Kung Fu Panda 3
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''Kung Fu Panda 3'' is a 2016
computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
martial arts comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the olde ...
produced by
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
and distributed by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. It is the third installment in the ''Kung Fu Panda'' franchise and the sequel to ''
Kung Fu Panda 2 ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American computer-animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is the sequel to ''Kung Fu Panda'' (2008) and the second installment in the ''K ...
'' (2011). The film was directed by
Jennifer Yuh Nelson Jennifer Yuh Nelson ( Yuh; born May 7, 1972) is a South Korean-born American story artist, character designer, television director, illustrator, and film director. She is best known for directing the films ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', ''Kung Fu Panda 3' ...
and
Alessandro Carloni Alessandro Carloni is an Italian film director, animator, and art director, best known for his work with DreamWorks Animation in general, particularly the ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. He co-directed '' Kung Fu Panda 3'', alongside Jennifer Yuh Nelso ...
(in his feature directorial debut) and written by
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Jonathan Robert Aibel (born August 6, 1969 in Demarest, New Jersey) and Glenn Todd Berger (born August 26, 1969 in Smithtown, New York) are American screenwriters and producers, who are best known for writing the ''Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Pa ...
.
Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
,
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...
,
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
,
Lucy Liu Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress. Her accolades include winning a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Seoul International Drama Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award. Liu has star ...
,
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
,
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
,
James Hong James Hong (; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 20 ...
and
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
reprise their roles from the previous films, with
Randall Duk Kim Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Life Kim was born and raised in Hawaii. He is married to actress and fellow American Players Theatre co-founder, Anne Occhiogrosso. Career Theat ...
reprising his role of Oogway from the first film. They are joined by
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
(replacing
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast (comics), Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy ( ...
, who went on to voice Master Bear),
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
and
Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...
in the roles of Li Shan, Kai, and Mei Mei, respectively. In the film, Po is reunited with his birth father and discovers the existence of a secret Panda Village, but must soon learn to master ''
chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...
'' and prepare the pandas to fight against Kai, a spirit warrior intent on destroying Oogway's legacy. The film was dedicated to
Nancy Bernstein Nancy Bernstein (September 10, 1960 – September 18, 2015) was an American visual effects producer at Digital Domain and later Head of Production at DreamWorks Animation. She produced DreamWorks' 2012 film ''Rise of the Guardians''. Death Be ...
, who served as Head of Production at
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
, as she died from
colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
at the age of 55 on September 18, 2015. ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' premiered at the
TCL Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese ...
in Los Angeles on January 16, 2016. It received a
limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in China on January 23, 2016 for a special three-hour sneak preview and was released in the United States on January 29, 2016 in 3D, grossing $521 million worldwide against its $145 million budget, becoming the second highest-grossing film released in the month of January behind ''
American Sniper ''American Sniper'' is a 2014 American biographical war drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Jason Hall. It is loosely based on the memoir '' American Sniper'' (2012) by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The film ...
''. The film received generally positive reviews; the
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
critical consensus praises the visuals and narrative. A spin-off
animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...
, '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny'', aired on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
from November 16, 2018 to July 4, 2019, while a
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
animated series, '' Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'', began airing on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in July 2022, the latter of which features Black reprising his role as Po. A fourth film is currently in production and is set for release on March 8, 2024.


