© 2025 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
red and white text reading OPPOSE RESCISSION PACKAGE CONTACT SENATE NOW 202-224-3121 against a blue background

Chinese animated film ends record theatrical release as country's animation industry surges

Workers places accessaries on a rack from boxes of stock near a cartoon character figure from the Chinese popular animated blockbuster movie "Ne Zha 2" in Beijing, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Andy Wong/AP)
/
Workers places accessaries on a rack from boxes of stock near a cartoon character figure from the Chinese popular animated blockbuster movie "Ne Zha 2" in Beijing, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Andy Wong/AP)

Animated film “Ne Zha 2” just ended a record theatrical release in China, grossing more than $2 billion. That makes it the biggest-ever box office for an animated movie. The Chinese animation industry is also surging on platforms that cater to fans of Japanese anime.

We discuss how China built this growing cultural juggernaut with Jinying Li, professor of modern culture and media at Brown University.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom