Film critics and industry professionals in the United States have commended China's animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" for its innovative storytelling, emotional depth, and cutting-edge animation, which they believe are setting new standards for Chinese animation globally.
Simon Abrams, the film critic who reviewed the film for the widely-read RogerEbert.com, praised "Ne Zha 2" for balancing large-scale action with a deeply emotional story.
"This is a movie that can not only juggle the big action scenes, the big adventure stuff, but actually has a hard core - a big heart - that was really emotionally involving and exciting to see. And I think 'Ne Zha 2' is going to expand even further because the success it's been having at the global box office is tremendous. It's making a lot of people who hadn't even heard of the first one start to turn around, 'Wow, it's bigger than Pixar. It's almost bigger than Star Wars, bigger than Avatar.' It's a trend that I feel like, it didn't originate, but it has, even with the first 'Ne Zha', kind of expanded exponentially. I can only imagine that trend's going to continue thanks to this film," he said.
Adam Leipzig, a U.S. film producer and CEO of Entertainment Media Partners, highlighted the film's universal appeal and groundbreaking visuals, as well as its ability to engage global audiences through universal themes.
"I think there are several key factors that are behind the success of the film. First, it really taps into universal ideas and universal emotions. Everybody around the world cares about personal transformation and personal growth, and the film is about personal transformation and personal growth. The way the story is told deeply relies on emotion, and the emotions that it evokes - both what I'm seeing here in the United States and also in China and around the world - are pretty universal emotions. So I think those emotions are resonating," he said.
"Obviously, it also builds on the success of the first film. The first film was a really big hit, and it paved the way. So the second film is a pre-aware title. Visually, it's gorgeous, it's really stunning. The action sequences are great. It is inventive, and it feels as though it's both traditional and also new. And visually, particularly the battle scenes, are fantastic. So I think it delivers on all of those fronts," the film professional added.
Leipzig further emphasized how the quality of Chinese animation has been rapidly evolving, with this film exemplifying the highest standards of global animation.
"The quality of Chinese animation has been growing exponentially year after year, and for me, watching this film now, it is at the highest level of international animation that audiences have come to expect. So I think the film is now perfectly positioned for audience expectations. Audiences will not be disappointed at all by the level of animation," he added.
"Ne Zha 2" has surpassed Disney's 2019 "The Lion King" to claim a spot among the 10 highest-grossing films of all time, with global earnings, including presales, exceeding 12.05 billion yuan (about 1.67 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan as of Monday afternoon.
This achievement comes on the 20th day since the film's release during the Chinese New Year on Jan 29.
It adds to a growing list of records for the film, which became the first to gross one billion U.S. dollars in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to join the coveted billion-dollar club.
US film industry insiders praise "Ne Zha 2" for high-quality animation, storytelling
