Review: “Ne Zha 2” takes risks – and they pay off

By Sarah Motteler     3/11/25 10:49pm

★★★★½

Earlier last week, “Ne Zha 2” became the first animated film to reach $2 billion in global ticket sales, making it the top grossing animated film of all time after surpassing last year’s “Inside Out 2”. A loose adaptation of the story of Chinese mythological figure Nezha as told by the 16th century novel “Investiture of the Gods”, the film follows Ne Zha, a young boy born with the power of the fiery Demon Pill, as he completes three trials to protect his hometown of Chengtang Pass and save the life of his friend Ao Bing. 

The premise itself is nothing new: there have been film adaptations of the story of Nezha since 1928, and Nezha’s motivations at the start of the film mirror those of countless other animated films. However, where some movies might pull their punches, “Ne Zha” doesn’t hold back, depicting themes as thorny as how violence is used to enforce and justify oppression with a clarity that many animated children’s films would balk at. It doesn’t hesitate in regards to animation either, with special consideration given to its stellar fight scenes, making it a must-see at the theaters.

---

---

“Ne Zha 2” is a direct sequel to “Ne Zha”, released in 2019 on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The 2019 film covers the title character’s origins and his evolution from a chaotic troublemaker acting out due to his loneliness to a still chaotic, but noble defender against evil. It also follows the formation of his friendship with Ao Bing, a dragon prince who received the powers of the Spirit Pearl originally meant for Ne Zha, and the friendship’s subsequent strain as Ao Bing and Ne Zha are turned against one another. 

If you’ve got two hours to spare, “Ne Zha” is available on YouTube with either English subtitles and the original Mandarin audio or with English dub and closed captions, and it’s a solid watch even if you’re not familiar with Chinese mythology that inspired it.

The first half of “Ne Zha 2” is similar in quality to its predecessor, balancing cool fight scenes and charming character antics with the occasional gross-out joke that’s a little too much. However, the second half is where it really locks in, with an inciting incident at a scale and intensity that I’ve never seen in an animated movie. 

Everything ramps up from there: the stakes are heightened, the characters and their motivations are tested and the action scenes get even more delightfully action-y. The execution is near-flawless, and it wraps up with an ending that makes you eager to see where the story goes next — and willing to wait the five-or-so more years for that story to get released.

When I heard of “Ne Zha 2” and pulled up the first film on Youtube, I didn’t know what to expect. When I first took my seat in the theater to watch the sequel two days later, I was excited, but not entirely sure how a film I had only heard of a few days before had already outsold every other animated film previously released. 

By the time I left, I not only understood why so many people turned out to see it, but I wanted to make sure that other people knew to watch it too. It’s a thoroughly entertaining film that deserves to be seen as unspoiled as possible, and I recommend that you go out and watch it.

---