All 7 Best Liu Beichen Movies Ranked (Best to Worst) hero banner

All 7 Best Liu Beichen Movies Ranked (Best to Worst)

Explore the best Liu Beichen movies ranked from peak animation milestones to misfires. Film critic Leo Sterling breaks down the Chinese voice icon's career.

ActorsUpdated October 29, 2026

Exploring the best Liu Beichen movies ranked reveals the expressive backbone of modern Chinese animation. Over the past decade, theatrical donghua underwent a seismic aesthetic rebirth, and Liu Beichen stood firmly at its vocal epicenter, breathing flinty grit, regal authority, and razor-sharp timing into mythic warriors and flawed antiheroes alike.

Whether anchoring a chaotic celestial war or delivering the measured restraint of a period mentor, Liu grounds oversized digital spectacles in palpable humanity. This definitive critical ranking cuts through studio noise to evaluate narrative weight, animation craft, and the exact vocal precision that defines his cinematic footprint.

1
Monkey King: Hero Is Back - Ranking #1 Recommendation
Landmark AnimationMythic ReimaginingCommanding VillainyBox Office Phenomenon

When Tian Xiaopeng unleashed this kinetic revision of Sun Wukong's folklore, it ignited a cultural renaissance for domestic Chinese animation. The film's brilliance lies in subverting legendary infallibility: this Monkey King is embittered, bruised, and shackled by self-doubt, rediscovering heroism only through the boundless trust of an orphaned child monk. Visually fluid action sequences match an unusually tender emotional core. Behind the microphone, Liu Beichen delivers a benchmark vocal turn as the monstrous demon lord hunt antagonist, infusing the mythos with rumbling malevolence and textured weight. His vocal presence anchors the stakes, certifying this blockbuster as his foundational high-water mark.

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2
Soul Land: Sword Master - Ranking #2 Recommendation
Cultivation FantasyHigh-Stakes WuxiaVocal GravitasSect Warfare

Pre-dating the climactic wars of the Douluo realm, this high-octane prequel strips the franchise down to its sharpest martial philosophy: the lethal balance between duty, spirit bones, and martial pride. The animation balances hyper-stylized wuxia choreography with sweeping architectural grandeur, capturing the Seven-Treasure Glazed Sect under siege with relentless pacing. What elevates the conflict is the vocal gravitas powering its elder martial masters. Liu Beichen delivers thunderous authority, carving out regal stoicism laced with quiet sorrow as doom looms over the sect. His resonant cadence lends weight to every incantation, providing the emotional ballast that keeps a visual showcase grounded in genuine dramatic tension.

3
The Westward: Good Bye, Monkey King - Ranking #3 Recommendation
Revisionist FolkloreForbidden RomanceStylized Martial ArtsTragic Antihero

Adapted from Zheng Jianhe's revisionist manhua, this brooding prequel trades orthodox piety for tragic romantic fatalism. Centering on the forbidden bond between Sun Wukong and heavenly princess Su Yi, the feature leans into shadowy celestial politics and morally gray divinity rather than standard creature brawls. Fluid, neon-drenched cel-shaded skirmishes contrast smartly with quieter character beats. Liu Beichen's vocal performance adds crucial resonance, navigating the shifting allegiance between heavenly order and rebellious wildness. He bypasses theatrical caricature to inject gritty weariness and sharp bite into his character, proving how effectively his voice can carry the dramatic friction of a fractured myth.

4
Kiangnan 1894 - Ranking #4 Recommendation

Kiangnan 1894

⚡90% Match
Industrial SteampunkHistorical DramaLate-Qing AestheticStern Mentorship

Blending industrial steampunk aesthetics with late-Qing historical reality, this ambitious period feature ventures where few animated titles dare: the dawn of modern Chinese naval manufacturing. Following an orphaned mechanic swept into the gears of the Kiangnan Shipyard, the film captures the soot, brass, and national anxieties of the late 19th century with striking watercolor palettes. Liu Beichen brings seasoned precision to the ensemble, vocalizing authority figures whose stern mentorship masks deep-seated patriotic desperation. His delivery avoids bluster, opting instead for clipped, discipline-heavy phrasing that mirrors the cold iron of the dockyards. It remains an eccentric, deeply textured entry in his vocal repertoire.

5
Three Little Pigs Ⅱ - Ranking #5 Recommendation
Slapstick ComedyAnthropomorphic Martial ArtsFamily EntertainmentLighthearted Romp

Aiming squarely at energetic younger audiences, this kung fu reimagining of the classic European fable swaps straw and sticks for martial arts dojos and animalistic brawling. While the plotting adheres rigidly to kid-friendly slapstick and redemption tropes, the digital character models bounce with hyperactive energy and colorful visual gags. Liu Beichen provides the veteran vocal stability required to sell such frantic nonsense, channeling dry humor and elder-statesman reprimand amid chaos. He treats silly dialogue with surprising professionalism, keeping the narrative's cartoonish buffoonery from careening into unwatchable screeching. It stands as lightweight mid-tier comfort food, functional and brightly animated, yet fundamentally peripheral to his prestige canon.

6
Monkey Magic - Ranking #6 Recommendation

Monkey Magic

⚡86% Match
Space-Folklore HybridB-Tier Sci-FiMuddled AnimationCampy Antagonist

Colliding traditional monkey folklore with generic space-opera tropes and intergalactic tyrants, this low-budget hybrid struggles to find a coherent creative identity. Dearth Voyd's cosmic conquest feels stitched together from better sci-fi cartoons, leaving character arcs paper-thin and visual textures awkwardly unpolished. Still, Liu Beichen treats the lackluster material with far more dignity than the script warrants. His vocal discipline injects pockets of genuine villainous charisma and sharp tonal modulation into scenes that otherwise drown in muddy digital rendering. Even so, not even his polished cadence can salvage a muddled concept that collapses under the weight of clashing genres.

7
Clever Ikkyu & Naughty Princess - Ranking #7 Recommendation
Nostalgia Cash-InStiff AnimationDerivative PlottingCareer Low-Point

An unfortunate attempt to cash in on nostalgic affection for the beloved 1970s anime, this mainland theatrical spinoff misfires across almost every aesthetic dimension. Stiff flash-style animation, uninspired temple backgrounds, and juvenile dialogue rob the titular zen prodigy of the quiet wit and philosophical sparkle that made the original property enduring. Liu Beichen's vocal talents are utterly wasted here on generic, underwritten line readings that offer zero dramatic texture or room for character invention. Arriving at the nadir of modern studio output, the film remains an awkward relic from an era before Chinese animation discovered its voice and cinematic sophistication.

⚡ At-A-Glance Comparison: Top Ranked Picks

Summary breakdown of release years, match DNA, and where to stream in the US.

RankMovie TitleYearThematic DNAWhere to Stream (US)
#1Monkey King: Hero Is Back2015
Landmark AnimationMythic Reimagining
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
#2Soul Land: Sword Master2025
Cultivation FantasyHigh-Stakes Wuxia
VOD / Digital
#3The Westward: Good Bye, Monkey King2020
Revisionist FolkloreForbidden Romance
WeTV
#4Kiangnan 18942019
Industrial SteampunkHistorical Drama
VOD / Digital
#5Three Little Pigs Ⅱ2017
Slapstick ComedyAnthropomorphic Martial Arts
VOD / Digital
#6Monkey Magic2018
Space-Folklore HybridB-Tier Sci-Fi
VOD / Digital
#7Clever Ikkyu & Naughty Princess2014
Nostalgia Cash-InStiff Animation
VOD / Digital

Frequently Asked Questions

Key answers for film lovers looking for titles like All 7 Best Liu Beichen Movies Ranked (Best to Worst).

Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015) is universally regarded as his defining cinematic work, igniting the modern renaissance of Chinese theatrical animation. His vocal gravitas gave the production genuine dramatic stakes and enduring cultural staying power.