Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

When I watched the first Ne Zha movie in the summer of 2019, I frowned at the panda-eyed demon boy. His crooked, cynical smile was far from the chubby grin I had imagined when reading his story as a child.

This year's sequel, Ne Zha 2, raked in a staggering box office of over 15. billion yuan ($2 billion), becoming China's highest-grossing movie of all time and the world's highest-grossing animated movie. While marveling at its somewhat unanticipated success, I could not help noticing what the movie got right. And not just right - it might be right in the sweet spot of what is required to make magic in contemporary cinema. 

Ancient Chinese culture is no doubt a treasure house for modern-day artists, and increasingly, a source of inspiration for cultural sensations. In recent years, recreations of iconic fictional characters that Chinese people grew up reading about have often won acclaim at home and abroad. For example, the hit action game Black Myth: Wukong is based on the spirited monkey king from the classic Journey to the West. The elegant dance drama Mulan performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC retells the story of the brave warrior and loving daughter Hua Mulan.

Ne Zha 2 does especially well in telling an old, household story in an original, tech-savvy way. With some 2,000 special effects shots - the work of 138 animation studios combined - some say the movie marks a leap forward in China's animation industry. What is especially eye-catching is how the special effects bring out the finest of traditional Chinese aesthetics. 

The characters in the movie, feisty as they are, share a sense of delicate, airy beauty that reminds viewers of the flying apsaras in the Dunhuang grottoes. A lot of research and development went on behind the scenes. After years of research, the team invented a "dynamic ink-wash painting rendering engine" that enables the simulation in 3D animation of how ink blends on rice paper in traditional Chinese painting. Technological innovation has made Ne Zha 2 a feast for the eyes, but it is the story of the wonder boy-come-demon child that captures audience's hearts and minds.

It takes more than fancy scenes of epic battles to touch hearts universally. And Ne Zha 2 is one of those movies that make you not only laugh (and cry) out aloud, but also leave the cinema ruminating on tender life episodes.

We saw our stubborn selves as Ne Zha, despite the demon in him, struggled to pass a series of tests toward becoming immortal. He gritted his teeth, "Try harder because you only have yourself to blame for being a demon!" In the end, Ne Zha made it, because he knew that "my fate is decided by me and not by any higher power."

We saw our loyal selves when Ne Zha decided to keep his promise to his friend Ao Bing, even though they could be in enemy camps the next time they met. Thankfully they cleared up all their misunderstandings, and their friendship blossomed. In adversity, we know our friends through trials, friendship emerges stronger. 

We also evoke our childhood memory when Ne Zha's mother saw him off to take the tests, running after him along the dock and reminding him to take care of himself. Before Lady Yin - the mother - died, she hugged Ne Zha, "I don't care if you are a demon or an immortal, I only know that you are my son." As we go through life's numerous challenges, we sometimes become overwhelmed by high expectations and external pressures. But the love from our dearest raises us up. When Ne Zha finally embraced himself as whatever he was, he turned the shackles of prejudice into a weapon to fight against evil, fueled by the power of unconditional love.

Common values about courage, friendship and love transcend cultural boundaries and build a bridge between audiences of different backgrounds. By accepting ourselves for who we are, we are better able to appreciate a diverse world where we are all so different yet, at the same time, so alike. May Ne Zha bring inspirations to more people, not only in cinema, but also in the real world.

The author is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn