| Kung Fu Panda 3 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Jonathan Aibel Glenn Berger |
| Produced by | Melissa Cobb |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Clare Knight |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[a] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[2] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $145 million[4] |
| Box office | $521 million[4] |
Kung Fu Panda 3 is a 2016 animatedmartial artscomedy film produced byDreamWorks Animation. Directed byJennifer Yuh Nelson andAlessandro Carloni, and written byJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, it is the third film intheKung Fu Panda franchise.Jack Black,Angelina Jolie,Lucy Liu,Seth Rogen,David Cross,Jackie Chan,James Hong,Dustin Hoffman andJean-Claude Van Damme reprise their roles from the previous films, withRandall Duk Kim reprising his role fromthe first film. They are joined byBryan Cranston,J. K. Simmons andKate Hudson as new characters. In the film,Po is reunited with his birth father, and discovers the existence of a secret Panda Village, but must learn to masterchi and prepare the pandas to fight against General Kai, a spirit warrior intent on destroying Master Oogway's legacy.
Kung Fu Panda 3 premiered at theTCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 16, 2016. It received alimited release in China on January 23, and was released by20th Century Fox[a] in the United States on January 29. The film received generally positive reviews, with theRotten Tomatoes critical consensus praising the visuals and narrative,[5], and grossed $521 million against a $145M budget. It was followed by two animated television series,Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, which premiered in 2018, andKung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, which premiered in 2022. A fourth film,Kung Fu Panda 4, was theatrically released in 2024.
In the Spirit Realm,Master Oogway fights General Kai, who has stolen thechi from every other deceasedkung fu master. As Kai steals Oogway's Chi, the tortoise warns the yak that someone is destined to stop him. Kai uses the stolen chi to return to the Mortal Realm and is enraged to find he has been forgotten from history.
Meanwhile,Master Shifu announces his retirement from teaching and namesPo his successor, but Po's first attempts to teach theFurious Five fails. Shifu, who predicted the calamity, advises Po to be himself and master chi. Disheartened, Po returns home, where he meets a panda named Li Shan, who received a message from the universe that his son was alive. Both quickly realize Li is Po's biological father and they immediately bond, much to the dismay and jealousy of Po's adoptive father, Mr. Ping.
After introducing Li to Shifu and the Five, Po and the Five defend the Valley of Peace from Kai'sjade zombies—clones of the kung fu masters who had their chi stolen. The group learns that Kai and Oogway were once brothers-in-arms, and that Kai saved Oogway's life by taking him to a secret panda village high in the mountains after he was injured in an ambush. The pandas taught Oogway to give chi, but Kai began to take chi from others for his own personal gain, forcing Oogway to banish him to the Spirit Realm. Li offers to take Po to the village to learn chi so he can defeat Kai, while Shifu and the Five prepare to protect the Valley. Mr. Ping travels with Po, having developed a jealousy of Li. At the village, Po meets the other pandas, and Li tells him that he will teach him chi once he has learned to live like a panda.
Intent on erasing Oogway's legacy, Kai destroys the Jade Palace and steals the chi of every living kung fu master, including Shifu and all of the Five except Tigress, and turns them into jade zombies. Tigress escapes, tracks down Po, and tells him what happened. When Po demands that Li teach him how to use chi immediately, Li confesses that he lied about knowing it out of fear of losing him again. Hurt by Li's misdirection, Po disowns him and trains alone to defeat Kai. Mr. Ping sympathizes with Li and assures him that Po will forgive him. While training, Po plans to get close enough to Kai to put him in a Wuxi Finger Hold and send him back to the Spirit Realm. Li, Mr. Ping and the pandas ask Po to teach them kung fu so they can defeat Kai together. Realizing what made him fail to teach earlier, Po trains them not to imitate his kung fu, but instead to use their everyday activities as kung fu skills. Between training sessions, Po and Li reconcile.
Kai arrives with his jade zombies and attacks the village. Li, Mr. Ping, Tigress and all the pandas fight them, distracting Kai long enough for Po to use the Wuxi Finger Hold on him. However, Kai reveals that the technique works only on mortals, not on spirit warriors like himself, then overpowers Po. To save the others, Po tricks Kai, jumps on him and executes the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself, banishing them both to the Spirit Realm. Enraged, Kai furiously attacks Po and begins to steal his chi and turn him into a jade zombie. In the Mortal Realm, Li leads the others to give their chi to Po in the Spirit Realm, rejuvenating him and empowering his chi. As they fight, Po overloads Kai with excessive chi, returning the kung fu masters to normal and restoring their chi.
Po encounters Oogway, who reveals that he alerted Li of Po's location and explains that he chose Po as the Dragon Warrior because he had the potential to become a master of kung fu and chi. Oogway proudly names Po his successor and gives him his Staff of Wisdom, which Po uses to return to the Mortal Realm. After happily reuniting with his fathers and the others, Po takes on his new role at the restored Jade Palace, where he trains the pandas and the residents of the Valley of Peace in kung fu and chi.