Plot

In the Spirit Realm, Grand Master Oogway fights against General Kai, a spirit warrior
yak The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...
who has defeated all the other dead kung fu masters and stolen their ''
chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...
''. Oogway has his own ''chi'' stolen, but not before he warns Kai that someone is destined to stop him. Kai uses the ''chi'' he stole to return to the Mortal Realm. Meanwhile, Master Shifu announces his retirement from teaching, and names Po as his successor. Po's first attempts to teach inadvertently injure the Furious Five, and Shifu advises Po should try to be more like himself and less like Shifu. Disheartened, Po returns home, where he meets Li Shan, a panda that both quickly realize is Po's biological father, who came to find Po after receiving a sign from the universe that his son was alive. The two immediately bond, much to the dismay and jealousy of Po's adoptive father Mr. Ping. After introducing Li to Shifu and the Five, Po joins the Five to defend the Valley of Peace from Kai's
jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
zombies, the remains of the kung fu masters that had their ''chi'' stolen. Through research, the group learns that Kai and Oogway were once friends, and that Kai saved a wounded Oogway's life by taking him to a secret panda village to be healed. The pandas taught Oogway to give healing ''chi'', but Kai learned to take ''chi'' from others for his own personal power, forcing Oogway to banish him to the Spirit Realm. Li offers to take Po to the village to learn ''chi'' and defeat Kai, while Shifu and the Five prepare to protect the Valley. Mr. Ping stows away, hoping to drive a wedge between Po and Li, but is soon discovered. Upon arriving at the village, Li refuses to teach Po ''chi'' until he has learned to live the relaxed lifestyle of a panda. Kai, hoping to erase Oogway's legacy, steals the ''chi'' of every living kung fu master and destroys the Jade Palace. Only Master Tigress escapes, tracking down Po and telling him what happened. When Po demands that Li teach him how to use ''chi'' immediately, Li confesses that he lied about knowing ''chi'' out of fear of losing his son again. Hurt by his father's misdirection, Po disowns Li and trains alone to defeat Kai, while a repentant Mr. Ping sympathizes with Li and assures that Po will forgive him. After an argument with Tigress, Po admits he cannot defeat Kai alone. Li, Mr. Ping and the pandas ask Po to teach them kung fu. Realizing what previously made him fail as a teacher, Po trains them to not imitate his kung fu but instead to use their everyday activities as kung fu skills. Between training, Po and Li reconcile, and both prepare for Kai's attack. Kai arrives with his jade zombies and attacks the village. Po's students fight them, distracting Kai long enough for Po to use the Wuxi Finger Hold technique to banish Kai to the Spirit Realm. However, Kai reveals that the technique only works on mortals instead of on a spirit like himself, and savagely attacks Po. To save the others, Po grabs Kai and uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself, banishing them both to the Spirit Realm. Infuriated, Kai binds Po and begins to steal his ''chi''. In the mortal realm, Li, recognizing that finding one's true self is the key to unlocking ''chi'', leads the others in giving their ''chi'' to Po. Rejuvenated, Po uses his now-augmented ''chi'' to vanquish Kai. With Kai gone, the kung fu masters have their ''chi'' restored. In the Spirit Realm, Oogway reveals that he sent Li a cosmic message explaining where to find Po. Oogway also reveals why he chose Po as the Dragon Warrior—as a panda, Po had the potential to become a master of both kung fu and ''chi.'' Oogway names Po his successor as Grand Master, and gives Po his mystic staff, which Po uses to return to the Mortal Realm. After reuniting with the others, Po takes on his new role at the restored Jade Palace, where all the pandas and the residents of the Valley of Peace learn kung fu and ''chi''.


Voice cast

*
Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
as Po. *
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
as Kai. *
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
as Li Shan. Cranston replaces
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast (comics), Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy ( ...
, who had briefly voiced Li Shan in ''
Kung Fu Panda 2 ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American computer-animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is the sequel to ''Kung Fu Panda'' (2008) and the second installment in the ''K ...
''. *
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
as Master Tigress. *
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...
as Master Shifu. *
James Hong James Hong (; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 20 ...
as Mr. Ping. *
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
as Master Monkey. *
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
as Master Mantis. *
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
as Master Crane. *
Lucy Liu Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress. Her accolades include winning a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Seoul International Drama Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award. Liu has star ...
as Master Viper. *
Randall Duk Kim Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Life Kim was born and raised in Hawaii. He is married to actress and fellow American Players Theatre co-founder, Anne Occhiogrosso. Career Theat ...
as Grand Master Oogway. *
Steele Gagnon Pierce Gagnon (born July 25, 2005) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the film ''Looper (film), Looper'' and in the CBS series ''Extant (TV series), Extant'', as well as voicing Tim Templeton in the Netflix series ''The Boss Baby: ...
as Bao. * Liam Knight as Lei Lei. Knight previously voiced Baby Po in ''
Kung Fu Panda 2 ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American computer-animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is the sequel to ''Kung Fu Panda'' (2008) and the second installment in the ''K ...
''. *
Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (199 ...
as Big Fun, Hom-Lee. * Barbara Dirikson as Grandma Panda. *
Willie Geist William Russell Geist (born May 3, 1975) is an American television personality and journalist. He is co-anchor of MSNBC's ''Morning Joe'' and anchor of ''Sunday Today with Willie Geist''. Geist also frequently serves as a fill-in anchor on bot ...
as Sum. *
Al Roker Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, and author. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's '' Today'', and occasionally co-hosts '' 3rd Hour Today''. He has an in ...
as Dim. *
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...
as Master Croc. *
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast (comics), Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy ( ...
as Master Bear. Tatasciore briefly voiced Li Shan in ''
Kung Fu Panda 2 ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American computer-animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is the sequel to ''Kung Fu Panda'' (2008) and the second installment in the ''K ...
''. * Stephen Kearin as Master
Chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
. * Pax Jolie-Pitt as Yoo. * Knox Jolie-Pitt as Ku Ku. *
Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...
as Mei Mei. *
Zahara Jolie-Pitt Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
as Meng Meng. *
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
as Shuai Shuai. *
Ming Tsai Ming Hao Tsai (; born March 29, 1964) is an American restaurateur, television personality, and celebrity chef. Tsai's restaurants have focused on east–west fusion cuisine, and have included major stakes in Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachuse ...
as Ming. * Mike Mitchell as Male Palace Goose, Smart Panda Villager. * Kelly Cooney as Female Palace Goose. *
Mick Wingert Micky R. Wingert (born July 4, 1974) is an American voice actor. He is known for his role as the voice of Master Po and Zeng in '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'', taking over the roles from actors Jack Black and Dan Fogler, respective ...
as the Goose and Rabbit farmers. Wingert previously voiced Po in the '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness''
animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...
, further reprising the role after ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' in the direct spin-off animated series '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny''.


