visuals are stunning, resembling the kind of artwork you might expect to see at a Comic-Con convention. The English dubbing was also spot-on and surprisingly well done for a dubbed film.
While the movie draws heavily from Eastern philosophy, it addresses numerous moral issues. The concept of Yin and Yang, representing the dual influences of good and evil within each of us, is clearly present. While much of Eastern religion is explored in the film, there are also opportunities to make faith comparisons with Christianity and other beliefs. Given that the film discusses themes of resurrection, it’s easy to draw parallels with the resurrection of Jesus and ultimately the resurrection of His followers.
Another aspect I appreciated is the theme of blind faith and the dangers of placing trust in religious leaders. The Bible warns that the Devil can appear as an angel of light, reminding us to be cautious about whom we trust and serve, as well as the true nature of those individuals versus their outward appearance.
For an animated film, “Ne Zha 2” is quite long,running over 2 hours, but I never got bored. Despite questioning certain aspects of the movie, I still enjoyed the experience. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this thought-provoking film a solid 9, for the well-deserved high praise it is receiving.
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