Produced by the studio behind ‘White Snake’ and set to stream April 9, 2021, the animated, modernized take on the Chinese mythological text ‘The Romance of the Gods’ follows Yunxiang on his journey to battle the Dragon Clan.
Netflix has secured the global exclusive streaming rights to the animated film New Gods: Nezha Reborn, which just premiered in China during the Lunar New Year holiday, generating over $36 million so far at the box office. The mesmerizing film is a modernized take on the mythological text The Romance of the Gods.
Set in Donghai City, a melting pot where gods and people from different cultures co-exist, the film tells the story of Nezha, who is reborn as Li Yunxiang, a young daredevil, 3,000 years after the original Battle of the Gods. Yunxiang discovers his true identity and valiantly battles the Dragon Clan, their masked assassin, and other enemies, to protect his friends and family in a tale of life and death.
The film, from Light Chaser Animation, is directed by Zhao Ji – who also directed the studios previous hit feature, White Snake - and backed by Alibaba Pictures, Bona Film Group, and Bilibili. Lending their voices are Yang Tianxiang (The King’s Avatar), Xuan Xiaoming (Agent F.O.X.), Ling Zhenhe, Zhu Ke’er, and Li Shimeng.
The film will premiere on Netflix April 9, 2021.
One of China’s leading animation studios, Light Chaser produced a number of features that met with limited success before finally hitting it big with White Snake, their 2019 release that generated over $60 million at the box office on a reported $12 million budget.
The film firmly laid to rest the notion that despite ample money and talent, the studio, like so many others in China, was not progressing fast enough in its storytelling capabilities. Since its founding by CEO Gary Wang in 2013, Light Chaser has patiently stuck to its original plan: nurture young talent, build a solid CG production pipeline, and get to work making films. Wang’s dedication to the animation business makes his stated startup goal of becoming the “Pixar” of China seem not quite as lofty or naïve as it did five years ago.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—Laurén brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
