The animated movie Ne Zha, directed by Jiao Zi and released this August, opened a new era for Chinese 3D animation. The film is about the journey of growth of Ne Zha, a Taoist deity. Nezha’s mother was storied to have been pregnant with him for forty-three years before giving birth to a ball of flesh. Nezha’s father, Li Jing, the army commander at Cheng Tang Guan, slashed the ball of flesh apart to find a young child who was already able to walk and talk.
Unlike Pixar studio, which can finish the production of an animated movie independently, Jiao Zi’s studio, which was founded in 2009, couldn’t manage all of the work alone. There are 1400 special effects in Ne Zha, such as wind, fire, thunder, lightning, water, ice, and smoke; Jiao Zi’s studio had to collaborate with over 20 animation companies all over China to create this variety of effects.
The animators’ hard work was well received: Ne Zha created a tremendous sensation in China, and is considered a “glorious light of Chinese animation”.
LAMPLIGHTER 