The Chinese animated film ‘Ne Zha: The Devil’s Child Stirring the Sea’ (shortened to ‘Ne Zha 2’) was not submitted for the Oscars and will not go head-to-head with works from US Disney or animation giant Japan, which surprised the industry. American media outlet The Hollywood Reporter also expressed surprise. Online rumors claim that ‘Ne Zha 2’ utilized over 40% live-action motion capture technology, which does not comply with the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature rules. It is suggested that the film was simply not submitted because even if it was, it would have been disqualified. In response, fans sought confirmation from ‘Ne Zha 2’ Animation Director and Action Supervisor Susu, who stated, “Both ‘Ne Zha 1’ and ‘Ne Zha 2’ are entirely hand-k (purely hand-drawn animation), not a single second used motion capture.”
If it’s not a technical issue, netizens analyzed that since ‘Ne Zha 1’ participated before but did not get nominated, this may be due to cultural differences. Additionally, ‘Ne Zha 2’ only made $20.72 million (about RM85.81 million) at the North American box office, accounting for just 1.3% of its total earnings, indicating that foreign audiences are not interested. Competing for the Oscars again this time would require tens of millions of dollars in publicity and PR expenses. Since the film has already left theaters and cost-benefit evaluations are not promising, it is possible the decision was made to focus resources on making ‘Ne Zha 3’ instead.
News Source: Apple Online News