In 2010,DreamWorks Animation (DWA) CEOJeffrey Katzenberg announced that theKung Fu Panda franchise was planned to have six movies, or "chapters", altogether.[12] In July 2012,Kung Fu Panda 3 was officially confirmed byBill Damaschke, DWA's chief creative officer.[13]
The film is a co-production between DreamWorks Animation andOriental DreamWorks, aShanghai-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.[14][15] This was the first time that any major American animated feature film had been co-produced with a Chinese firm.[16] The filmmakers worked closely withSAPPRFT to ensure the film's release in China.[17] 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.[15][18] 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.[19]
Kung Fu Panda 3 saw the crew from the second film reunite, including directorJennifer Yuh Nelson, producer Melissa Cobb, screenplay writersJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, andGuillermo del Toro as executive producer.[20] Initially, Nelson was to direct the film alone, but by February 2015,Alessandro Carloni 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 be completed in a timely manner.[21]
On April 9, 2013, DreamWorks Animation announced thatRebel Wilson,Bryan Cranston andMads Mikkelsen had joined the cast.[7] By April 2015,J. K. Simmons had replaced Mikkelsen, whose character had been rewritten.[22] Five months later, Wilson was replaced byKate Hudson due to an extended production schedule.[11] The studio had to reanimate previously completed scenes to reflect Hudson's interpretation of the character.[11]
The film's antagonist, General Kai, is the first supernatural villain of theKung Fu Panda film series.[23] Described by del Toro as "the most formidable villain yet",[24] the creators wanted him to stand apart from his predecessors.[23] 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."[23]
On July 25, 2014, it was announced thatHans Zimmer, who co-scored the first twoKung Fu Panda movies withJohn Powell, would return to score the film.[1] The score is performed by theLondon Session Orchestra, includes choir pieces performed byThe Metro Voices and Shanghai Roxi Musical Studio Choirs, and features performances from renowned Asian musicians, such as Chinese pianistLang Lang, Chinese cellistJian Wang,erhu musicianGuo Gan, Chinesepipa playerWu Man, Taiwanese pop singerJay Chou, and Canadian-Taiwanese singerPatrick Brasca, who, with Chou, performs the main theme, "Try", in the end credits.
The soundtrack album was released January 29, 2016, onSony Classical.[25] Powell did not return for the third installment, but, despite this, most of the themes on which he collaborated with Zimmer were worked into the score. Many themes from the score contain portions of thegarage rock song, "I'm So Sorry", by the Americanpop-rock band,Imagine Dragons. 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 composerNathan Wang, and Scottish composersLorne Balfe, andPaul Mounsey. The orchestrator for the ethnic instruments overdub sessions was Derrick Werlé.
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In September 2012, it was announced thatKung Fu Panda 3 would be released on March 18, 2016.[20] On April 9, 2013, the film's release date was moved up to December 23, 2015.[7] In December 2014, the film was delayed to its original release date of March 18, 2016, to avoid competition withStar Wars: The Force Awakens, taking the slot of another DreamWorks Animation film,The Boss Baby, which in turn was pushed back to March 31, 2017.[26] In April 2015, the release date was again brought forward, this time to January 29, 2016.[27]AMC Theatres partnered with Fox and DreamWorks Animation to play the movie inMandarin at seven theaters, and in Spanish at 14 locations in the U.S and Canada, creating a mix of subtitled and dubbed formats ofKung Fu Panda 3. This marked the first time that AMC presented a major theatrical release in Mandarin.[28] The film had aday-and-date release inSouth Korea,Russia,Ukraine,Jamaica,Puerto Rico andChina on January 28, and in the U.S. and Canada on January 29. Other markets followed in March and April.[29][30][needs update] According toDeadline Hollywood, the strategy behind such a staggered release was to take advantage of certain opportunistic dates that presented themselves, such as theChinese New Year in February for China.[29]
The film was released onBlu-ray andDVD on June 28, 2016.[citation needed]
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; it is the lowest-grossing film in the series.[4] According toDeadline Hollywood, the film made a net profit of $80.65 million, making it one of the top-20 most profitable releases of 2016.[31]
In the United States and Canada, early speculation anticipated that the film would open to about $40–45 million from 3,955 theaters, withBox Office Mojo reporting as high as a $53 million opening, on par withKung Fu Panda 2's $47.7 million opening in 2011, but a significant decrease from the first film's $60.2 million opening in 2008.[28][32][33][30][34] However, DreamWorks Animation and Fox gave a more conservative estimate of a "mid-$40 million" opening.[32] Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst atRentrak, said that 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".[33] On January 27, two days before the film's release,Fandango reported thatKung Fu Panda 3 was the top advance-ticket seller for the weekend, outperforming previous DreamWorks Animation films,Home andKung Fu Panda 2, at the same point in their sale cycles.[28] Box-office pundits also noted that the film did not face any serious competition with other new releases, such asThe Finest Hours andFifty Shades of Black, nor with holdoversThe Revenant andStar Wars: The Force Awakens; all were expected to gross close to $10 million.[28]
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.[35] The film continued to top the North American box office during its second weekend, grossing $21.2 million.[36]
In China, expectations were high for the film, with Nancy Tartaglione ofDeadline Hollywood anticipating a bigger opening weekend than in the U.S., and a higher total gross. Conservative estimates forKung Fu Panda 3's opening in China ranged from $35 million to $50 million.[29] Before the film's official Chinese release, it was already projected to surpassMonkey King: Hero Is Back as the country's highest-grossing animated film — it had earned $153 million at the box office in 2015[37] — becauseKung Fu Panda 3 had the advantages of opening a week before the Chinese New Year andValentine's Day, as well as debuting during the school holidays in theLunar New Year "blackout" period that prohibits the release of foreign films; it therefore did not face competition from major Hollywood productions.[29][37]