Production


Development

In 2010,
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
CEO
Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and C ...
announced that the ''
Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily voic ...
'' franchise was planned to have six movies, or "chapters," altogether. In July 2012, ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' was officially confirmed by
Bill Damaschke William Damaschke (born November 20, 1963) is the former President of Animation and Family Entertainment for Skydance Media, where he served as the key architect setting the overall creative direction and strategy for Skydance. In conjunction wi ...
, DWA's chief creative officer. The film was made as a co-production between DreamWorks Animation and
Oriental DreamWorks Shanghai Pearl Studio Film and Television Technology Co., Ltd, doing business as Pearl Studio, formerly known as Oriental DreamWorks, the trade name of Shanghai Oriental DreamWorks Film & Television Technology Co., Ltd., is a Chinese animation f ...
, a
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
-based animation studio, founded in 2012 as a partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Chinese companies. One third of the film was made in China, and the rest in the United States, at DWA. This was the first time that any major American animated feature film had been co-produced with a Chinese firm. The filmmakers worked closely with
SAPPRFT The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) is a ministry-level executive agency controlled by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its main task is the administration and supervision of state-owned enterp ...
to ensure the film's release in China. As a film with a co-production status in China, it allowed the production companies to circumvent the country's strict import quota and take a greater share of box-office revenue than imported films. To ensure the film's success in China, in addition to the English version, the Chinese version of the film was also fully animated, making them the only versions that have the characters' lips synchronized with their voices.


Casting

''Kung Fu Panda 3'' saw the crew from the second film reunite, including director
Jennifer Yuh Nelson Jennifer Yuh Nelson ( Yuh; born May 7, 1972) is a South Korean-born American story artist, character designer, television director, illustrator, and film director. She is best known for directing the films ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', ''Kung Fu Panda 3' ...
, producer Melissa Cobb, screenplay writers
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Jonathan Robert Aibel (born August 6, 1969 in Demarest, New Jersey) and Glenn Todd Berger (born August 26, 1969 in Smithtown, New York) are American screenwriters and producers, who are best known for writing the ''Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Pa ...
, and
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
as executive producer. Initially, Nelson was to direct the film alone, but by February 2015,
Alessandro Carloni Alessandro Carloni is an Italian film director, animator, and art director, best known for his work with DreamWorks Animation in general, particularly the ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. He co-directed '' Kung Fu Panda 3'', alongside Jennifer Yuh Nelso ...
had joined her as a co-director. According to the report, Carloni, who had worked as an animation supervisor on the first film and a story artist on the second, joined Nelson after she requested strengthening "the director's bench" to ensure that the film is completed in a timely manner. On April 9, 2013, DreamWorks Animation announced that
Rebel Wilson Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson (born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds; 2 March 1980) is an Australian actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing as Tou ...
,
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
, and Mads Mikkelsen had joined the cast of the film. By April 2015,
J.K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
had replaced Mikkelsen, whose character had been rewritten. Five months later, Wilson was replaced by
Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...
due to an extended production schedule. The studio had to reanimate previously completed scenes to reflect Hudson's interpretation of the character. The film's antagonist, Kai, is the first supernatural villain of the ''Kung Fu Panda'' film series outside of the television series. Described by del Toro as "the most formidable villain yet," the creators wanted him to stand apart from his predecessors. Nelson reasoned, "You can't go brawler because Tai Lung was brawler. You can't go smarter because Shen was smarter. Where can you go? You have to go supernatural, bigger, and even more intimidating."


