--- title: "Jiang Ziya" year: 2020 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/jiang-ziya" fi1m_id: "jiang-ziya" imdb_id: "tt11177804" tmdb_id: 635389 wikidata_id: "Q76780267" fi1m_score: 65 critics_reviews: 2 published: "2026-10-05T15:30:08.061629+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T15:30:17.892070+00:00" region: "FR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Jiang Ziya (2020) Directed by Cheng Teng, Li Wei · 1h 45m · Animation, Action, Fantasy, Adventure ## Identity Jiang Ziya - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/jiang-ziya - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** jiang-ziya - **IMDb ID:** tt11177804 - **TMDB ID:** 635389 - **Wikidata ID:** Q76780267 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11177804/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/635389, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q76780267 **Fi1m score: 65** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* We came away from *Jiang Ziya* wanting an art book and a plot diagram > *Jiang Ziya* is worth a look for its striking animation, though the tangled storytelling makes it a qualified choice. Cheng Teng and Li Wei give us plenty to admire and too much difficulty following what matters. ## Synopsis Jiang Ziya (voiced by Zheng Xi) is the central figure in an animated fantasy concerned with whether any soul should be denied salvation. Its characters include Jiuwei, the Demon Queen (Ji Guanlin), Xiao Jiu (Yang Ning) and Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun (Jiang Guangtao). Shen Gongbao (Sheng Feng) and Si Bu Xiang (Meme Yan) also feature among characters including a rabbit spirit, a hermit and golden masters. Action and adventure accompany the question of who deserves to be saved. Cheng Teng and Li Wei direct the 105-minute film. ## Review *Jiang Ziya* offers enough visual invention to interest animation enthusiasts, but its storytelling makes a straightforward recommendation difficult. Cheng Teng and Li Wei direct a fantasy built around the promise that no soul should be denied salvation, a serious concern with room for feeling as well as action. We welcome the ambition. The problem is that keeping up with the story takes so much attention that there is less left for the people in it. The widescreen imagery is the chief reason to stay with it. Cheng Teng and Li Wei give the animation room to impress as a sequence of pictures, and Su Daji’s vivid design is a particular pleasure. We were absorbed by the images, then frustrated by our difficulty following the story. That frustration matters because the visual work makes us want to care, rather than simply wait for the next impressive sight. There is enough care in these pictures to make the difficulty disappointing. Zheng Xi voices Jiang Ziya, Ji Guanlin voices Jiuwei, the Demon Queen, and Yang Ning voices Xiao Jiu. These are names an unfamiliar viewer should be able to meet without preparatory reading. Xie Xiying’s screenplay does not make that encounter easy enough: too much of our attention goes towards sorting out the story rather than responding to the characters. A fantasy can leave parts of its world unexplained, but it still needs to make clear what matters to the person at its centre. The concern with salvation gives the confusion consequences beyond a missed detail. To weigh a question about who deserves saving, we need to understand the choices and feel their cost; the film does not consistently secure that understanding. Raymond Wong supplies the music, although musical emphasis cannot do the work of explaining why a moment matters. The ambition remains appealing, and we would rather see animation attempt a difficult moral question than assume its audience only wants movement and noise. Its position as the second entry in the *Fengshen* series should not make newcomers feel that they have arrived without the right preparation. The task includes giving those viewers enough to enjoy without worrying about what they might have missed. The widescreen images suggest a setting worth exploring further, so the wish to build more films around it is understandable. For that prospect to be inviting, each individual story needs to establish its own reasons for caring about its characters. At 105 minutes, this is a manageable commitment, though the 12A certificate does not tell a parent how readily a younger viewer will follow it. An interest in animation is a more useful guide to the likely pleasure than a general appetite for adventure. There are enough pictures worth examining to justify a patient look, provided narrative confusion is something we can forgive. Save it for company that enjoys discussing how an image was made, and does not mind also asking what just happened. *Fi1m score 65, published 5 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Jiang Ziya worth watching?