By: Ariel Wong
Starting from this Lunar New Year, an unexpected contender has been steamrolling through the charts of the highest-grossing films of all time. Defeating box office champions within the animation medium, Ne Zha 2 is shaping up to be a phenomenon of its own. Ne Zha 2 (Chinese: 哪吒之魔童闹海, Ne Zha: Demon Child Disturbs the Sea) is an animated fantasy adventure film directed by Yang Yu, professionally known as Jiaozi (Literally translated as dumpling). Its 2019 predecessor, Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世- Ne Zha: Decent of the Demon Child), received massive commercial and critical acclaim within China but failed to generate as much buzz in the international market.
These films are based on the Ming Dynasty epic “The Investiture of the Gods” (封神演義) which combines Chinese mythology and history, and has left a lasting impact on the Chinese cultural zeitgeist. Ne Zha (2019) follows a young boy of the same name, mistakenly born from the Demon orb instead of the Spirit Peal due to a nefarious plot. His rebellious nature, battles against fate, and journey of self-discovery are presented in the 1 hour and 50 minutes of heartwarming and fresh storytelling. The sequel starts off right where the first movie ends — after Ne Zha successfully survives his execution by heavenly lightning on his Third birthday.
Although this isn’t strictly a recommendation, I still strongly suggest watching both movies as they’re entertaining, visually appealing, and packed with heart. The first movie is available for free on YouTube, and the second movie is in theatres worldwide as of this article’s publishing, and will probably be streaming once its lengthy run comes to an end. As a sequel, Ne Zha 2 successfully builds upon the themes, characters, and world of the first, doing an incredible job elevating the visual presentation, storytelling, and serious emotional impact. I’ll be discussing and dissecting the artistic and stylistic choices Jiaozi and his team enacted, but an overview of Ne Zha’s original character and cultural impact is needed to see the full picture.
The Original Ne Zha
The character Ne Zha has existed in Chinese folklore and mythology for hundreds of years, having origins in Buddhist and Taoist mythology. As a significant character in “The Investiture of the Gods”, Ne Zha’s origin story is thoroughly detailed. As his original story covers years worth of development and challenges, this next section will be his origin story in a nutshell:
Born from the spirit pearl to Li Jing (李靖) and Lady Yin (殷夫人), he is taken in by the powerful Taoist deity Taiyi Zhenren ( 太乙真人) as a disciple. Ne Zha is caught up in a serious conflict with the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas (四海龍王) after he famously kills and pulls the tendons from the East Sea Dragon King’s Son, Ao Bing (敖丙). To reconcile with the Dragon Kings, Ne Zha carves his flesh from his bones, returning his mortal body to his parents. He is then reborn from Lotus flowers with the help of his master.
One of the most famous adaptations of his story is the 1979 movie “Prince Ne Zha’s Triumph Against the Dragon King”(哪吒鬧海), the first coloured animated feature film produced in China. Ne Zha is portrayed as a young but mature child with sharp yet elegant eyes, and his signature weapons: a golden circlet and a red sash. This is in line with the traditional depictions of his character, as a strong boy with an unyielding sense of justice.
Adapting such an iconic and well-known myth is no easy task, as Jiaozi has to contend with decades worth of TV reruns and nostalgia. Instead of attempting to remake the same story and characters and falling short, he chose to flip our understanding of Ne Zha’s character on its head to tell a story of rebelling against fate.
V.S. the Myth: Ne Zha and Ao Bing
Arguably the greatest deviation from the source material, besides changing Ne Zha’s spirit pearl origins to a more demonic one, is that Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s friendship was never even an option in the original story. As previously mentioned, Ne Zha brutally kills Ao Bing who was sent by his father, pulling the tendons out from his dead body as a present for Li Jing, his dad.
Having to contend with the cultural understanding of them as mortal enemies, Director Jiaozi had to construct the two as foils to each other but leave enough room for a realistic friendship to develop between them.
Ne Zha and Ao Bing share a similar origin, both being born from split parts of the chaos pearl. As powerful and mature as they may seem, the two are but literal three-year-olds having to contend with the corrupt system. In the first movie, both of them were living isolated lives, albeit for different reasons. After their initial fight, they too bonded over engaging in a game of 毽子, a traditional Chinese childhood game consisting of kicking a feathered shuttlecock around, matching each other’s power and creating a budding friendship.
Their character designs also contrast in interesting ways beyond the obvious red and blue colour scheme, bringing a visual juxtaposition into play. Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s forehead markings form a stylized Yin-Yang symbol, echoing their shared origins as part of the same chaos pearl. This red-and-blue Yin-Yang symbol is a commonly used motif in the film, being present in moments where Ao Bing and Ne Zha come together in their struggles against adversity. Both of them also have somewhat mythologically accurate “final forms”, with Ne Zha growing two extra pairs of arms (six arms in total, in accordance to his 三頭六臂 (three heads, six arms) form) and Ao Bing transforming into a sleek dragon like his relatives. This gives the filmmakers more tools to establish dramatic tension, as you know it’s about to get real when they transform.
Critiquing Tradition: Should there be Sacrifice?
