Fueled by an outpouring of enthusiasm from fans across the globe, China's box office titan "Ne Zha 2" has etched its name into history by surpassing Pixar's megahit "Inside Out 2" to claim the crown of the world's highest-grossing animated film of all time. As of Tuesday evening, precisely 20 days after its highly anticipated premiere on the opening day of the lucrative Spring Festival holiday movie season, "Ne Zha 2" had amassed an impressive 12.35 billion yuan ($1.69 billion), inclusive of presales and earnings from overseas markets like North America and Australia.
According to industry analysts at Maoyan Pro and Beacon, the film has soared to become the eighth highest-grossing film globally and stands as the lone non-Hollywood entry in the top 10 list. As the sequel to the 2019 smash hit "Ne Zha," this cinematic masterpiece continues to subvert traditional storytelling by retelling the legend of its titular character, a fiery 3-year-old deity who traverses on blazing wheels and wields a red ribbon to harness his formidable powers. The film has garnered widespread praise for portraying the protagonist as a figure who fearlessly battles an unjust fate and forges his own unique path.
Widely celebrated as the pinnacle of Chinese animation, "Ne Zha 2" took five painstaking years to bring to life, involving a collaborative effort from over 4,000 animators from 138 companies who crafted more than 1,900 visually stunning effects shots. Lu Shengzhang, the former dean of the Animation and Comics Department at Communication University of China, shared with China Daily that the film, loosely based on the Ming Dynasty classic "Fengshen Yanyi" (Investiture of the Gods), underscores how the nation's rich history and culture can serve as an invaluable source of inspiration for compelling cinematic narratives.
Evita Mei, a Chinese immigrant residing in Tauranga, a city on New Zealand's North Island, revealed to China Daily that she had taken her teenage son to watch the film, noting that many of her neighbors and friends within the Chinese community felt a profound sense of national pride. For some families, watching "Ne Zha 2" has become a means to deepen their children's understanding of Chinese mythology and literature.
Melina Weber, a German expat living in Beijing, shared that "Ne Zha 2" was the only film she watched during the Spring Festival holiday, emphasizing that she was deeply impressed by the movie's multifaceted portrayal of Chinese culture, which included showcasing local cuisine and breathtaking landscapes.
