Ne Zha II Parent Guide

Struck by supernatural lightning that destroyed their bodies, Ne Zha and his frenemy Ao Bing survive as spirits. Luckily, Ne Zha’s master Taiyi Zhenren has a magical lotus that is able to regenerate them – although the new bodies will take time to strengthen. Unfortunately, time is a luxury they don’t have.

Ao Bing’s father, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, believes that his beloved son is dead, and in a fit of vengeance he unleashes demons and dragons on Ne Zha’s home in Chentang Pass. Grateful to his rescuers, Ao Bing puts up a heroic defence, destroying his new body in the process.

Grief-stricken and enraged, the newly arrived Dragon King demands that yet another body be recreated for his son. But there’s a problem: the sacred lotus is exhausted and can only be restored with a potion guarded by the Immortals. Ao Guang demands that Ne Zha share his body with Ao Bing for a week, complete the ascension trials, become an Immortal, and obtain the elixir. Oh, and by the way, Ne Zha can’t unleash any of his demon energy so he’s going to have to let Ao Bing control his body during the trials. Throw in a villainous Immortal, his well-intentioned little brother, serious treachery, and some very convoluted plot turns, and a twisty, magical tale unfolds across the big screen.

Unfortunately, Ne Zha II overwhelms what could be an absorbing story with prolonged, elaborate combat scenes. The original film had plenty of fight to it, but it also focused heavily on Ne Zha’s emotional journey. In the sequel, the personal issues faced by Ne Zha and Ao Bing are too often lost in the non-stop kicking, stabbing, burning, impaling, limb-severing scenes of war and personal combat. Instead of delivering an epic hero’s journey, the movie feels like a third-person shooter/magical weapon-wielder video game, briefly interrupted for expository dialogue and emotional references.

Given that Ne Zha II is the most profitable animated film of all time with ticket sales that already exceed $2 billion dollars (prior to the English language release), it’s clear that mine is not the majority opinion. However, parents will want to consider two things before taking kids to this film. First, their attention spans: Ne Zha II is an overlong, bloated film that runs for nearly two-and-a-half hours and has a convoluted plot. This isn’t the movie for a wiggly kid with a short attention span. Second, the violence. Seriously, fight scenes are this flick’s reason for existence, and it isn’t recommended for easily frightened little ones. There are also a few gross scenes involving pig flatulence and drinking water contaminated with urine, but those are more likely to amuse kids while causing parental eye rolls.

As with the original Ne Zha film, the sequel delivers consistent messages about the power of family ties and our ability to try and try again to be our best selves. These are solid messages, but just as the price for immortality can be too high, the hours spent in this movie might be too high a price as you try to grasp at the themes between scenes of endless carnage.

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.