---
title: "Ne Zha"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ne-zha"
fi1m_id: "ne-zha"
imdb_id: "tt10627720"
tmdb_id: 615453
wikidata_id: "Q65972529"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 4
published: "2026-10-05T15:02:04.796226+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T15:02:05.221456+00:00"
region: "IS"
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."
---

# Ne Zha (2019)

Directed by Jiaozi · 1h 50m · Animation, Fantasy, Adventure

## Identity

Ne Zha

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ne-zha
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** ne-zha
- **IMDb ID:** tt10627720
- **TMDB ID:** 615453
- **Wikidata ID:** Q65972529
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10627720/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/615453, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65972529

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 66 (early) from 4 reviews

*In a sentence:* We would happily babysit the troublesome child if someone else would explain the mythology

> Jiaozi’s *Ne Zha* is worth the effort for its mischievous hero and the parents trying to protect him. Lively animation keeps it moving, even when the mythology grows muddled and the action becomes exhausting.

## Synopsis

Young Nezha (voiced by Yanting Lü) faces a fate he refuses to accept and a community that has already judged him. His parents, Li Jing (Chen Hao) and Lady Yin (Lu Qi), try to protect him from prejudice, while their son’s appetite for mischief does little to help him fit in. He wants the chance to decide who he will become, rather than accept what others expect of him. His parents have to contend with both the hostility around their child and the child himself, who is not inclined to make their job easy.

## Review

*Ne Zha* is a good animated adventure with an impatient streak that occasionally makes it hard work. Jiaozi directs a fantasy built around a child who refuses to let an unfair fate decide what sort of person he can be. We need to care about that child before the mythology can mean much, and the film gets this right. Its hero is difficult enough to be interesting, and the affection for him survives a considerable amount of supernatural complication.

Young Nezha, voiced by Yanting Lü, is allowed to be troublesome rather than merely misunderstood in an appealing way. The mischief matters: it gives us someone to watch while the film explains the forces surrounding him, and prevents the message about self-determination from becoming a lesson in good behaviour. We do not have to approve of everything he does to want him treated fairly. Jiaozi’s screenplay is at its strongest when it lets that awkwardness remain.

Li Jing and Lady Yin, voiced by Chen Hao and Lu Qi, give the rebellion a reason to matter beyond the boy’s own pride. We were moved by their attempts to protect him from other people’s prejudice. They have a child to care for, and the film allows that ordinary parental concern to remain important amid its fantasy business. The affection does not make Nezha easier to manage; his parents still have to deal with his behaviour.

The animation suits a hero who cannot be relied upon to behave. Its restless movement and willingness to push the action keep the adventure buoyant, and there is pleasure in watching a film indulge its own unruliness so freely. The problem is that it becomes reluctant to stop, even when there is already plenty to look at. By the climax, the activity is exhausting, and some of the earlier pleasure in following the action has gone.

Jiaozi is less assured when explaining the mythology. Too many rules require attention, and their shifting terms make it harder to judge what a danger means or what a character can do about it. A fantasy can ask us to accept improbable things, but we still need to understand the immediate problem. Here, the effort of keeping up too often intrudes on the simpler question of what will happen to the child.

Wan Pin-Chu’s score helps to sustain the momentum, though momentum is seldom what the film lacks. We wanted more space around the emotions, particularly when the parents’ concern had already given us a reason to care. The same reservation applies to the cutting: movement takes precedence over allowing a moment to settle. At 110 minutes, the film would benefit from less explanation and a few longer pauses.

The familiar animated-adventure promise that a misfit can choose a different future works here because the misfit has a personality worth spending time with. That remains a sound reason to see *Ne Zha*, despite the overcrowding and the rules that take too much explaining. Choose it for the troublesome boy and his parents, and be prepared for rather more explanation than they need.

*Fi1m score 72, published 5 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Ne Zha worth watching?**

*Ne Zha* is worth watching for its mischievous hero, his protective parents and lively animation; we score it 72 out of 100. We find the family relationships moving enough to carry the adventure, though the muddled mythology demands patience and the relentless action becomes exhausting. It suits animation and fantasy fans willing to tolerate some overcrowding.

