OVC animation companies' contributions to China's box office champion

As of Feb 7, the total box office revenue of the film Ne Zha 2 exceeded 6.2 billion yuan ($850.76 million), claiming China's all-time box office top spot.

The film's stunning animation has become a hot topic among audiences. Over 100 animation companies nationwide participated in the production, many of which hail from the Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC).

"In Ne Zha 2, we were responsible for nearly 10 minutes of animation, including scenes featuring Ne Zha battling the groundhogs and confronting the three dragon kings," stated Su Bin, head of Wuhan Manhe Digital Technology Co.

Manhe Animation's leader, Su Bin (right), and director Jiaozi. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Established in 2019, Manhe Animation has produced computer graphics (CG) for games such as Honor of Kings and Onmyoji and animated films. At the end of 2022, it received a collaboration invitation for Ne Zha 2.

"During the production of Ne Zha 2, we initially outsourced some crucial scenes to top foreign visual effects teams, but many of the results fell short of expectations. Ultimately, the domestic team's meticulous efforts achieved better outcomes," remarked director Jiaozi in a recent interview with CCTV, praising the domestic companies involved in the production.

In addition to Manhe Animation, OVC animation companies such as 2:10 Animation and Yiding Digital also participated in producing Ne Zha 2.

OVC currently has over 1,000 cultural and technological enterprises, including eight listed companies. It has established specialized parks like the Optics Valley Creative Industry Base and the Yangtze River Cultural and Creative Industry Park, which have facilitated the development of several high-quality animation companies.

"I've been working in the animation industry in OVC since 2010. The industry here is well-developed and known nationwide," stated Su Bin. OVC has attracted a pool of excellent animation talents and aims to build a cutting-edge production team to create more high-quality works in the future.