Modern Transformation of the Image of the Mythological Hero of Chinese Classical Culture in Animated Films

Mythology is a people’s common memory and an important part of the cultural code. In recent years, Chinese animated films have used elements of traditional Chinese mythology, created modern images of mythological heroes, and modernized and transformed traditional Chinese culture. Based on the theory of mythological archetypes, this paper compares the images of the mythological hero Nezha in the classical Chinese text “Investiture of the Gods” and the modern animated film “Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child” in terms of his attitude to fate, character evolution and behavior. The transformation of the mythological hero image is mainly influenced by postmodern culture and modern mass culture, so it tends to be secularized, personified, involved in everyday life, violating traditional norms and vulgarized, which is a reflection of the changing mentality of Chinese society, aesthetic canon and cultural context. The modern construction of the mythological hero image not only reproduces the long history of Chinese mythological tales, awakens traditional cultural elements and plays a positive role in their preservation, but also provides a highly effective channel for Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, and contributes to the further development of the global cultural sphere.