Overview
Ne Zha is born of a heavenly pearl but destined to be a demon. Rejected by society, he struggles to find his place and ultimately must choose between destiny and his own will. A stunning Chinese animated film.
Released in 2019, Ne Zha was directed by Yang Yu and produced under the Beijing Culture banner. The film occupies a significant place within the Independent — telling a self-contained story outside of shared-continuity superhero franchises.
The film features lead performances from Lü Yanting, Joseph, Jiang Guangtao, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in Independent. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Yu and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
With an audience rating of 7.9, Ne Zha is generally praised as a strong entry in the superhero genre — its strengths in storytelling, performance, and production design regularly cited by viewers.
Principal Cast
Trivia & Facts
Ne Zha released in 2019, placing it within the 2010s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by Yang Yu, the film was produced by Beijing Culture and adapts source material from Independent.
The principal cast features Lü Yanting and Joseph, with key supporting roles played by Jiang Guangtao.
The film belongs to Independent — an independent / standalone production, not tied to a shared cinematic universe.
Ne Zha carries an audience rating of 7.9 — putting it in the solid-to-excellent tier of the genre.
The Independent source material for Ne Zha has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
Ne Zha is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 163 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.