Chinese animated films have attracted widespread attention in recent years, especially after "Ne Zha" roared into theaters last year. The film about a rebellious, buck-toothed, slouchy child deity from Chinese folklore, grabbed over 5 billion yuan (728 million U.S. dollars) at the box office. However, Chinese animated films lag behind their Japanese and American counterparts and still have a long way to go, director Zhao Ji told CGTN.