When Michelle Yeoh first saw Ne Zha 2 in Hong Kong, she left the theater convinced that the Chinese blockbuster needed an English dub. The film, which has already grossed over $2.2 billion to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, dazzled her with its visual spectacle — but even she, fluent in Mandarin, found it challenging to balance subtitles with the action. “How would a kid stand a chance?” she wondered.
As it turned out, studio A24 was already preparing an English-language version in collaboration with CMC Pictures, and soon after, Yeoh was invited to voice Lady Yin, the mother of the fiery young hero. Her reaction: “Hell yes.” The dub will open in more than 2,500 North American theaters on August 22, giving wider audiences access to the film’s rich mythology and universal themes.
The five-year production brought together 4,000 animators across 138 Chinese studios, resulting in an epic 143-minute film packed with 2,400 animation shots and 1,900 special effects. Yeoh praised the artistry as “mind-blowing” and lauded the translation for balancing the poetic cadences of Chinese folklore with contemporary storytelling. For her, the tale’s universality — family, love, resilience, and the fight against prejudice — makes Ne Zha 2 a bridge between cultures. “It immerses you into our culture,” Yeoh said. “And it’s such a beautiful way to cross that bridge.”
