Theatrical release in mainland China
STORY, CHARACTERS & FILM FACTS
Niulai (Niu Lai): the complete plot and ending
Full spoilers follow: how Niulai meets Baola, loses his mother, becomes the herd's leader, and finally wakes from the dream.
AT A GLANCE
The film, in one minute.
Listed by Maoyan
Mainland China
China Film Administration record
Film record
- Title
- 《牛来》 / Niu Lai / Niulai
- Release
- 5 August 2026 (Maoyan listing)
- Runtime
- 86 minutes (Maoyan listing)
- Format
- Chinese animated movie / film
- Release permit
- Animation permit 2024-33 · Official record ↗
- First production company
- Dalian Jingyuan Culture Film and Television Media Co., Ltd.
- Director, production, voice
- Xin Yumeng
- Writer, voice
- Sun Lifang
Core fields are cross-checked against the China Film Administration record and Maoyan listing. Open the film listing ↗
COMPLETE STORY · SPOILERS
From being unable to stand to truly standing up.
Most of the adventure happens in a dream, but waking does not erase it: the loss and responsibility carried by his mother, Baola, and the herd become the courage to stand in reality.
Birth and dreaming
Niulai is born unable to stand. His mother encourages him; when a desert skylark arrives, calf and bird enter a dream.
Fear and friendship
Dream-Niulai fears snakes and rivers, but befriends Baola, a leopard rejected by the herd who repeatedly helps him.
Migration and loss
Wolves force the herd to migrate. Niulai's mother stays behind to protect him and is killed.
Becoming a leader
After losing his mother, Niulai grows up, accepts responsibility for the herd, and fights wolves beside Baola.
The human threat
A cattle-capture truck appears. Baola stays to resist it while Niulai leads the herd away and is driven toward a cliff.
Waking and standing
Niulai wakes to find his mother alive. The sacrifices did not happen, but their courage remains: he finally stands and meets his father and herd.
KEEP EXPLORING
Continue from the question you have.
READING THE ENDING
Waking up does not erase the growth that came before.
His mother's death, Baola's sacrifice, and the herd's escape happen inside the dream, yet Niulai truly stands when he wakes. The dream does not cancel the story; it lets him experience loss, duty, and choice before returning.
The calf, skylark, dream, and act of standing form a clear fable. Limited production shaped how it was expressed, and the gap between the finished film and commercial animation became part of the later public conversation.