Through a partnership between indie distributor A24 and Chinese state-backed CMC Pictures, animation behemoth Ne Zha 2 will be dubbed in English headlined by Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) in a “lead voice role” and is scheduled to release in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on August 22.
“I’m honored to be part of Ne Zha 2, a landmark in Chinese animation and a powerful reminder of how universal our stories can be,” according to Yeoh. “Sharing this with audiences in English is such a joy, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience the wonder, heart, spectacular artistry, and magic of this film on the big screen.”
The film about a demon boy raised by humans and strives to cultivate himself and protect the people around him from demons and gods. It has broken multiple box office records with a reported gross of $2.2B including the highest grossing Chinese film of all time, the highest grossing animated film of all time beating Inside Out 2, and placing within the top 5 highest grossing films of all time, beating the likes of Spider-man No Way Home, Avengers Infinity War, and Star Wars the Force Awakens.
The film is inspired by Chinese mythology with stories dating back to the 16th century under the title "Investiture of the Gods." He is a protection deity who is both heroic and rebellious in nature. For those familiar with Sun Wukong and the story of Journey to the West, Ne Zha was one of the warriors who faced him when he wrecked havoc in heaven.
With a reported $80M budget, the movie features breathtaking animation that took about 4,000 animators to make in 5 years with about 2,000 visual effects shots. The third act alone features about a reported 200 million individually animated characters.
Characters include Ne Zha, reincarnation of the demon orb, born to human parents Li Jing and Lady Yin in a fictional setting called Chentang Pass. He is guided by his master Taiyi Zhenren and along the way meets Ao Bing, a reincarnation of the spirit pearl and third son of Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. Ao Bing, on the other hand, is trained by Taiyi's martial arts brother, Shen Gongbao. Newcomers in the movie are Wuliang, an immortal leading the Chan sect, Deero and Crana, lieutenants of Wuliang in exorcising the demons in the human world, Shen Xiaobao, Shen Gongbao's younger brother, Shen Zhengdao, their father. It currently has a 96% Tomatometer and 99% Popcornmeter in Rotten Tomatoes.
It will be remembered that the original Chinese version was released with little fanfare in different parts of the world starting February. But with almost no marketing made and people preferring dubs over subtitles, the movie did not make any waves outside of China and a few other countries in Asia.
With a reputable distributor such as A24 handling this release, more people will be able to experience the top notch animation and epic storytelling that it boasts. It is still not announced what part Yeoh will be playing, but we expect more announcements and other prominent names to be revealed in the coming days.