Music

On July 25, 2014, it was announced that
Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...
, who co-scored the first two ''Kung Fu Panda'' movies with John Powell, would return to score the film. The score is performed by
the London Session Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
, includes choir pieces performed by The Metro Voices and Shanghai Roxi Musical Studio Choirs, and features performances from renowned Asian musicians such as Chinese pianist
Lang Lang Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...
, Chinese cellist Jian Wang, ''
erhu The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-s ...
'' musician
Guo Gan Guo Gan (; born November 15, 1968) is an erhu master from Shenyang, China, now based in Paris, France. Gan was recognized as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2016. He is the world's first Chinese national folk musician’s recipient ...
, Taiwanese pop singer
Jay Chou Jay Chou ( zh, t=周杰倫, s=周杰伦, poj=Chiu Kia̍t-lûn, p=Zhōu Jiélún, first=t, w=Chou Chieh-lun; born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, actor, and television personality. Dubbed the " King ...
, and Canadian-Taiwanese young singer
Patrick Brasca Patrick Brasca (, born September 6, 1999) known professionally in Chinese as Pai Weijun () is a Canadian-Taiwanese pop singer and songwriter known for singing the theme song "Try" of the film ''Kung Fu Panda 3''. The song also features Jay Chou ...
, who performs the main theme "Try" with Chou in the end credits. The soundtrack album was released on January 29, 2016 on
Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...
. Powell did not return for the third installment but despite this, most of the themes he collaborated with Zimmer were worked into the score. Many themes from the score contained portions of the
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
song " I'm So Sorry" by the American
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...
. For the soundtrack, the song was portioned in the tracks "The Arrival of Kai", "The Hall of Heroes", "The Legend of Kai", "Jaded", "Po Belongs", "Kai Is Closer", "The Battle of Legends", and "The Spirit Realm". The soundtrack also includes additional music composed by Chinese-American composer
Nathan Wang Nathan T. Wang (born Wang Tsung-Hsien, born August 8, 1956 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is a Chinese-born American music composer and director. He graduated from Pomona College in California and received an Ambassadorial Scholarship from Rotar ...
, Scottish composer
Lorne Balfe Lorne Balfe (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish composer and record producer of film, television, and video game scores. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, Balfe is known for his composing music for big-budget films like ...
, and Scottish composer
Paul Mounsey Paul Mounsey (born 15 April 1959) is a Scottish musician, composer, arranger and record producer. A graduate of Trinity College, London, where he studied with Richard Arnell, Mounsey has composed for film, television, theatre, and television ...
.


Release

In September 2012, it was announced that ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' would be released on March 18, 2016. On April 9, 2013, the film's release date was moved back to December 23, 2015. In December 2014, the film was pushed forward to its original release date of March 18, 2016, to avoid competition with '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. In April 2015, the release date was once again shifted, this time to March 25, 2016.
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
partnered with Fox and DWA to play the movie in Mandarin at seven theaters and in Spanish at 14 locations in the U.S and Canada meaning there will be a mix of subtitled and dubbed formats of ''Kung Fu Panda 3''. This will mark the first time that AMC is playing a major theatrical release in dubbed/subtitled Mandarin. The film had a day-and-date release starting from January 28 in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
and
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and the U.S. and Canada on March 25, 2016. Other markets followed in March and April. According to ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'', the strategy behind such a staggered release was to take advantage of certain opportunistic dates which presented themselves such as the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
in February for China.


