Jakarta. The Chinese animated movie "Ne Zha 2" gives its audience a fun-packed and high-quality sequel despite being produced on a modest budget.

Directed by Jiaozi, the sequel follows the story of demon child Ne Zha (Lü Yanting) going on a mission to save his ice mage friend Ao Bing (Han Mo) after both lose their physical bodies from being struck by the heavenly lightning. In the meantime, Ao Bing's soul resides inside Ne Zha's body. To save his white-haired buddy, Ne Zha has to complete a set of trials for the immortal Master Wuliang (Wang Deshun).

According to media reports, producing the mega-hit "Ne Zha 2" cost $80 million. This price tag is barely half that of Pixar movies, whose budget can even top $200 million. As a case in point, the 2023 Pixar movie "Elemental" cost approximately $200 million to make, and this had yet to include the marketing expenses. However, "Ne Zha 2" shows that lower production costs do not mean low-quality work.

"Ne Zha 2", which takes inspiration from Chinese mythology, can keep the audience -- both young and old -- entertained for about two hours and a half. Its charm also lies in the almost never-ending conflicts that draw people in and keep them hooked. The plot twist of Wuliang turning out to be the story's big bad gives a nice element of surprise. The movie also touches on some heartwarming themes like parental love. Despite being marketed for older kids and teens, the slapstick and toilet humor can make adults burst into laughter. So parents who are taking their kids to the theaters would not need to worry about falling asleep in the theaters. You can tell that the animators put a lot of effort into the action sequences. Each fighting scene comes with tons of elemental attacks, bringing a splash of colors onto the big screen.

Reports showed that "Nezha 2" had earned $2.03 billion, dethroning "Inside Out 2" ($1.7 billion) as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. "Ne Zha 2" will hit Indonesian theaters this Friday. However, only time will tell whether the movie will be well-received by the Indonesian audience.