Expanding universe
The passion of fans for the stories and context behind the movie drives them to explore deeper narratives.
As the official publishing partner for Ne Zha 2, China Citic Press has released two books.
One is The Art of Ne Zha 2, a wealth of valuable material, including designs for props, costumes, scenes, atmosphere, and storyboards, that offers a comprehensive overview of the film's design concepts and details.
It also highlights the design of the main characters, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about their creation, including the development of their personalities and the evolution of their appearance. It serves as a resource documenting the making of the film.
The other is Ne Zha 2: Sanjie Wangshi (The Past Stories of Three Realms). This expansive book explores the movie's stories revealing more about the characters' backgrounds and fates. For example, Shen Xiaobao, the younger brother of Shen Gongbao (Ao's master), is a leopard who appears in the form of a little boy. One chapter in the book describes how he longs to transform from a leopard into a human and when he eventually comes to understand the concept of letting go of attachments and going with the flow, then he is able to successfully transform into a human.