In January of this year, the Chinese animated film Nezha 2 was released in theaters. The first film, NeZha (2019), made $84 million in its first three days after being released and eventually went on to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China. A few of the other accomplishments made by the first film include “highest-grossing animated film of all time in a single market” and “highest-grossing non-English spoken animated film.
With that being said, it should come as no surprise that NeZha 2 was well anticipated worldwide. It just so happened that while participating in a study abroad program in China this past summer, I had the opportunity to go see NeZha 2 in theaters, and it was everything I could have hoped for!
For a bit of context, NeZha (哪吒 in simplified Chinese) is the name of a well-known and respected deity in Chinese mythology. His story has been retold countless times, with the 2019 and 2025 films being two of the many different adaptations of it.
The first movie starts with NeZha’s birth. His mother, a general referred to as “Lady Lin,” carried him for a total of three years and six months. Upon his birth, he came out as a young boy who had rather destructive powers and nonhuman strength. Now this is where the plot of the movie differs from other tellings. A new character named Ao Bing is introduced, who we later learn is the son of the dragon king and is, more or less, Nezha’s “better” half, as he was born right around the same time in relatively similar circumstances.
Originally, the two get in a fight where NeZha ultimately wins, with Ao Bing paying for it with his life. In the version that is told in the movie, however, the two do NOT fight and actually become great friends. The main conflict of the movie is that the pair’s fates are actually tied to each other in a pretty grim manner (that, of course, being their deaths). Their job is to figure out how to stop their fate without disrupting the present/future. The second movie is a continuation of this story.
Aside from the captivating storyline, the animation is beautiful and really well done. The soundtrack matched everything really well, too! NeZha 2 was action-packed but also had some really funny and even some pretty emotional parts too, which is part of the reason I think I had so much fun watching it.
Just this past week, I went with a friend to go see it in theatres after coming home, and it was just as good as it was when I saw it the first time.
For anyone curious, there are English subtitles for the movie and an official English dub as well. (starring Michelle Yeoh!) I originally went to see the movie with a few people who hadn’t seen the first film, yet they were able to follow along just fine. So, while I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary that you see the first movie (2019 version) first, I do personally recommend it. And if you don’t get to see it while it is still showing in theaters, I strongly recommend putting it in your watchlist for when it is released on other various platforms, because trust me, it is definitely a movie worth watching!