Sun Wukong

"Yao are like a mirror—every story about them ultimately reflects humanity itself." By any measure—quantity, quality, or box office—2025 is a breakout year for Chinese animated films. It began with Ne Zha 2 smashing records during the Spring Festival and reaching audiences worldwide. Summer brought an even fiercer lineup: NOBODY, The Legend of Hei 2, Curious Tales of a Temple Chinese, Fairizest: Rally for Pally, and Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: Bright New Dawn. Among them, NOBODY and The Legend of Hei 2 stood out as rare 2D hits, with the former breaking a nine-year box office record. Together, these works suggest Chinese animation has finally moved past old critiques—too many Monkey Kings and Ne Zhas, too much 3D, too many recycled myths. And yet, one curious pattern remains: so many protagonists are…yao. Of the six non-children's animated films this year, five feature them. Why does Chinese animation keep returning to monsters, spirits, and the supernatural? What Are Yao? An old saying goes: "Where there is strangeness, there must be Yao (妖)." In ancient China, people explained unexplainable phenomena through categories. Natural wonders were attributed to gods (神), while things that disrupted the normal order became yao. It was…