By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -For Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh, it is time for Hollywood to focus more on Asian mythological characters like the ones showcased in the Chinese film “Ne Zha 2,” which has become the highest-grossing animated film in history worldwide.
“They’re warriors and demigods,” Yeoh, who voices the role of Ne Zha’s mom for the film’s English dub, told Reuters.
“I guess it’s like Zeus, you know, and Thor, but these are ours. And I think that’s very important because when you learn about another culture’s myths, you have a nice, deeper understanding, and it teaches you to embrace something that is different,” the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actor added.
“Ne Zha 2,” distributed by A24, follows the events of the first film, 1999’s “Ne Zha.” In the new film, the souls of Nezha and Aobing work to regain their physical bodies and protect their families. The original film grossed over $700 million worldwide.
The English dubbed version of the fantasy film directed by Yu Yang and based on Xu Zhonglin’s 16th-century novel called “Investiture of the Gods,” arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday.
The sequel, originally in Mandarin, made waves when it overtook Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” in February to become the highest-grossing animated film globally in history, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.
“Ne Zha 2” has amassed a total box office of 12.3 billion yuan ($1.69 billion) including pre-sales and overseas earnings, making it the eighth highest grossing box office film globally in history.
While Yeoh emphasizes the cultural richness of the film, she wants audiences of all walks of life to understand that the most important thing is that it’s “a beautiful story.”
“I think we should stop seeing it as, ‘Oh it’s a Chinese film,’” she added.
The “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” actor recalled watching the movie for the first time and not being able to tear her eyes away from the screen.
“You’re going up to the heavens. You’re going down to the bottom of the seas. You see the dragons. You see all these kind of things, and just for that two hours – be transported,” Yeoh said.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Mary Milliken and Mark Porter)
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