A Chinese film about a rebellious demon child has done what no Disney or Pixar blockbuster could. Ne Zha 2 became the first animated film in history to pass the $2 billion mark, finishing with about $2.27 billion, per Box Office Mojo. It overtook Pixar’s Inside Out 2 ($1.6 billion) as the highest-grossing animated film ever in February 2025, just weeks after it opened.
But how did this happen? Here are three things that help explain how it got there.
Five Years of Craftsmanship Behind Ne Zha 2’s Stunning Animation
Well, the first is just plain, stubborn craftsmanship. According to Beijing Review, more than 4,000 animators from 138 companies spent five years on the 144-minute film. Director Yang Yu, who goes by Jiaozi, refused to rush it. The team first expected to finish in three to four years, but he chose to “extend the schedule rather than compromise on quality.”
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The film ended up with 1,900 special effects shots and over 10,000 effects elements. A single 10-second sequence took more than a year to get right. Western critics took notice of it as well, as The New York Times called it a “testament to the level of artistry in the Chinese animation industry right now.” A24, which handled the US release, called it a …read more
Disclaimer : This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by FilmyFriday. Source:: koimoi.com
