All Wishes Come True!: A Mortal Heist, Immortal Foes, and Doomsday in China's Animated Hit
By Alice Shih
Rating: A
Animation dominated the 2025 international box office with four of the top-10 features. Two were Hollywood (Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash) and one was Japanese (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle).
(Count the CGI-heavy “realistic” remakes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon and you could raise the number to six out of 10).
But then, atop the list, was China’s comparatively un-hyped Ne Zha 2. Not only was it the highest-grossing film of 2025, but it’s also the highest-grossing animated film ever made with a global gain of $2,270,700,370 (U.S.)
But enough about sequels. The Chinese film industry could conceivably break its own animation record with an original film, All Wishes Come True! Inspired by the Chinese legend “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” the movie grossed more than $225 million at the mainland Chinese box office alone since opening in mid-July. Its worldwide release is happening now.
Chinese mythical history is mysterious and tragic, with figures as fascinating as their Greek and Roman counterparts. Gods are immortal rulers with ultimate power. Mortals are, well, mortal. But if they please the Gods, they could be awarded everlasting life and become Immortals.
The script takes the legendary Eight Immortal characters at liberty and creates a new realm rivalling the MCU and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, with speedy chases and fast fight scenes, propelling the high-stakes convoluted heist set up by mortals to fool the Gods.
Doomsmite is a catastrophic event that cycles every 1,000 years. It could destroy all lives on earth. In anticipation of the event, the Celestial Court must send down a keeper to bear the Yu-Xu Lantern into the mortal realm to undo Doomsmite and keep earth safe.
However, this time the lantern has been stolen and hidden in the vault of the corrupted Gods of Fu (Fortune), Lu (Prosperity) & Shou (Longevity) in Penglai, the paradise in the clouds. The keeper must find a way to retrieve it to restore order for the mortals.
After opening with the stormy and apocalyptic state on Earth, the film introduces us to two mortals, who initially can’t stand each other, but later team up to scheme a heist for different reasons.
As obstacles are thrown their way, they find creative solutions with the help of new recruits. As their antagonists amp up their powers, the audience is on edge waiting for all new twists to outwit the Gods.
The Japanese style of animated beauty has been imitated worldwide, but it seems the Chinese have finally found their own aesthetics, creating new looks and winsome faces to their own taste. This 3-D animation not only meticulously portrays the characters’ facial expressions, but replicates nuanced performance and unique body movements. Every voice talent brings life to their respective characters.
The scenery of Penglai is vividly illustrated with exuberance and saturation to show-off the godliness of this heavenly paradise where all wishes will be granted (hence the title) . All Wishes Come True! employed an action director in the crew to ensure stunning visuals of fight choreography. The result is an animated work of art encompassing the suspense of Ocean’s Eleven, the spectacle of Marvel comics and the adventures of Indiana Jones, told through visuals of Chinese calligraphy-style brush strokes on screen.
While the film amuses with non-stop jokes and action, the moral of the story brightens the spirit. In a real world that rewards the self-serving, virtues of fairness or justice are considered unrealistic or even stupid at times. Conversely, in the film’s universe, though some characters begin with bad intentions, benevolence prevails, and our protagonists find their inner Robin Hood, and a willingness to sacrifice for the meek and weak.
All Wishes Come True! clocks in at 143 minutes. But the fun and thrill of the story, together with well-developed characters, leave the audience asking for more.
The skilfully composed script has created an entertaining all-ages genre film for both adults and children. Be sure to stay for the Easter Egg in the rolling credits.
All Wishes Come True! Written & directed by Zhengxing Mu. Starring (voice) Li Shaozhe, Hao Chen, Yuze Han and Yunqi Zhang. In theatres now.