A massive plot point in Ne Zha’s origin story is when he decides to sacrifice his life for the sake of his parents, removing his flesh for his mother and giving his bones to his father (割肉还母，剔骨还父). This is all to prevent the Dragon Kings from tormenting the people of their village, but this raises many questions about the morality of asking a child to take his own life for the greater good. The second movie addresses this, with the main villain, Wuliang Tianzun (無量天尊, Unlimited Heavenly Lord), casting the Heart Piercing Curse (穿心咒) on Ne Zha and Ao Bing and offering the former an ultimatum: End your own life by consuming a deadly pill, allowing everyone to go free, or suffer in the infernal heat of the ancient cauldron. Before Ne Zha can take the pill, his mother throws it aside, chiding Wuliang Tianzun for forcing a child to make such a difficult decision. Unfortunately, the myth is still realized after Ne Zha’s mother dies. Overcome by grief, Ne Zha disregards the curse holding his body in place, moving against the sharp thorns and slicing himself into thousands of tiny slivers. However, the fire in the cauldron has caused his fracturing body to reform, restoring him to his full strength. His sacrifice and revival were cleverly foreshadowed during the beginning moments of the film, where Taiyi Zhenren was reconstructing his body from lotus roots.
This scene makes for a powerful build-up for the final fight, but Lady Yin’s untimely death and the following montage was not as emotional as it could’ve been. Most of their relationship is established in the first movie, so we barely get to see her interact with Ne Zha in this one. He even thought she was dead for a solid chunk of the movie, only for them to reveal that his parents did not die in the massacre, just to kill off Lady Yin anyway. They still manage to make it believable enough, but a bit more screen time dedicated to Ne Zha interacting with his mother would’ve been nicer.
Comedy and Culture
One aspect of the Ne Zha movies that received a fair amount of criticism and attention is the sense of humour. As these movies were made as family movies, some jokes were definitely catered towards a younger crowd (i.e. the fart jokes and occasional potty humour). While those can sometimes be annoying or slightly disgusting, the directors knew when to tone down silly jokes as to not break immersion and maintain the suspense. The movie’s other jokes are all heavy hitters, making the first half of the movie an enjoyable, lighthearted watch. Some personal highlights include the somewhat unintentional joke where Ao Bing’s father turns into a giant knife (人刀合一！(i.e. Becoming One with the Knife)), Lady Rock (石磯娘娘) and her magic bronze mirror parodying The Evil Queen in Snow White, as well as a callback to Ne Zha’s incredibly powerful Jianzi playing in the first movie.
A consistent comic relief in both movies is Taiyi Zhenren, Ne Zha’s powerful yet silly mentor. His voice in the original Mandarin version of the movie has a heavy Sichuan accent, strongly bolstering his comedic value. Sichuan accents are often regarded as being the right blend of “土” (literally meaning “soil” or “dirt”), which means corny, and intelligible. Thus, there’s something intrinsically funny about his goofy voice to Chinese people that makes his character leagues more enjoyable. His accent is such an integral part of his character, which is why I prefer the original Mandarin voice cast over other language dubs. Although Mike Pollock does a decent job of translating his demeanour for an English-speaking audience with a Jack Black-like comedic voice, I highly recommend the Chinese version since it retains the original vision of the filmmakers. Localizations can be extremely tricky, especially when culture is intertwined with humour to this degree, but they can allow a wider audience to enjoy different pieces of media if executed correctly.
The Localization Struggle
The Ne Zha franchise is intertwined and infused with Chinese culture, whether it’s the story, characters, design, or music. As a result, some aspects of the movie might be difficult to comprehend if the viewers don’t have a basic understanding of typical Chinese mythology. Monsters, Immortals, and The Heavenly Courts are all recurring existences in tons of Chinese media, so an explanation for these seemingly common occurrences wasn’t deemed necessary. This definitely could lead to some confusion, as not every viewer understands how or why they can turn people into magical beads with a cauldron.
Furthermore, the movies are filled with complex dialogue choices, specific proper nouns and iconic lines which are a hassle to translate and localize. An interesting coincidence tangentially related to this has arisen, since Ne Zha’s preferred method of transportation is his Fenghuo Lun (風火輪, Wind and Fire Wheels), spinning fire wheels he rides around like rollerblades. Wouldn’t you know, the Chinese name for Hot Wheels, the toy cars, just happens to be Fenghuo Lun (風火輪, Wind and Fire Wheels)! You could say that Ne Zha has got himself a pair of Hot Wheels to ride around on. Jokes aside, localizing all the proper nouns used in this article has already given me a headache, and I cannot imagine what the translation staff have to deal with. Different characters not only have different accents, but characters like Ao Bing speak in a more formal and archaic diction than Ne Zha, who often throws colloquial language and slang around. Simply changing Ao Bing’s dialogue to Middle English or Shakespearean prose would not have the same effect, as this would only make him seem old and like a theatre nerd. There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution for all this, but with enough care and understanding, a great localization could allow a global audience to enjoy these films as they were intended.
Conclusion: Ne Zha World Domination?
As the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, Ne Zha 2 spells an uncertain future in the world of animation. Although most of the movie’s profits have come from the domestic market, the fantastic storytelling and stunning visuals can justify its standings. In the constantly evolving field of animation, other stunning movies like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Wild Robot, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish have taken innovation to new heights. To keep up with and surpass major global animation studios like Gints Zilbalodis did with Flow this past year, Director Jiaozi and his talented team will have to push further and surpass the audience’s growing expectations for Ne Zha 3. Seeing a Chinese film imbued with culture and tradition achieve mainstream success was a welcome surprise, here’s to hoping that Chinese culture can be enjoyed by those all around the world.
