I would be willing to bet that you have never heard of the movie that currently holds the international record for the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Ne Zha 2. If so, don’t sweat it, because the Chinese fantasy flick, which has amassed nearly $2 billion worldwide since coming out in January 2025, only recently acquired a wide theatrical U.S. release on the upcoming 2025 movies schedule, and will be hitting the screens, courtesy of A24, on August 22.
In the meantime, if you have a Peacock subscription or the Tubi app, you can catch up on the story so far by streaming the original Ne Zha (pronounced “nuh-jah”) from 2019. Having recently watched it, I must say that, speaking as someone who has rarely been interested in high-concept fantasy stories, I would recommend this film even if it did not have a massively popular sequel making its way to the States. Allow me to explain…
Ne Zha’s Premise Is Avatar: The Last Airbender Meets The Omen Meets Hellboy
horror movie classic, The Omen, was given the chance to defy his destiny as a force of destruction, similar to the title character of Hellboy, and use his dangerous, elemental powers to defeat evil, kind of like the action you see in the beloved animated TV show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you consider yourself a fan of any of those titles, you might just get a kick out of Ne Zha.
acclaimed fantasy movies in the past. This is mainly because, as someone with ADD, I tend to struggle to keep up with all of the mystical lore these types of stories often incorporate. However, that is thankfully not the case with Ne Zha.
The film sets up a great deal of exposition in only the first 5 or 10 minutes, which initially had me weary of all the details I would be challenged to keep track of. However, I was surprised by how effectively the story keeps its most essential plot points clear and concise throughout, and without resorting to egregious spoonfeeding. Audiences of all ages should be able to follow the plot of Ne Zha without any trouble, making it a perfect kids movie for the whole family.
Shrek movies, which are gaining a fifth installment soon.
Make no mistake, though: these bits of humor are not simply comic relief sprinkled between scenes here and there. There are more jokes than there are earnest moments throughout this entire, 110-minute action-packed fantasy film. Yet, while some gags land more successfully than others, in my opinion, they never really feel out of place, keeping the tone flush and steering clear of cheapening the more serious moments they follow.
stream Ne Zha on Peacock or Tubi, or even rent it on Amazon. I have a good feeling that, once you check it out, you will be looking forward to the upcoming A24 movie that follows it, Ne Zha 2, as much as I am.