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Run, Kitty, Run! The Legend of Hei 2 on Blu-Ray! Coming Soon

The beloved Chinese animated fantasy returns with The Legend of Hei 2, continuing the story of spirits and humans struggling to coexist. With new dangers emerging from the spirit world, this sequel expands the mythology with a fresh adventure and stunning hand-drawn animation.

The Legend of Hei 2 Blu-ray GKIDS and Shout! Studios
Release Date: May 12, 2026

The story continues in The Legend of Hei, the acclaimed Chinese animated film that won audiences over with its beautiful hand-drawn animation and heartfelt storytelling. For anyone who missed the original, the movie is available online, with the home video still easy to find. Now the sequel, The Legend of Hei 2, arrives with a brand-new adventure filled with fresh dangers and a looming threat from the spirit world.

While the premise of maintaining balance between worlds may sound familiar, this story takes its own path. The conflict between spirits and humans is a universal theme, but this sequel expands the mythology in new directions rather than echoing other animated series. Readers can check out my review of the first film here.

The upcoming Blu-ray release of The Legend of Hei 2 arrives May 12, 2026 from GKIDS and Shout! Studios, bringing the acclaimed animated sequel home with several behind-the-scenes extras.

From the Press Release:

Revered for its luminous hand-drawn animation and emotionally rich storytelling, The Legend of Hei 2 reunites audiences with a world where spirits and humans coexist in uneasy harmony, raising the stakes with a sweeping new chapter that balances heart, humor, and kinetic action.

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In This Sequel Involving The Magical Tribe, Jackie Chan’s Back For More Panda Plans

Jackie Chan returns to protect Hu Hu in Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe, blending martial arts comedy with adventure spectacle as a lost civilization enters the fray.

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Panda Plan is returning for a sequel, and Jackie Chan is ready to kick up more hijinks protecting Hu Hu from a lost civilization that believes this creature can save them from disaster. Thus begins Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe. The film hits theatres March 13, 2026, and pandemonium is sure to ensue. Between more martial arts chaos and perhaps a message nestled underneath, fans of this charming partnership between man and animal should be pleased.

As for how many years have elapsed since the last film, it’s safe to say not much time has passed. Chan is still playing a fictionalized version of himself, once again recruited to safeguard this massive, cute, and cuddly panda. My review of the first film can be read here. This latest instalment hints at a more Indiana Jones-styled adventure. Although CGI is required to deliver some of the panda’s performances, that’s the only real suspension of disbelief needed.

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Going ‘Back to the Past’ is No Stormy Ride In This Tribute

A long-awaited follow-up to a beloved TV series, Back to the Past delivers time-travel spectacle, nostalgic fan service, and lingering questions about destiny, even if some ideas feel better suited to a longer format.

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Mild spoiler alert

No prior knowledge of the 2001 Chinese TV series A Step into the Past is required to enjoy Back to the Past (尋秦記). Those familiar with the series will spot how the film connects to its small-screen origins, though the transition isn’t seamless. The budget behind the more ambitious stunt work doesn’t always disguise the green screening, and a bit of suspension of disbelief is definitely required. Still, it’s manageable. My lingering question is how much of Ken’s troops and equipment were conveniently waiting to be teleported along with him. There is an answer, and I won’t spoil where the technology came from.

Although the film took many years to reach screens following the series finale in 2001, fans of the historical drama about Hong Siu-lung (Louis Koo), a modern man trying not to distort the past too much for fear of altering the future he knows, will feel right at home. Over the course of the series, he becomes part of a trusted inner circle and is eventually made Grand Tutor. Much of the story revolves around avoiding temporal paradoxes, and anything essential is neatly recapped in the film’s introduction.

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The Royal Cat (金陵御猫) In Review: A Hair’s Breath of Whisker of Mystery and Bewilderment

Cao Liang’s The Royal Cat delivers a playful, mysterious blend of talking‑animal charm and Eastern folklore. A rare North American release, The Royal Cat colourful and whimsical but never quite scratches beneath its own magic.

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Coming to Digital Oct 14, 2025

Liang Cao’s The Royal Cat (金陵御猫, The Imperial Cat of Jinling) may be one of the few Chinese animated features in recent years to secure proper North American distribution—a rare catch for curious cinephiles who love a whisker of something different. While I’m happy that other animation studios can show off their style worldwide, Light Chaser Animation’s White Snake 3, Chang’an, and Curious Tales of a Temple remain hard to find on this continent. As for a physical home video release? That’s a mouse most likely to escape the kitchen.

This film offers a variation on the Puss in Boots formula rather than Kung Fu Panda. Zhan Ao (Tu-Te-Ha-Meng), a talking tabby cat, doesn’t wear shoes and lacks a tail—a bold fashion choice for a feline hero. He’s a skilled fighter who once loyally served General Kou. After his master’s death, however, he reinvented himself as a Robin Hood–like figure, prowling the streets with cause and cunning. That missing tail? It’s not just a style statement; it hints at something mystical. When Ao becomes a wanted fugitive, it raises the suspicion that there’s more to his nine lives than meets the eye. In this world, other animals can also converse with humans—which means the line between myth and reality is as slippery as a fish in a pond.

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All The Fears About Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple Are Revealed With The Final Trailer

The upcoming Strange Tales of Liaozhai isn’t a simple anthology as far as _ is concerned!

Strange Tales of Liaozhai- Lanruo Temple Light Chaser Animation

As the date nears for Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple to hit theatres, fans of this studio’s works will finally get to know more about the book Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Amazon link). This work contains many short stories, and we finally have confirmation of which tales are being adapted. They are:

The Taoist Priest of Laoshan Mountain: A classic zhiguai story about a wandering Taoist encountering supernatural threats.
Princess Lotus: A spirit romance centered on a flower fairy—echoing themes of love across realms.
Nie Xiaoqian: A melancholic ghost tale where a female specter falls in love with a scholar—the inspiration behind many film/TV adaptations.
The Painted Skin: A chilling demon tale where a beautiful woman is revealed to be a monstrous spirit.
The Daughter of Magistrate Lu: A supernatural courtroom fable where a magistrate in the afterlife judges the dead.

The main narrative, set at Lanruo Temple, will incorporate each of these works. This historical building sits on the Yangtze River, and locals call it a “little-known travel destination.” With the final trailer out, with subtitles, fans from around the world have a better idea about what’s going on. Although it primarily focuses on one tale, it’s easy to tell there’re multiple stories involved.

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On Ne Zha 2, Cultivation and The Grander Plan

Although Ne Zha 2 was years in the making, the wait is worth it! This superhero style retelling of the Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods is all about the wow rather than being fully faithful to the source material.

Ne Zha 2 Poster Spoiler Alert

Anyone who loves the 2019 Chinese animated film about a spunky demon-child (no, not Lil’ Hellboy) will be glad to know Ne Zha 2 is finally here. Having some knowledge of the prior events (or reading my movie review from before and my past coverage) helps because this latest takes place moments after.

Both this kid (Lü Yanting) and Ao Bing (Han Mo) have no mortal shell, and if they don’t have a simulacrum to inhabit, they’ll soon dissipate. Thankfully, with Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming) around, a possibility of getting their bodies back exists. However, all do not go according to plan. When the Sacred Lotus lacks the power to build, the result is ectoplasm! This leads to a hilarious intro, and I was in stitches.

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