Kung Fu Panda 3
Directors: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
Stars: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman
Duration: 95 mins
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd
The first two installments in the Kung Fu Panda franchise (released in 2008 and 2011) have deservedly enjoyed critical and commercial success and Dreamworks Animation has effortlessly maintained the franchise’s high storytelling standards. In part three, the panda Po, the Dragon Warrior (voiced by Jack Black) and his faithful friends the Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan) – face yet another threat to the Valley of Peace.
After defeating Grand Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) and stealing his ‘chi’, the evil warrior bull Kai (J.K. Simmons) leaves the spirit world and returns to the mortal world to claim even greater power. Oogway warns him that, once there, he will face the Dragon Warrior – a threat that Kai casually laughs off.
In fact, back in the mortal world, Po is rather preoccupied as he is facing a crisis on two fronts. On the one paw he’s been given the responsibility of becoming teacher to the Furious Five by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), a role he feels desperately unprepared for, while on the other, his biological father Li (Bryan Cranston) turns up, throwing him even more into disarray.
With well-rounded characters and cracking storytelling, Kung Fu Panda 3 provides excellent entertainment for all ages – a story full of excitement, adventure, humour and poignancy, as the protagonist continues to experience relatable and believable character growth. It is remarkable that, nowadays, thanks to the efforts of major studios like Dreamworks Animation (and, of course, Pixar), many animated features offer much more in terms of depth of storytelling and character development than many live-action films.
A story full of excitement, adventure, humour and poignancy
More often than not, these stories also come with a solid message contained within; a message that is usually subtly and genuinely delivered.
Kung Fu Panda 3, directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni working off a script by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge is no different, focusing on the themes of responsibility and identity, as Po faces his biggest challenge yet. As he ponders how to deflect the threat posed by Kai, he learns that only a master of ‘chi’ can defeat him. And, it seems that the only ones who can in fact master chi are pandas, increasing Po’s innate self-doubt exponentially.
That Po was never fully confident in his own powers has been a recurrent theme in all the films, and it comes fully to the fore here, as our overweight hero faces this scary enemy and finds the strength within himself to face him.
As Po also discovers, finding a new family and trying to fit in is even scarier. It is a role that Jack Black has fully embraced, the comic actor expertly hitting the right notes of pathos and comedy, creating a character that has deservedly entered the annals of classic animated heroes.
The returning cast – from Jolie to Chan and Hoffman – continues to offer solid support, with special mention to James Hong, voicing Po’s adoptive father, the goose Mr Ping who is hilarious in his jealousy of the new father in Po’s life.
The filmmakers have strengthened their ensemble with the casting of Bryan Cranston as Li and J.K. Simmons as Kai – the two heavyweights tackling their respective roles with aplomb.
Like its predecessors, Kung Fu Panda 3 boasts some remarkable animation, not just in the rendition of the menagerie that makes up the ensemble, but also in its remarkable landscapes. And, needless to say, the characters themselves are beautifully and expressively drawn.
The action takes us to some new locations, including the mesmerising and magical spirit world; an ethereal dreamy panorama of floating structures. This serves as the backdrop for the film’s opening and closing scenes and also offers a notable sequence illustrating the history between Oogway and Kai before they became mortal enemies.
More visual treats come in the form of the panda village, a lush, verdant landscape inhabited by an assortment of pandas of all shapes sizes and degrees of cuteness.