【明報專訊】THE MAINLAND BLOCKBUSTER Ne Zha 2 has broken into the top ranks of the global box office by storm, showcasing the prowess of Chinese animation productions to challenge the reigning power of Hollywood. While international media are paying attention to the meaning behind Ne Zha towering over Captain America and discussing the implications of Ne Zha 2 on the perceived "overflow" of Chinese nationalism, they have overlooked the social resonance with a line in the film, "My fate is in my own hands, not dictated by heaven", and its potential far-reaching influence. Mainlanders' reflection on boosting cultural confidence equally merits deeper thoughts. Given the dim outlook of the Hong Kong film industry, Ne Zha 2 may shed light on the city's future development of co-production films.
The production of Ne Zha 2 spanned five years, involving collaboration from 138 companies and employing 4,000 animators who created more than 1,900 visual effects shots and over 10,000 visual effects elements. So far, Ne Zha 2 has grossed RMB 13.7 billion, of which RMB 13.6 billion is from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and RMB 110 million from overseas markets. At this point, the box office has broken multiple records, including being the top earner in a single market, the highest-grossing animated film in history, and the first Chinese film to break into the all-time global top 10 of highest-grossing films.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law has described Ne Zha 2 as "a learning model for Hong Kong". From the conception of the plot and the writing of scene-by-scene scripts to animation production, visual effects and dubbing, and post-editing and compositing, the production team of Ne Zha 2 finished all the work in the single city of Chengdu, forming a complete industrial chain there. It remains to be explored what Hong Kong can learn from Ne Zha 2, but that does not mean Hong Kong has no role to play now. As the appeal of Hong Kong elements in mainland-Hong Kong co-productions has waned, Hong Kong could contribute to animated co-productions by producing some of the animations or visual effects, or introducing Hong Kong elements into the plots. With many faculties in Hong Kong tertiary institutions already offering courses to nurture new talent in the field, the future is promising.
The fact that an animated film can attract an audience turnout of 200 million on the mainland means that its significance has gone beyond mere entertainment. In mythology, Ne Zha embodies the image of a righteous warrior deity. The young generation on the mainland, who have experienced injustices at work or even in daily lives, yearns to see justice fully upheld. Audiences chimed with the slaying of monsters and demons by Ne Zha in the film as if they were removing the obstacles to fairness and justice themselves in society in real life. One may say it is a kind of catharsis and outcry.
Ne Zha's defiant cry, "My fate is in my own hands, not dictated by heaven. Whether I am a demon or an immortal, it's up to me," takes on deeper significance in the present context of society. With the advent of artificial intelligence transforming every walk of life of human society, we are facing an unfathomable unknown. Young people need the courage to face changes, the determination and willpower to overcome difficulties, and the resilience to break free from the shackles of destiny. Ne Zha's journey in the film from evading to bravely confronting reality not only captures the mindset of the young generation but also spreads encouragement.
明報社評2025.02.24：《哪吒2》逆反心態引思考 叫座叫好足證文化底蘊
內地電影《哪吒之魔童鬧海》（《哪吒2》）勢如破竹，直衝全球電影票房排名前列，演示中國動漫製作的實力，足以挑戰雄霸一方的荷李活。外國媒體關注「哪吒」取代「美國隊長」究竟意味着什麼，也在討論《哪吒2》對中國民族主義「氾濫」的影響，反而忽略電影中的一句對白，「我命由我不由天」所蘊含的社會意義，以及可能帶來的深遠影響，內地民眾提高文化自信同樣值得深思。香港電影業走向低谷，《哪吒2》對今後香港發展合作片，或許也有啟示作用。
《哪吒2》製作歷時5年，由138家企業合作，動用4000名動畫師，做了1900多個特效鏡頭，逾萬個特效元素。目前《哪吒2》票房收益137億元（人民幣），其中內地加港澳票房近136億元，海外票房1.1億元。總票房收入目前已經打破多個紀錄，包括在單一市場收入最高、動漫片歷史上最高，以及第一部中國製作電影打入全球票房史上排名前十。
文體旅局長羅淑佩表示《哪吒2》「是香港的學習榜樣」。《哪吒2》製作團隊從故事情節構思到撰寫分場劇本，動畫製作、特效與配音、後期剪輯與合成，在成都一個地方完成，已經成為一個完整的產業鏈，香港能夠學習到什麼有待探討，但並不表示香港沒有角色可以扮演。過去內地與香港合作片的香港元素，逐漸失去賣座能力，今後在動漫片合作方面，香港可以參與動畫或者特效的部分製作，也可以在劇情中加插香港元素。香港的大專教育，已經有不少院系設置課程培養後起之秀，未來可期。
一部動漫片在內地能夠吸引2億人次觀看，已經超越純粹的娛樂。哪吒在神話中是正義戰神的化身，內地年輕人在職場上，甚至在生活上經歷過一些不公平的現象，都渴望看到正義得以全面伸張。在電影中，哪吒斬妖除魔，觀眾代入其中，形同自己在現實社會中制伏窒礙公平正義的障礙，可以說是一種宣泄與吶喊。
「我命由我不由天，是魔是仙，我自己說了算」，這句吶喊在現今的社會，還有更深層意義。人工智能的面世，將顛覆整個人類社會的各個方面，我們正在面臨一個深不可測的未知之數。年輕人需要勇敢面對變化，有克服困難的決心與毅力，有打破命運禁錮枷鎖的堅韌。哪吒在電影中從逃避到勇敢面對現實的過程，不僅捕捉到當今年輕人的心態，也有勵志的精神。
■ Glossary 生字 /
prowess : great skill at doing sth
catharsis : the process of releasing strong feelings, for example through plays or other artistic activities, as a way of providing relief from anger, mental pain, etc
unfathomable : too strange or difficult to be understood