Even an otherworldly demonic hero can get embarrassed by his mom. Ne Zha is super powerful, both within his animated universe and at the box office. Ne Zha 2 is already the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Now, the Chinese film is getting a bit of extra star power with an English dub featuring Michelle Yeoh as the titular character’s doting mother. A24 is handling the English-language release, which hits theaters on August 22.
“A rebellious young boy, Ne Zha, is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers,” a synopsis for the film reads. “Now he’s faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity, he must grow up to become the hero the world needs.”
Given that an Oscar winner like Yeoh is involved, the English dub trailer features a bit more of Ne Zha’s mom, Lady Yin, than the version released by production company CMC Pictures earlier this year. “Immortal or demon, you are my son,” she tells him. “You must be brave and walk your own path.” The trailer ends with a laugh line when Lady Yin says, “Wait! Before you leave, will you give your mama one last big hug?” As a nearby crowd awws, Ne Zha walks away grumbling, “Come on, they’re all watching!”
The voice cast of Ne Zha 2 is slightly different from the English-language cast for the first Ne Zha film. While Vincent Rodriguez III (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Aleks Le (Dandadan, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man) will both reprise their roles (as Li Jing and Ao Bing, respectively), Yeoh replaces Stephanie Sheh as Lady Yin. In a previous statement, Yeoh said she was honored to be a part of the film and “can’t wait for everyone to experience the wonder, heart, spectacular artistry, and magic of this film on the big screen.” The cast also includes Crystal Lee (Genshin Impact, DC Heroes United).