Michelle Yeoh on Ne Zha 2 Adventure

Michelle Yeoh Praises ‘Ne Zha 2’ as a Mythical Adventure for All Audiences

Michelle Yeoh, who voices Ne Zha’s mother in the English dub of Ne Zha 2, described the film’s characters as “warriors and demigods” in an interview with Reuters.

“I guess it’s like Zeus, you know, and Thor, but these are ours,” the Everything Everywhere All at Once star said. “And I think that’s very important because when you learn about another culture’s myths, you gain a deeper understanding and learn to embrace something different.”

The sequel, distributed by A24, continues the story of the 1999 animated hit Ne Zha. In this installment, the souls of Ne Zha and Aobing struggle to regain their physical forms while protecting their families. The original film earned over $700 million worldwide.

Based on Xu Zhonglin’s 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods and directed by Yu Yang, the English-dubbed Ne Zha 2 hits U.S. theaters this Friday.

The film originally premiered in Mandarin and made headlines earlier this year when it surpassed Pixar’s Inside Out 2, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in global box office history, according to ticketing platform Maoyan. Ne Zha 2 has raked in 12.3 billion yuan ($1.69 billion), including overseas earnings, making it the eighth highest-grossing film worldwide.

Yeoh highlighted the cultural depth of the film but stressed that at its heart, Ne Zha 2 is simply “a beautiful story” meant for all audiences.

“I think we should stop seeing it as, ‘Oh, it’s a Chinese film,’” she said.

Recalling her first viewing, Yeoh described being completely captivated by the animation and adventure. “You’re going up to the heavens. You’re going down to the bottom of the seas. You see dragons, you see all these incredible things, and just for those two hours, you’re transported,” she said.