Move over, Superman: A new superhero movie will be overtaking U.S. box offices starting Friday.

Its accolades: “Ne Zha II” is already the highest-grossing animated film of all time since its Lunar New Year release in China, earning more than $2 billion globally; the Chinese film, releasing in U.S. theaters this week with a new English dub, scored the highest Rotten Tomatoes audience rating for an animated film in the past decade. Not bad for a “racoon-eyed,” “pug-nosed” cartoon of a misfit boy, based on ancient Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel “Investiture of the Gods.”

Written and directed by Jiaozi, the plot-heavy sequel follows the events of the 2019 film “Ne Zha,” which depicts the trickster hero’s origin story. Ne Zha (voiced by Crystal Lee in the new English dub) is the third son of Chentang Pass’ monster-hunting military generals: Li Jing (Vincent Rodriguez III) and Lady Yin (Michelle Yeoh). His parents earned the favor of the gods and Ne Zha’s body was supposed to be infused with the godly and good powers of a Spirit Pearl; however, through a sinister mishap and power struggle, Ne Zha’s human body was born with demonic attributes and was cursed to be struck by lightning and to die after three years. Ao Bing (Aleks Le), a dragon prince who becomes Ne Zha’s only friend, inherited attributes of the Spirit Pearl. “Ne Zha,” which is streaming on Peacock and YouTube TV and worth watching before its sequel, concludes with Ne Zha defying his fate and prophecy: Ne Zha doesn’t die on his third birthday. Ne Zha and Ao Bing are struck by lightning, but their spirits live on even though their physical bodies dissolve.

As “Ne Zha II” begins, the immortal Taiyi (Rick Zieff), assigned by the gods to be Ne Zha’s shīfu (the Chinese word for teacher or master), attempts to restore Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s spirits into physical forms again. But an ill-timed interruption means the two have to temporarily share a body as Ne Zha goes on a quest to become an immortal in order to save his hometown and best friend.

Ne Zha’s epic story rivals the Marvel franchise in scale and spectacle (be sure to stay after the credits), spanning heaven, earth and sea. Tri-colored dragon fire. Slow-motion martial arts fights. An underwater prison break. A jaguar cub with large bulbous kitten eyes. Breathtaking photorealistic animation of crashing waves and waterfalls underneath sprawling pagodas and palaces and empires. The animation is stunning and worth watching on IMAX. Over the span of two hours and 23 minutes that fly by, “Ne Zha II” touches upon war, sacrifice, genocide, prejudice, revenge, lots of light shows and tests: Can you stomach watching someone eat boogers and try to consume regurgitated vomit? Or questions like do immortals have to pee? (We never find out.) There are a few cannibalism and fart jokes, too.

If you can stomach the potty humor, you’re rewarded with “Ne Zha II’s” emotional core: moving stories about family. The father who would go to war and storm heaven itself in order to save his son. The mother who will sacrifice her body and life so she can give her son a hug. The dad who will trade his life to undo a curse so his son has more than three years to live. The mom who won’t let her son leave on a hero’s journey without packing him a bag of snacks for the road.

“Ne Zha II” is a film that will heal your inner child. It’s a film that shows you a parent’s unconditional love even if yours don’t say the words often enough, that if you can’t be who you are, you can change your world. “Ne Zha II” deserves all the attention and accolades: It’s an empowering film that makes you believe that you, too, can change your fate.

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'NE ZHA II'

3.5 stars (out of 4)

No MPA rating

Running time: 2:23

How to watch: In theaters Aug. 22

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