'Ne Zha': Animation Fantasy Movie Adapted from Classic Chinese Mythology

 

Ne Zha (2019) Official iQIYI Poster (Image by iQIYI)

Adapted from the famous Chinese classic Mythology, Ne Zha presents the concept against society’s stereotypes of gods and demons while becoming one of the best-selling animation movie of all time in China.

‘Ne Zha’ (Nézhā zhī Mótóng Jiàngshì) is a fantasy animated movie released on July 13, 2019. The animated movie, directed by Yu Yang and Jiaozi, has a plot based on the famous Chinese mythology and 16th-century classic novel ‘Investiture of the Gods,’ attributed to Xu Zhonglin. At the time of its release, the movie was shown in China and 9 Southeast Asian countries.

Adapted from the famous Chinese classic mythology, the movie tells the story of Ne Zha, a little boy who gains powers from the Demon Orb at birth. He is destined to have demonic powers and traits, which make him rude, arrogant, conceited, and cause harm to others. That’s why he was locked up at home, and no one dared to befriend him. This also caused him to grow up as a ‘demon,’ but he tried to fight against his fate and the stereotypes of the society around him.

In Chinese mythology, Ne Zha (哪吒) is a guardian deity of teenagers with a rebellious nature. He protects teenagers and professional drivers (since Ne Zha rides a wheel of fire). Ne Zha is always represented as a teenage boy with his hair wrapped in a warrior’s bun. He is usually shown holding a large spear while wearing a wheel of wind fire at his feet.

Although the characters in the movie have been modified in such a way, the modifications do not change the storyline of the original mythology. The modifications can also be accepted very well without reducing the characters’ main essence, so this movie can be said to really tell the story of the original mythology well.

Apart from the characters, the movie has an exciting plot. Although it focuses on fantasy, adventure, and Chinese mythology, the film is also shrouded in light humor and the funny whims of the characters that are entertaining. The plot of the movie itself is simple, but it is developed in such a way that it becomes exciting and makes the audience curious.

In addition to the plot, another factor that makes this movie worth watching is the very detailed, smooth, and delicate animation. Every movement made by the characters, magic effects, and even the scenery in this movie is made as smooth as possible so that it can indulge the eyes of the audience. Moreover, the background music in this movie is also placed very fittingly to make some scenes feel more fun, thrilling, and heartwarming.

Based on the factors above, it’s unsurprising that the movie has earned the title of the second-best-selling movie of all time in China. At the time of its release, the movie’s revenue reached 5 billion Yuan. The movie also received good ratings on several rating websites, namely 9/10 on iQIYI, 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.4/10 on IMDb, and 4.5/5 on Parent Previews.

In addition to high revenue and ratings, this movie also won several awards that prove that this movie is indeed worth watching. Some of them are the Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Scriptwriter categories at the 2019 China Animation Golden Dragon Award.

Ne Zha (2019) can be watched online via the iQIYI streaming app.