In the novel, Ne Zha is a rebellious teenager who kills whoever gets in his way. His relationship with his father, Li Jing, is tense. His father, a cowardly and selfish commander who governs the fictional port of Chen Tang Guan, forces Ne Zha to commit suicide over an error. Ne Zha is reborn as a three-headed, six-armed deity who rides on two magical "wind-and-fire" wheels to fight his enemies.

"I wanted to change the stereotypical telling of the original story. This film is about an individual who fights against prejudice and social exclusion," says Yang.

In the movie, Ne Zha is born with a "cursed destiny". He is unfairly treated by local villagers who believe that the naughty, yet good-hearted, child will grow up to be a public threat. Another deviation from the original sees the father depicted as a noble man who would sacrifice his own life to rescue his son.

With rave reviews online, exemplified by 8.7 of 10 points on Douban, some industry analysts estimate the film will overtake Zootopia, the highest-grossing animated film of all-time in China.

Li Baochuan, an expert in animation at Hangzhou Normal University, says Ne Zha shows the development of animation techniques in China and has reduced the gap with the world's best.