Reception


Box office

''Kung Fu Panda 3'' grossed $143.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $377.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $521.2 million, and is the lowest-grossing film in the series. According to ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'', the film made a net profit of $76.65 million, making it one of the top 20 most profitable releases of 2016. In the United States and Canada, early speculation expected the film would open to about $40–45 million from 3,955 theaters, with
Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray began ...
reporting as high as a $53 million opening, on par with ''
Kung Fu Panda 2 ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American computer-animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is the sequel to ''Kung Fu Panda'' (2008) and the second installment in the ''K ...
''s $47.7 million opening in 2011, but a significant decrease from the
original film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. History Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Neal H ...
's $60.2 million opening in 2008. However, DreamWorks Animation and Fox gave a more conservative estimate of a "mid-$40 million" opening. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at
Rentrak Rentrak Corporation is a global media measurement and research company serving the entertainment industry. Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States, with additional offices in the United States and around the world. In February ...
, said the film's opening "should land somewhere between the first two installments," noting that the film will likely appeal to families "with few options for appropriate entertainment at the multiplex of late." On January 27, two days before the film's release,
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
reported that ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' was the top advance ticket seller for the weekend, outperforming previous DreamWorks Animation films ''
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
'' and ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' , at the same point in their sale cycles. Box office pundits also noted that the film didn't face any serious competition with other new releases, such as '' The Finest Hours'' and ''
Fifty Shades of Black ''Fifty Shades of Black'' is a 2016 American slapstick romantic comedy film directed by Michael Tiddes and starring Marlon Wayans, who also serves as co-writer and co-producer. A parody of the 2015 erotic romantic drama film ''Fifty Shades of Gr ...
'', nor with holdovers '' The Revenant'' and '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', which were all expected to gross around $10 million. In North America, ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' topped the box office in its debut weekend with $41.3 million, making it the best opening weekend for an animated film in January and the third-highest weekend debut ever for the month. The film continued to top the North American box office during its second weekend, grossing $21.2 million. In China, expectations were high for the film, with Nancy Tartaglione of ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' anticipating a bigger opening weekend than in the U.S. and a higher total gross. Conservative estimates for ''Kung Fu Panda 3s opening in China ranged from $35 million to upwards of $50 million. Even before the film's official Chinese release, it was already projected to surpass '' Monkey King: Hero Is Back'' as the country's highest-grossing animated film, which had earned $153 million at the box office in 2015, since ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' had the additional benefits of opening a week before the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
and
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
, and debuting during the school holidays in the
Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are moon cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar. The Lunar New Year as a celebration is observed by numerous cultures. It is also named " Chinese New Year" becau ...
"blackout" period banning the release of foreign films, and therefore did not face competition from major Hollywood productions. The film had a
limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in China on January 22, 2016, a week before its release in the United States. A three-hour special sneak preview was screened, earning $6.4 million from two different versions of the film topping the daily box office charts. Buoyed by good
word-of-mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
, the film had a single-day opening of $16.3 million, the biggest of 2016 thus far, earning a total of $23.1 million including previews from its Saturday showings, giving ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' one of China's highest-grossing openings.


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds a approval rating of 86% based on 179 reviews and an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Kung Fu Panda 3'' boasts the requisite visual splendor, but like its rotund protagonist, this sequel's narrative is also surprisingly nimble, adding up to animated fun for the whole family." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the film a score of 8.5 out of 10, commenting that "''Kung Fu Panda 3'' offers a fun-filled, action-packed conclusion to DreamWorks' endearing animated series." Screen Rant awarded it 2.5 out of 5, saying, "At times, it's a beautiful movie, filled with likable characters, as well as digestible gags, that should keep kids smiling and giggling–but, with a plethora of more ambitious animated options out there, passable might not justify the money (or time) required for a viewing." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' three out of four stars and wrote that the film "in spite of its abundant action–and for all the interspecies mashups, this is as much an action-adventure animated movie as it is a funny-animal animated movie–is a pretty relaxing experience for the adult viewer." Justin Chang of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave a positive review, saying that "a winning lightness of touch prevails in this delightful continuation of the durable DreamWorks franchise." Christian Holub of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' a rating of B, commenting that the film was "just complicated enough to reward steady viewers and just simple enough for parent escorts to enjoy without much prior knowledge." Michael Rechtshaffen of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote that "while the storyline, in which Jack Black's dumpling-downing Dragon Warrior is reunited with his biological father, doesn't quite fulfill its prophecies, dramatically speaking, visually speaking it's all quite impressive–one of those very rare animated features that completely justifies its 3D glasses." Marter Parkinson of '' The Escapist'' gave the film three out of five stars, saying that "''Kung Fu Panda 3'' can best be described as 'another one,'" and called it "just a slight variation of the story told in the first film" and "a step down from the second film," but concluded that "it's a perfectly fine film, and if all you want is 'more of the same,' it won't disappoint." ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' gave a mixed review, negatively comparing ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' to its predecessors and describing it as "a comedown from the first two superb entries," but conceding that the film was "visually gorgeous and generally entertaining."


