Jiang Ziya

Jiang Ziya is a senior commander in the celestial army of the Kunlun sect. After victory over the Shang dynasty, and on the point of taking his place among the gods, he is given one last task: execute the nine tailed fox demon. But the fox shows him the source of her power, an innocent human girl held inside her. Jiang cannot carry out the execution, and is exiled to the mortal world. Cheng Teng and Li Wei direct. Its official English title in China is Legend of Deification. The source is the Ming dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi, the Investiture of the Gods, the same book behind the 2019 hit Ne Zha. The two films share a universe, and Nezha and his family appear after the credits. It opened in China on 1 October 2020, the first day of the week long national holiday, and took 53 million dollars that day, the highest single day gross ever for an animated film in China. Worldwide it passed 243 million dollars and finished as the eighth highest grossing film of 2020. Unlike Ne Zha it is not looking at children. The tone is dark and the subject is the choice between obedience to authority and conscience. Who it is for: viewers following recent Chinese animation and East Asian mythology. Who it is not for: anyone expecting Ne Zha's energy. This is far heavier, and hard to follow if you do not know the mythology.