The film had alimited theatrical release in China 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,[38] topping the daily box-office charts.[39] Buoyed byword of mouth,[37] the film had a single-day opening of $16.3 million, the biggest of 2016 to that point, earning a total of $23.1 million, including previews from its Saturday showings, givingKung Fu Panda 3 one of China's highest-grossing openings.[40]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a approval rating of 87%, based on 179 reviews, with 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."[5] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[41] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.[42]
IGN 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".[43]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."[44]Glenn Kenny ofRogerEbert.com awardedKung Fu Panda 3 three stars out of four, 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".[45]
Justin Chang ofVariety gave a positive review, saying that "a winning lightness of touch prevails in this delightful continuation of the durable DreamWorks franchise".[46]
Christian Holub ofEntertainment Weekly gaveKung 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".[47]
Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote, "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."[48]
Marter Parkinson ofThe Escapist gave the film three stars out of five, 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", as well as "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".[49]
Forbes gave a mixed review, negatively comparingKung 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".[50]
Unlike its predecessors, this is the first Kung Fu Panda film not to be nominated for anAcademy Award. At the44th Annie Awards,Kung Fu Panda 3 received nominations forBest Animated Feature,Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production,Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Feature Production, andOutstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production.[51] Jack Black was nominated for Best Virtual Performance at the2016 MTV Movie Awards, and Most Wanted Pet at the2017 Kids' Choice Awards.[52][53] The film was also nominated at theGolden Trailer Awards for Best Animation/Family TV Spot,[54][55] and theBritish Academy Children's Awards for Kid's Vote — Film.[56] It earned a pair of nominations for Best Animated Film from theSaturn Awards and theGeorgia Film Critics Association Awards.[57][58][59]
Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends is a fighting video game that features characters from all threeKung Fu Panda films.[60] Developed byVicious Cycle Software, and published by Little Orbit, the game was released December 1, 2015, forMicrosoft Windows,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,Nintendo 3DS,Xbox One andPlayStation 4.[61] TheWii U version was released December 15, 2015.[61]
On December 3, 2010, then-DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg officially confirmed that the series could see three more sequels afterKung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.[12] On January 13, 2016,Collider asked the filmmakers ofKung Fu Panda 3 about the possibility of a fourth film, with co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson 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 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."[62] On August 2, 2018, when asked about any updates onKung 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.[63]
On August 12, 2022, DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed thatKung Fu Panda 4 was in production and set to be released on March 8, 2024.[64]
In April 2023, duringCinemaCon, it was announced that directorMike Mitchell will direct the film, with Stephanie Ma Stine as a co-director and Rebecca Huntley as a producer. Black revealed the story, which follows Po trying to find a new Dragon Warrior in a fox named Zhen while facing a new villain, the Chameleon, who can bring back to life deceased villains like Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai.[65]
On December 12, 2023, it was announced thatAwkwafina,Viola Davis andKe Huy Quan would join the cast, playing Zhen, Chameleon and Han, respectively.[66][67][68] It was also announced that Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Bryan Cranston and James Hong would reprise their roles from the previous films.[69]
On April 12, 2018, aspin-off animated series ofKung Fu Panda 3, titledKung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, received a 26-episode order fromAmazon Prime Video.[70] Airing across two 13-episode seasons, respectively released in their entireties November 16, 2018, and July 4, 2019, the series follows Po (voiced byMick Wingert, reprising his role from the previousKung Fu Panda animated series,Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) in the aftermath ofKung Fu Panda 3 as he mentors four young pandas — Nu Hai (voiced byHaley Tju), Jing (voiced by Laya Deleon Hayes), Bao (voiced by Gunnar Sizemore, replacingSteele Gagnon fromKung Fu Panda 3), and Fan Tong (voiced by Makana Say) — who become imbued with thechi of the ancient and powerful kung fu warriors known as the Four Constellations, rendering them the only ones able to save the world from an impending evil with their newfound kung fu powers.[70]
On March 16, 2022, during National Panda Day, it was announced that anotherKung Fu Panda animated series, set afterKung Fu Panda 3, and titledKung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, would premiere onNetflix in July 2022, with Jack Black reprising his role as Po.[71] The series follows Po as he must leave his home to embark on a globetrotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered with a no-nonsense Englishknight known as the Wandering Blade.[71]
The studio confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen is indeed no longer on the project, but because his character has been rewritten.
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