Accolades

At the 44th Annie Awards, ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' received nominations for Best Animated Feature, Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Feature Production, and Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production. Black was nominated for Best Virtual Performance at the
2016 MTV Movie Awards The 2016 MTV Movie Awards were held on April 9, 2016, from Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, as the first such event in 21 years, as well as being the first Movie Awards to be held outdoors. In addition, this year's awards also bec ...
and Most Wanted Pet at the
2017 Kids' Choice Awards The 30th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 11, 2017, at the Galen Center on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles and was broadcast live on Nickelodeon and either live or with tape delay across all of ...
. The film was also nominated at the
Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...
for Best Animation/Family TV Spot. It earned a pair of nominations for Best Animated Film from the
Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
and the
Georgia Film Critics Association Awards The Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) is an organization of professional film critics from the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Inclusion is open to film critics throughout the entire state of Georgia, although the majority of m ...
.


Video game

''Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends'' is a single and multiplayer RPG martial arts video freefire game that features characters from all three ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. Developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Little Orbit, the game was released on December 1, 2015 for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
,
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
,
Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
. The
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
version was released on December 15, 2015.


Future


Sequel

On December 3, 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO
Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and C ...
officially confirmed that the series could see three more sequels after ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', bringing it to a six-film series. On January 13, 2016,
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
asked the filmmakers of ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' about the possibility of a fourth film, with co-director
Jennifer Yuh Nelson Jennifer Yuh Nelson ( Yuh; born May 7, 1972) is a South Korean-born American story artist, character designer, television director, illustrator, and film director. She is best known for directing the films ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', ''Kung Fu Panda 3' ...
answering, "It’s one at a time. We want to make this a perfect jewel, and then we’ll see what happens after that," and co-director
Alessandro Carloni Alessandro Carloni is an Italian film director, animator, and art director, best known for his work with DreamWorks Animation in general, particularly the ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. He co-directed '' Kung Fu Panda 3'', alongside Jennifer Yuh Nelso ...
replying, "With the sequels, we don’t want to try to have them feel open-ended. We want it to feel like a completed journey, and we feel this movie does. And then, if a fantastic story presents itself, great." On August 2, 2018, when asked about any updates on ''Kung Fu Panda 4'', Nelson replied that she did not know and had always seen the series as a trilogy, but that she was open to the idea of a fourth installment, as long as the focus remained on Po. On August 12, 2022, DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed that ''Kung Fu Panda 4'' was in production to be released on March 8, 2024.


Television series

On April 12, 2018, a spin-off animated series of ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', titled '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny'', received a 26-episode order from
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
. Airing across two 13-episode seasons, respectively released in their entireties on November 16, 2018 and July 4, 2019, the series follows Po (voiced by
Mick Wingert Micky R. Wingert (born July 4, 1974) is an American voice actor. He is known for his role as the voice of Master Po and Zeng in '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'', taking over the roles from actors Jack Black and Dan Fogler, respective ...
, reprising his role from previous ''Kung Fu Panda'' animated series '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'') in the aftermath of ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' as he mentors four young pandas — Nu Hai (voiced by
Haley Tju Haley Alexandra Tju () (born February 15, 2001) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Pepper in the Nickelodeon television series ''Bella and the Bulldogs'', and Marcy Wu in the Disney animated television series ''Amphibia''. Early ...
), Jing (voiced by Laya Deleon Hayes), Bao (voiced by Gunnar Sizemore, replacing
Steele Gagnon Pierce Gagnon (born July 25, 2005) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the film ''Looper (film), Looper'' and in the CBS series ''Extant (TV series), Extant'', as well as voicing Tim Templeton in the Netflix series ''The Boss Baby: ...
from ''Kung Fu Panda 3''), and Fan Tong (voiced by Makana Say) — who become imbued with the ''chi'' of the ancient and powerful Kung Fu warriors known as the Four Constellations — leaving them the only ones able to save the world from an impending evil with their newfound Kung Fu powers. On March 16, 2022, during National Panda Day, it was announced that another ''Kung Fu Panda'' animated series set after ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', titled '' Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'', would premiere on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in July 2022, with
Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
reprising his role as Po. The series follows Po as he must leave his home behind and embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
known as the Wandering Blade.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kung Fu Panda 3 2016 films 2016 3D films 2016 computer-animated films 2010s American animated films 20th Century Fox films 20th Century Fox animated films American 3D films American action comedy films American computer-animated films American martial arts comedy films American sequel films Anime-influenced Western animation Films about giant pandas Films directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson Films scored by Hans Zimmer Films set in China Kung Fu Panda films Kung fu films 2010s martial arts comedy films Films with screenplays by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger DreamWorks Animation animated films 2016 martial arts films 3D animated films 2016 comedy films Films about father–son relationships 2010s English-language films 2010s Mandarin-language films