Cheryl asked me to put on a movie for her to watch over the weekend. This is so rare an occurrence that I briefly considered if I should buy a Sports Toto lottery.
It all started earlier this year when a movie was released– one you’ve probably never heard of. And yet, it’s within striking distance of overtaking Avengers: Infinity War as the sixth highest-grossing film in history.
What makes this even more remarkable? It’s an animated feature from China called Ne Zha 2. The film has already raked in over $1.9 billion in China alone– making it the first movie ever to gross that much in a single country. And it only started hitting international screens in mid-January.
A while back, I played the first film, Ne Zha, for the kids. Cheryl was there too, but let’s just say she conveniently decided to “rest her tired eyes”– for the full two-hour runtime. Meanwhile, those of us who stayed awake had a blast. And I have to admit, I was genuinely impressed. The animation quality is on par with any Hollywood production.
The story behind the success of Ne Zha and its sequel is straight out of a motivational movie itself. The film’s director, Jiao Zi, was originally pushed by his parents to study pharmacy. But his true passion was animation. So, he dropped out and spent three years teaching himself the craft– day in, day out. During this time, his father passed away, and he lived with his mother, who survived on a modest pension of RMB 1,000 a month.
His perseverance paid off. In 2009, a short animated film he created swept up 30 local and international awards. A decade later, in 2019, the studio he founded released Ne Zha, which became a massive critical and commercial success in China. The film draws from Chinese folklore about Ne Zha, a mischievous child deity who defied divine conventions. Basically the celestial equivalent of Bart Simpson, if Bart had his hair tied in buns instead of spikes and rode fiery roller skates instead of a skateboard.
The film masterfully blends influences from Chinese kung-fu manga, Old Master Q, and Stephen Chow, creating humour and situations that hit differently for Asian audiences. There were moments I laughed out loud while simultaneously wondering if some Western critic was going to label this “rude” or “non-inclusive”– because, you know, humour is dangerous these days.
Beyond its stunning visuals and cultural touchstones, Ne Zha carries a universal message: self-acceptance in a world that fears difference. Ironically, this theme of individualism contrasts with traditional Chinese Communist Party socialist values of conformity for collective benefit.
Yet, in many ways, the film also serves as a reflection of China’s evolving self-identity– growing in confidence on the world stage, embracing its own uniqueness, even as wealthier Western nations attempt to decouple from it economically.
Now, with Ne Zha 2 hitting Malaysian cinemas in two weeks, Cheryl has decided she needs to “catch up”. I’m just relieved she’s actually planning to watch the sequel in the cinema this time– though I’m fully prepared to elbow her awake if she starts “appreciating the movie with her eyes closed” again.