After taking Chinese theaters by storm, this year’s highest-grossing animated movie is making its way to US theatres with a brand new english language voice cast.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On studio A24 is joining forces with Chinese studio CMC Pictures to bring an English-language version of the hit animated film Ne Zha 2 to Western theaters. The movie is set to open in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on Friday, August 22.
A24 has already announced the English version’s voice cast, with Everything Everywhere All at Once and Wicked star Michelle Yeoh in the lead voice role, joined by Crystal Lee, Vincent Rodriguez III, and Aleks Le.
In a statement, Yeoh said, "I’m honored to be part of Ne Zha 2, a landmark in Chinese animation and a powerful reminder of how universal our stories can be" (HT THR). The star added, "Sharing this with audiences in English is such a joy, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience the wonder, heart, spectacular artistry, and magic of this film on the big screen."
Ne Zha 2 is the sequel to the 2019 movie Ne Zha, a modern reimagining of mythological Chinese folklore. The sequel builds on this concept, and follows "A rebellious young boy" named Ne Zha, who "is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers. Now he's faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity, he must grow up to become the hero the world needs," as per the official synopsis from A24.
The sequel took the box office by storm earlier this year, grossing over $1.8 billion in China alone and $2 billion worldwide. This makes Ne Zha 2 the highest-grossing animated movie of the year, beating Pixar’s Inside Out 2, which pulled in $1.7 billion globally. Ne Zha 2 currently sits at an impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The original Mandarin-language version of Ne Zha 2, written and directed by Jiao Zi, did see a small theatrical release in the US and UK in March.
For more, check out our list of the best Pixar movies and all of the upcoming movies to add to your calendar.
