Once believed to be merely a children's favorite, animated films have "grown up", becoming the most commercially successful genre in China and making 2025 the highest-grossing year on record for the category.

曾被认为只是儿童最爱的动画电影已然“长大成人”，成为中国最成功的商业类型片，并使2025年创下该类型片票房收入最高纪录。

As of Tuesday, propelled recently by Disney's blockbuster Zootopia 2, the box office revenue of animated movies in China has reached 25.06 billion yuan ($3.56 billion), nearly 270 percent higher than in 2024, according to industry tracker Maoyan Pro.

据猫眼专业版数据显示，截至周二，在迪士尼爆款动画《疯狂动物城2》的近期推动下，中国动画电影票房收入已达250.6亿元（约合35.6亿美元），较2024年同期增长近270%。

Winning over Chinese theatergoers for various reasons — including the new character Gary De'Snake, deliberately released during the Chinese zodiac's Year of the Snake — the sequel to Zootopia 2 ,which was a hit in 2016, has grossed over 3.8 billion yuan since its premiere on Nov 26. The figure has surpassed its North American earnings of $283 million, making China the film's most lucrative market worldwide.

《疯狂动物城》续集自11月26日上映以来，累计票房已突破38亿元人民币。这部2016年大热动画的续作凭借多重因素赢得中国观众青睐——包括在蛇年特别推出的新角色“加里·蛇”。该数字已超越其在北美地区2.83亿美元的票房收入，使中国成为该片全球最赚钱的票仓。

Zhi Feina, a film researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, said the overwhelming popularity of Zootopia 2 demonstrates the dynamic and huge potential of China's movie market, proving that appealing content — regardless of its cultural background — can always find a large fan base in the country.

中国艺术研究院电影研究员支菲娜表示，《疯狂动物城2》的火爆上映充分展现了中国电影市场的蓬勃活力与巨大潜力，证明了具有吸引力的内容，无论其文化背景如何，总能在中国赢得庞大的观众群体。

Currently, the biggest contributor to this year's animation box office bonanza is still Ne Zha 2, the runaway hit sequel to the 2019 filmNe Zha, which set the previous record for the genre. Having earned over 15.4 billion yuan on the Chinese mainland, Ne Zha 2 alone has accounted for 30 percent of this year's total box office — including all live-action movies.

目前，今年动画票房狂潮的最大贡献者仍是《哪吒之魔童降世2》，这部续作延续了2019年首部《哪吒》创下的动画票房纪录。仅《哪吒之魔童降世2》在中国大陆就斩获154亿元票房，占今年总票房的30%。该数据涵盖所有真人电影。

The first Ne Zha film was released in 2019 and earned 5 billion yuan, making that year the highest-grossing ever for animated films, until Ne Zha 2 set the new record.

首部《哪吒》电影于2019年上映，创下50亿元票房纪录，使该年成为动画电影票房最高的一年，直到《哪吒之魔童降世2》刷新了这一纪录。

Following Ne Zha 2 and Zootopia 2 , the third highest-grossing animated film this year is Nobody, a feature-length spinoff of one episode from the 2023 animated series Yao-Chinese Folktales, produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio — a pioneer since the late 1950s in introducing unique Chinese animation aesthetics to the world. By reflecting the career stress and dreams of ordinary people, the movie has struck a chord with young audiences, earning 1.719 billion yuan.

继《哪吒之魔童降世2》和《疯狂动物城2》之后，今年票房第三高的动画电影是《浪浪山小妖怪》。这部由上海动画电影制片厂出品的长篇动画，改编自2023年动画系列《妖怪故事》中的一个单元故事。自1950年代末以来，该制片厂始终致力于向世界展示独特的中华动画美学。影片通过映射普通人的职场压力与梦想，引发年轻观众共鸣，累计票房达17.19亿元。

The fourth highest-grossing animated movie is Boonie Bears: Future Reborn, the 11th installment of the long-running Boonie Bears franchise, which was launched in 2012. Centering on the titular bear siblings' new adventure in a futuristic world, the film earned 821 million yuan.

票房第四高的动画电影是《熊出没·重启未来》，这是自2012年推出的长寿动画系列《熊出没》的第十一部作品。影片围绕熊家族兄妹在未来世界的新冒险展开，最终收获8.21亿元票房。

Other animated hits include The Legend of Hei 2, centering on a cat demon capable of shape-shifting into a young boy, and Curious Tales of a Temple, adapted from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Pu Songling's masterpiece Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio). The overall ticket revenue from animation has accounted for 49 percent of this year's total box office, according to Maoyan.

其他动画热门影片还包括《罗小黑战记2》，讲述了一只能变身为少年男孩的猫妖的故事；以及改编自清代（1644-1911）小说家蒲松龄名著《聊斋志异》的《聊斋奇谭》。据猫眼数据显示，动画电影票房收入占今年总票房的49%。

Shen Wei, a concept artist for theNe Zha franchise, said the rise of Chinese animation is built on the progress that domestic animators have made in recent years. "In the past, animated works were thought to attract only young audiences, especially children. But with advances in both storytelling and animation techniques, Chinese animation has really diversified and succeeded in drawing a wider audience," Shen said.

《哪吒》系列概念设计师申威表示，中国动画的崛起奠基于国内动画人近年来的进步。他表示：“过去动画作品被认为只吸引年轻观众，尤其是儿童。但随着叙事手法和动画技术的双重进步，中国动画已实现真正多元化，成功吸引了更广泛的受众。”

Yuan Yun'er, a Beijing-based film critic, said the infusion of modern values into traditional culture is a key factor behind the success of Chinese animated films this year. Both Ne Zha 2 and Nobody draw inspiration from ancient classics, with the latter loosely inspired by the 16th-century novel Journey to the West.

北京影评人袁云儿指出，将现代价值观注入传统文化是今年中国动画电影成功的关键因素。《哪吒之魔童降世2》和《浪浪山小妖怪》均从古代经典中汲取灵感，后者更以十六世纪小说《西游记》为创作蓝本。

"It's easy to stir audiences' interest when they already know the settings and characters. They feel a fresh connection when these reimagined stories reflect their own modern-day struggles and pressures," Yuan said.

袁云儿表示：“当观众已经熟悉故事背景和角色时，很容易引起他们的兴趣。当这些重新构思的故事反映出他们自身在现代社会中的挣扎与压力时，他们便会产生一种全新的共鸣感。”

franchise

n./ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/

系列作品

sequel

n./ˈsiː.kwəl/

续集