film
Chinese Cultural Icon Ne Zha Develops VFX Talent, Expands Cultural Promotion
Chinese film industry sees rapid growth in visual effects technology. A sequel to the 2019 hit “Ne Zha 1,” “Ne Zha 2” continues to build on the beloved Chinese mythology surrounding the character and has been celebrated as a milestone for Chinese animation.
Chinese film industry sees rapid growth in visual effects technology. A sequel to the 2019 hit “Ne Zha 1,” “Ne Zha 2” continues to build on the beloved Chinese mythology surrounding the character and has been celebrated as a milestone for Chinese animation.
Chinese Animated Blockbuster Ne Zha 2 Premieres Worldwide
The much-awaited most recent version of the Chinese mainland’s animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” premiered on Tuesday night in Hong Kong and was scheduled to officially hit Hong Kong theaters on Saturday.
Ne Zha is perhaps one of the most unusual boys in Chinese mythology. Born with the divine power to control the cosmic wheel, his stories of chaotic damage have been made popular by filmmakers and comicbook writers in the Chinese world for centuries.
The film has already garnered significant attention in both Hong Kong and Macao, breaking records for the number of distributors and daily screenings for a Chinese mainland film in Hong Kong.
“We are honored to bring this world-class, phenomenon-level animation to Hong Kong and Macao, allowing viewers to experience the charm of Ne Zha in theaters,” said a representative with Emperor Motion Pictures, a co-distributor of the film, hoping that “Ne Zha 2” will be loved here as much as in the Chinese mainland.
Since its release in the Chinese mainland during the Chinese New Year, “Ne Zha 2” has proved a smashing success at the box office, with total earnings worldwide, including pre-sales, surpassing 12.3 billion Chinese yuan (1.72 billion U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday evening.
“VFX at its best for a Chinese mythological character with a cosmic wheel,” said Monica Tong, editor-in-chief of Music Press Asia APAC.
Ne Zha’s Music
Tianjin Ruiyin Culture Music Studio – one of the film’s music producer – has played a crucial role in blending traditional Chinese folk music with modern elements.
“We had to strike the perfect balance between the director’s vision and the emotional nuances of the film,” said Yang Rui, the studio’s founder.
Their innovative approach included incorporating Tianjin-style clapper talk and sanxian, a traditional Chinese lute, into the scenes set in Chentang Pass, thereby adding a layer of local flavor.
The studio also recorded Dong ethnic songs in Southwest China’s Guizhou province, infusing the film with an ethereal and mystical quality. “We wanted to awaken the cultural spirit through sound,” explained Yang.
The film’s distinctive blend of traditional Chinese music and electronic music has been praised by experts. “The seamless integration of traditional and modern music in ‘Ne Zha 2’ provides an engaging and refreshing auditory experience for the audience,” said Geng Han, director of the intangible cultural heritage center at Tianjin University’s Feng Jicai Research Institute of Literature and Art.
VFX Technology
From breathtaking mythical battles in “Ne Zha 2” to astonishingly realistic urban landscapes in “Detective Chinatown 1900,” Chinese cinema has captivated audiences with groundbreaking innovations in visual effects (VFX).
Chinese animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” the first movie to cross the $1 billion line in a single market, continues to generate steady ticket sales.
This sequel features three times the number of characters as its predecessor “Ne Zha,” nearly 2,000 special effects shots, and a production team of over 4,000 people. Its closing credits list nearly 140 Chinese animation studios involved in the project.
A large number of key enterprises on the Ne Zha 2 production industrial chain are located right inside the movie’s “birthplace” — Gazelle Digital Cultural and Creative Valley of the Tianfu Software Park.
The complex focuses in fields such as gaming and e-sports, film and television media, digital music, and super hi-def videos, and is home to over 6,000 companies engaged in the digital cultural and creative sector, including Tencent, Tik Tok and Migu Music.
Sources say that AI technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the early stages of VFX design. Once a script is finalized, AI can generate hundreds or even thousands of concept images within a short time, providing valuable visual references for the creation team.
The VFX sector is a benchmark of technological strength. Its rapid growth in China over the past few years has boosted the country’s film industrialization progress.
Cultural Promotion
With the worldwide success of this film, the character of Ne Zha has emerged as a cultural icon, capturing the imagination of audiences across the globe and leaving an indelible mark on North China’s Tianjin municipality, which claims to be one of the mythical story’s prototype sites.
“By leveraging the current hot IP of ‘Ne Zha,’ Tianjin, which has a rich Ne Zha culture, can delve deeper into its cultural connotations and brand value, innovate in forms, and tell distinctive stories of cultural and tourism integration,” said Xu Hong, dean of the School of Tourism and Service at Nankai University.
The potential success of “Ne Zha” tourism is not limited to Tianjin. Across China, cities are riding high on the wave created by this animated blockbuster, aiming to boost their tourism industries.
The article above is edited by Mary J Marwan & Ben Zulkifli.
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