MOVIE REVIEW: Kung Fu Panda 3
Po (Jack Black) meets his father, Li (Bryan Cranston) in “Kung Fu Panda 3”
Po (Jack Black) and his father, Li (Bryan Cranston) bond in “Kung Fu Panda 3”
Mei Mei (Kate Hudson) is after Po (Jack Black) in “Kung Fu Panda 3”
IMDb tells me this has been the longest wait for a sequel to a DreamWorks computer-animated film thus far. But it’s well worth the wait.
I wonder if the villain had anything to do with the time taken to create this third installment to the “Kung-Fu Panda” franchise. For the original, we had bad kitty Tai Lung voiced by Ian McShane, and he was a great villain, dripping with menace. But Lord Shen, the peacock from “Kung Fu Panda 2,” never quite reached the same threat-level of his villainous predecessor, even though he was voiced by Gary Oldman.
But DreamWorks brought their A-game for “Kung Fu Panda 3” and also brought a more intimidating villain — Kai, voiced by J.K. Simmons. More IMDb info reads that director Jennifer Yuh made Kai the bull a supernatural entity to make him more distinct.
Making him an old friend of Master Oogway and a peer to Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) make him a threat with intimate knowledge of our heroes and the skill to match. He could take them all down, as he did with the other masters of kung fu. And with each victory, he is strengthened by the chi (or life force) of the opponent he defeats.
So the stakes are high in “KFP3,” as are the laughs. Our “Fab 5” is back and as underutilized as ever: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). Along with Dragon Warrior Po (Jack Black), they battle the evil Kai to keep the Valley of Peace safe, and restore the life force to the Masters he’s defeated.
But they’re not alone. Already graced with an incredible voice-cast, “Kung Fu Panda 3” ups the ante with aforementioned Oscar-winner Simmons, and Oscar-contender Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li. This new relationship brings an extra dimension to Po’s motivation, and also more background to his character, as does a possible love interest in the fat and furry form of fellow panda Mei Mei, voiced by Kate Hudson. Rebel Wilson was the original choice for Mei Mei, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts; she might have been a funnier choice, but Hudson imbues Mei Mei with a sultry style.
Cranston’s Li also gives the secret weapon of the franchise more to do, with the great James Hong once again reprising his role as Po’s adopted father, Mr. Ping. I’m so happy the filmmakers recognized Hong’s talent and Ping’s importance and didn’t allow him to be pushed into the background, even with everything else happening onscreen. Indeed, his plotline is central to the story as a whole, and resolves wonderfully, with his every line a joy to hear.
But that’s par for this advanced course, as the filmmakers get so much right in “KFP3.”. It’s rated PG for martial arts action, and the obligatory and very mild “rude humor” is kept to a minimum. It’s a brisk 95 minutes for parents of fidgety kids, and the usual lessons learned are at least wholesome and entertaining. This is very much a family-oriented affair, and even some of Angelina Jolie’s own children got in on the act, as voice extras. The animation is beyond first rate, and the score never distracts, only supports.
But the filmmakers also continue to enrich each installment with something new. Po not only grows more powerful with each movie, but his world more enriched, this time with a new, extended family, and a rich history.
Who knew so much could be said about a panda who learns kung fu?
CRITIC RATING: Three and a half stars
MPAA RATING: PG for martial arts action and some mild rude humor. 95 minutes.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh; written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger.
STARRING: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons
TRIVIA FROM IMDb:
The film was originally scheduled for release Dec. 23, 2015 but the studio delayed to avoid directly competing with “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.”
Mads Mikkelsen was originally going to voice Kai, but he had to back out due to schedule conflicts and so was replaced with J.K. Simmons.
The first “Kung Fu Panda” film to be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox, eight years ago since the end of DreamWorks Animation’s deal with Paramount Pictures in 2012.
Kai is the first Kung Fu Panda villain to not have a British accent.
This is the first time that any major American animated feature film has been co-produced with a Chinese firm.
One third of the film was made in China, and the rest was made in the United States, at DWA.
This will be J.K. Simmons’ first of two animated movies premiering in 2016. The second movie is Zootopia (2016).
Jamie Campbell Bower was cast to voice Po’s real father but was replaced by actor Bryan Cranston. Ironic as neither of these actors voiced Po’s Father at the End of Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), instead being voiced by experienced voice actor Fred Tatasciore (who also voiced Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda Video Games and the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011) TV Series).
Jackie Chan is the only actor to be voicing 2 different characters in the film’s English release (as Monkey) and Mandarin release (as Li/Po’s birth father).