Animated movies are always a hit, especially in Asia. Today, we are recommending some of the top-rated Chinese animated films to watch. It was hard to choose but we had to pick our favourites! Check out our list below and let us know which ones have made it to your to-watch list!
The Legend of Deification (aka Jiang Ziya)
The Legend of Deification is the sequel to one of China’s biggest film releases in 2019, Ne Zha. It is also adapted from Fengshen Yanyi, the popular Chinese fold legend that features the mythological figure of Jiang Ziya.
This 3D animation film was expected to be released in the 2019 China Spring Festival, but it got delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic led to a lot of delays in the film industry. In fact, as movies slowly decreased in production, a lot of movie fans turned to sites for online sports betting found here, replacing movies with the favourite games.
Ne Zha
This was China’s first ever 3D animation film that was released in IMAX format. In July 2019, this animation fantasy adventure movie grossed over $729 million, and it became one of the largest successes in Chinese cinema. Ne Zha was the first animated film to be selected as the Chinese entry for Best International Feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards, albeit not being nominated.
In this film, Ne Zha was born with the spirit of the Demon Pearl and was prophesied to bring destruction to humankind. That is why Ne Zha was hated and feared by the village people. His mission is to fight against this prejudice and change his fate.
White Snake
Released in 2019, White Snake raked over $60 million in China. Inspired by The Legend of the White Snake, this Chinese animation fantasy film follows the famous Chinese folk tale and acts as a sequel to the original story. The movie introduces a new character, a snake-catcher A Xuan, who acts as the previous reincarnation of the White Snake’s love Xu Xian. It tells the story of lovers A Xuan and White Snake, who loses her memory in the film.
The film was nominated in the Best Animation category at the 32nd Golden Rooster Awards and won the Best Adapted Animation Film Award at the 2019 3rd ‘Golden Screen Awards’.
Monkey King
Monkey King is known as being the character in the famous novel called Journey to the West and he has appeared in many films. In 2015, Monkey King: Hero is Back was created as an animation film with the support of crowdfunding. This was a great success in the box office, bringing a record of $136 million that year.Â
The film tackles the moment Monkey King was released from the mountain after 500 years of being in prison. However, he has now lost all his magic powers. During his attempts to save the village, the manages to get back his powers and defeats the monsters.
The Legend of Hei
This was originally a cartoon series that originated in 2011. In September 2019, the movie The Legend of Hei was released, serving as a prequel to the cartoon series. Luo Xiaohei is a demon in the form of a black cat, and the movie starts with his home having been destroyed. He then meets other demons and humans and learns how to keep a balance between human civilisation and the natural world.