**How long is Ne Zha, and what is it rated?**

*Ne Zha* runs 1h 50m. It is an animation and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Ne Zha in Iceland?**

*Ne Zha* is not on any streaming or rental service in Iceland at the moment. It is available in 3 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Ne Zha compare to The Iron Giant?**

*Ne Zha* is the more unruly fantasy adventure, while we recommend [*The Iron Giant*](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant) for its more assured emotional storytelling. Both make their pleas for tolerance matter through an outsider’s relationships, but Nezha’s mischief and his parents’ concern compete with cumbersome mythology. Brad Bird’s boy-and-robot friendship earns its tenderness more consistently, despite some overly neat characterisation of the adults.

**Is Ne Zha based on a true story or a book?**

*Ne Zha* is based on a novel by Xu Zhonglin, rather than a true story. The boy’s mischief and his parents’ efforts to protect him give newcomers a way into the adventure, though we find the film’s explanations of its mythology muddled. We cannot assess its faithfulness to the novel.

**What should I watch after Ne Zha?**

After *Ne Zha*, try [*The Iron Giant*](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant) (1999, Fi1m 88): Another troublesome outsider whose relationships make the pleas for tolerance matter. Then [*The Tale of the Princess Kaguya*](https://film.one/film/the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya) (2013, Fi1m 84): For more stillness around a young life constrained by other people’s expectations; and [*Wolfwalkers*](https://film.one/film/wolfwalkers) (2020, Fi1m 84): For the prejudice, family loyalties and a welcome willingness to be wild.

### Reviews we read (4)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Rechtshaffen (75/100, inferred): Rechtshaffen finds the film entertaining and its message of empowerment stirring, despite some excesses. He singles out Ne Zha’s rallying cry against an unfair fate as its most resonant element. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-29/ne-zha-chinese-animation-review)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (70/100, inferred): Gleiberman finds the film an exuberant, visually impressive achievement, though its mythology and shifting rules can become frustrating. He especially praises its lush, kinetic animation and willingness to let its darkly mischievous hero run wild. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/nezha-review-1203384829/)
- **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The URL identifies a review of the 2019 film, but the article text is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or criticism cannot be established from the available page. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/movies/ne-zha-review.html)
- **The Guardian**, Cath Clarke (55/100, inferred): Clarke finds the film spirited and strange, but uneven and excessively chaotic by its climax. She praises the emotional resonance of Ne Zha’s parents trying to protect him from prejudice. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/05/ne-zha-review-chinese-animated-drama)

## Details

- **Director:** Jiaozi
- **Director:** Jiaozi
- **Screenplay:** Jiaozi
- **Story:** Wei Yunyun, Yi Qiao
- **Novel:** Xu Zhonglin
- **Music:** Wan Pin-Chu
- **Producer:** Wei Yunyun, Liu Wenzhang, Jiaozi
- **Cast:** Yanting Lü as Young Nezha (voice); Joseph as Youth Nezha (voice); Mo Han as Ao Bing (voice); Chen Hao as Li Jing (voice); Lu Qi as Lady Yin (voice); Zhang Jiaming as Master Taiyi (voice); Yang Wei as Shen Gongbao (voice); He Yuxiang as Yuanshi Tianzun / Boundary Beast (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 50m
- **First release (CN):** 26 July 2019
- **Genres:** Animation, Fantasy, Adventure
- **Budget:** $22 million
- **Box office:** $743 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S7_LgTiHnA

## Where to watch in Iceland

Not streaming, renting or buying in Iceland at the last check.

Also available in: CA, HK, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2020: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Iron Giant* (1999), Fi1m 88: Another troublesome outsider whose relationships make the pleas for tolerance matter. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant.md)
- *The Tale of the Princess Kaguya* (2013), Fi1m 84: For more stillness around a young life constrained by other people’s expectations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya.md)
- *Kirikou and the Sorceress* (1998): A small, stubborn hero gives this folklore adventure its wit and purpose.
- *Son of the White Mare* (1981): Mythological animation that rewards an appetite for strange images and unruly movement.
- *Wolfwalkers* (2020), Fi1m 84: For the prejudice, family loyalties and a welcome willingness to be wild. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wolfwalkers.md)

---
© 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/ne-zha