** *Jiang Ziya* is worth a patient look for animation enthusiasts, but its tangled storytelling makes our recommendation qualified; we score it 65 out of 100. We were absorbed by the widescreen images, then frustrated by the effort of following the story, so it suits viewers who value visual invention more than narrative clarity. **How long is Jiang Ziya, and what is it rated?** *Jiang Ziya* runs 1h 45m. It is an animation and action film. **Where can I watch Jiang Ziya in France?** *Jiang Ziya* is not on any streaming or rental service in France at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Jiang Ziya, and is it suitable for children?** *Jiang Ziya* carries a UK 12A certificate, meaning children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema. That classification warrants parental judgement but does not, by itself, specify how violent or frightening the film is; we would also flag the tangled fantasy storytelling as a potential obstacle for younger viewers. **How does Jiang Ziya compare to Princess Mononoke?** *Jiang Ziya* offers inventive animation and a serious concern with salvation, but we recommend [*Princess Mononoke*](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke) more readily for its clearer dramatic stakes and sympathy for opposing sides. Both ask for patience with crowded storytelling, though *Princess Mononoke* makes the cost of destruction easier to feel; *Jiang Ziya* is chiefly rewarding for its images. **Is Jiang Ziya based on a true story or a book?** *Jiang Ziya* draws on novel sources credited to Xu Zhonglin and Lu Xixing, rather than a true story. We cannot assess its faithfulness from those credits alone, and we would not prescribe preparatory reading: our reservation is that the screenplay makes viewers work too hard to understand the characters and their choices. **What should I watch after Jiang Ziya?** After *Jiang Ziya*, try [*Princess Mononoke*](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke) (1997, Fi1m 88): Compassion becomes difficult, necessary work in a fantasy with clearer dramatic stakes. Then [*The Prince of Egypt*](https://film.one/film/the-prince-of-egypt) (1998, Fi1m 74): Religious authority and human suffering receive unusually serious treatment in animation; and [*Song of the Sea*](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea) (2014, Fi1m 82): A gentler mythic journey, with grief made tangible through carefully shaped images. ### Reviews we read (2) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film visually stunning but confusing, while viewing it as a worthwhile expansion of the shared universe. He praises its striking animation, especially the widescreen imagery and the vivid design of Daji. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/jiang-ziya-review-legend-of-deification-1234788626/) - **Screen Daily**, John Berra (65/100, inferred): The accessible standfirst presents the film as establishing a new cinematic universe. It singles out its place as the second entry in the fantastical ‘Fengshen’ series. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/jiang-ziya-review-china-golden-week/5153827.article) ## Details - **Director:** Cheng Teng, Li Wei - **Director:** Cheng Teng, Li Wei - **Screenplay:** Xie Xiying - **Novel:** Xu Zhonglin, Lu Xixing - **Music:** Raymond Wong - **Producer:** Jing Wang, Wang Changtian, Wei Yunyun - **Cast:** Zheng Xi as Jiang Ziya (voice); Jiang Guangtao as Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun (voice); Ji Guanlin as Jiuwei / Demon Queen (voice); Sheng Feng as Shen Gongbao / Hermit (voice); Yang Ning as Xiao Jiu / Su Daji (voice); Meme Yan as Si Bu Xiang (voice); Chen Siyu as Twelve Golden Master (voice); Tong Xinzhu as Rabbit Spirit (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **First release (Australia):** 1 October 2020 - **Genres:** Animation, Action, Fantasy, Adventure - **Box office:** $241 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc4vZdG3bZ4 ## Where to watch in France Not streaming, renting or buying in France at the last check. Also available in: CA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film 2021: Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The King and the Mockingbird* (1980): Hand-drawn fantasy turns an elaborate kingdom into a sharp study of authority. - *Princess Mononoke* (1997), Fi1m 88: Compassion becomes difficult, necessary work in a fantasy with clearer dramatic stakes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md) - *The Prince of Egypt* (1998), Fi1m 74: Religious authority and human suffering receive unusually serious treatment in animation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-prince-of-egypt.md) - *Song of the Sea* (2014), Fi1m 82: A gentler mythic journey, with grief made tangible through carefully shaped images. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea.md) - *Big Fish & Begonia* (2016): Chinese animated fantasy with another appetite for elaborate imagery and moral consequences. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/jiang-ziya