22/02/2025
Shared Here Because It's Worth It.
A Chinese animated film just destroyed Hollywood.
It surpassed every Disney & Pixar blockbuster, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie ever ($1.7B).
And itβs about to shake up the global film industry like never before.
Hereβs why Hollywood is terrified of Ne Zha 2:
Ne Zha 2 is based on a 16th century Chinese mythology novel.
β’ Budget: $80 million
β’ Released during Chinese New Year
β’ 1st film to exceed $1 billion in a single market
β’ Highest-grossing non-hollywood film ever made.
And it did this before it premiered outside of China...
Ne Zha 2 has already made it into the Top 10 highest-grossing film of all time.
Itβs the only non-Hollywood film in that list and surpassed Lion King, Jurrassic Park, and Avengers.
Itβs expected to pass $2B, standing alongside Star Wars, Titanic, & Avatar.
That's not enough...
On Feb 18, 2025, Ne Zha2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all-time:
1) Ne Zha 2 : $1.7B
2) Inside Out 2 : $1.7B
3) The Lion King: $1.65B
4) Frozen 2 : $1.45B
5) Super Mario Bros : $1.36B
How did a Chinese film dethrone Pixar, Disney, and Dreamworks in 20 days?
The mastermind behind Ne Zha 2 is Yang Yu (Jiaozi).
β’ Left Medschool to pursue animation.
β’ Spent 3 years at home teaching himself 3D animation.
β’ His dad died & his mom supported him during these 4 years with retirement fund (~$200/month).
Everyone thought he was crazy..
In 2009, using an old computer & MAYA, Jiaozi created the 16 min short "The Big Watermelon."
β’ It gained 10M+ views.
β’ It won over 30 awards.
β’ Received Jury prize at the 2010 Berlin Short Film Festival.
Yet classmates still visited & mocked him, "Take care of yourself..."
Everything changed from a call by Yi Qiao, the CEO of Colorful Dream Studio.
At that time, Jiaozi was still working on outsourced projects.
Yi Qiao suggested he drop all of them.
"Let's spend 3-5 years to focus on one thing. If it succeeds, great; if not, at least we tried."
Yi Qiao promised Jiaozi
β’ No worries on operation cost
β’ Project budget wonβt be cut midway.
Jiaozi went to work, he rewrote the script 60+ times and spent 5 years perfecting every scene.
Ne Zha 1 was a massive success, but the real battle was just beginning....
Jiaozi wanted Ne Zha to be different.
Instead of the usual cute or handsome hero, he designed:
β’ Sharp eyebrows
β’ A mischievous grin
β’ A darker, rebellious personality
This good nor evil image was Jiaozi's vision.
It broke the traditonal mold, and audiences loved it.
The famous scene of Ne Zha reflects the deep love & sacrifices of Jiaozi's mother:
"I just want to hold you 1 more time.
I wonβt be there as you grow, but you must walk your own path.
I never cared if you were a god or demon.
You are my son. I will always love you."
Ne Zha 2 followed the formula of taking a story from Chinese folklore.
Retelling ancient tales with cutting-edge tech reflects the rapid economic growth and technoloical rivalry with the west.
This national pride trend also fueled success like the game "Black Myth: Wukong."
Jiaozi spent 20 years proving Chinese animation could rival global standards.
He wanted to shock and immerse anyone who watched the movie.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Ne Zhaβs breathtaking battle scenes:
Jiaoziβs team tried outsourcing animation to top Hollywood studios, but:
β’ Western animators lacked cultural knowledge.
β’ The quality wasnβt up to their standards & quality.
β’ He personally demonstrated 70% of the entire film.
This was a Chinese-made success story.
Ne Zha 2 is packed with Hollywood-level animation.
β’ 138 companies & 4,000 staffs
β’ 2,000+ visual effect shots
"We realized the giants we once looked up to were also built by relentless effort. All hard tasks are accomplished by people & we have the potential to do the same."
Now, Ne Zha 2 is being called Chinaβs biggest cultural export.
β’ 99% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
β’ Oscar judges are pushing for it to compete.
β’ The Academy is already eyeing it for awards.
Hollywood isnβt the default for world-class animation anymore.
Ne Zha 2 symbolizes Chinaβs entertainment industry telling its own stories instead of relying on Western studios to make movies based on Chinese folklore.
The era when Chinese people looked up to Hollywood cartoons like βKung Fu Pandaβ, 'Mulan', and marveled at them is over.
