Expectations can be an extremely fickle thing when it comes to film. Sometimes there are films that folks are incredibly eager to see but ultimately end up disappointing them. Conversely, there are films that many people don’t expect a lot out of going in but, to their surprise, end up being way better than they anticipated. Case in point, as Rhode Island Movie Corner continues its series of retrospectives on the various films produced by DreamWorks Animation, today we’re tackling a franchise that is quite arguably one of the best examples of how you should never judge a book by its cover, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. While it’s been nearly one and a half decades since the release of the original Kung Fu Panda in 2008, I still vaguely remember the overall uncertainty surrounding its release, especially since, in retrospect, this was right around the time when DreamWorks’ reputation for relying heavily on pop culture references was very much in full effect. But when it finally hit theaters, it did incredibly well with both critics and audiences to the point where it could very well be argued that it was one of the initial catalysts behind DreamWorks’ efforts to evolve as an animation studio. Thus, Kung Fu Panda promptly became another one of DreamWorks’ major franchises, with its three films collectively grossing nearly $2 billion worldwide; and as fate would have it, a fourth installment was recently confirmed for a 2024 release. So, with that in mind, let’s tag along with Po, the Mighty Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five as we tackle the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. Skadoosh!
(Disclaimer: New
verse, same as the first! For those who haven’t checked out my previous DreamWorks
retrospectives, I’m only covering DreamWorks’ feature film output and won’t be
going over any of the non-theatrical projects that their franchises have spawned;
specifically, their numerous TV series spin-offs. In today’s case, this includes
the franchise’s most recent installment, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon
Knight, which debuted on Netflix this past summer and saw the one and only
Jack Black reprise his role as the series’ main protagonist Po, which is
notable because this was the first Kung Fu Panda TV series that Black
was directly involved with (in the franchise’s previous televised outings, Kung
Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny,
Po was voiced by voice actor Mick Wingert).)
KUNG FU PANDA
(2008)
As noted in the intro, the original Kung Fu Panda was
something that caught quite a lot of people by surprise back when it first came
out in 2008. With a title that, admittedly, sounds incredibly goofy on paper
and the fact that, at that time, a good chunk of DreamWorks films outside of
the first two Shrek films weren’t doing too well with critics, it’s not
that hard to imagine that a lot of folks probably figured that this would end
up being another underwhelming release from the studio. And yet, when it came
out, it was quite arguably DreamWorks’ most successful in-house release (not
counting their collaborations with Aardman, which earned them a second Oscar
for Best Animated Feature in 2005 thanks to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse
of the Were-Rabbit) since Shrek 2. The reviews for it were
excellent, it scored over $631 million at the worldwide box-office, and despite
some controversy over claims of alleged vote rigging, it even managed to upset
Pixar’s critically acclaimed Wall-E by winning that year’s Annie Award
for Best Animated Film. Simply put, it was a hit, and when you watch the film
even after all these years, it’s easy to see why. For starters, co-directors John
Stevenson and Mark Osborne and their team clearly went above and beyond to honor
the Chinese roots that thoroughly shaped this film’s premise in practically every
possible aspect of its production. From some beautifully animated segments that
pay homage to the staples of Chinese artistry (i.e., shadow puppetry) to the
utterly incredible action sequences that were seen as a game-changer when it came
to staging fight choreography in Western Animation, Kung Fu Panda is an
animated film that visually and artistically holds its own against some of the
most iconic live-action martial arts films of all-time.
But it also helps that the film is buoyed by a familiar yet
effective underdog story in which main protagonist Po must prove himself to
everyone who doesn’t believe that he is the mythical ‘Dragon Warrior’, the most
powerful kung-fu master in the land. Po, as excellently voiced by everyone’s
favorite fun-loving rockstar Jack Black, is a naturally sympathetic protagonist,
thus making his classic hero’s journey a satisfying one to watch. In fact,
Black’s casting even helped to steer Po away from the more jerkish persona that
he was originally given during the early stages of production. Black is then
joined by a considerably star-studded supporting cast, including Dustin Hoffman
as the stern Master Shifu, who’s begrudgingly forced to try and teach Po
kung-fu, Ian McShane as Shifu’s former protégé turned arch nemesis Tai Lung, and
the quintet of Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Lucy Liu (Viper), Seth Rogen (Mantis),
David Cross (Crane), and Jackie Chan (Monkey) as Shifu’s students, the famous
Furious Five. With all this in mind, let’s return to what I said before about
how a title like Kung Fu Panda may have seemed like a completely
ridiculous idea when you first hear it because, at the end of the day, this
film’s greatest accomplishment is that it proves to be far more than what its
title suggests. In other words, as much as it does maintain the usual comedic
sensibilities of a DreamWorks film, it also takes its plot seriously and neatly
mixes in some highly effective emotional moments amidst all the wacky antics of
a panda learning the art of kung-fu. It was, in a way, the antithesis of what a
lot of DreamWorks films were like at the time, thus signaling a bold new era
for the studio.
Rating: 4.5/5
KUNG FU PANDA 2
(2011)
The second installment of the Kung Fu Panda series
proved to be a considerably significant release as a result of who was
directing it. For this film, directorial duties shifted to the original film’s
head of story (and director of its opening 2-D sequence), Jennifer Yuh Nelson. In
doing so, Nelson became the first female director to have sole directorial
credit on an animated film for a major studio and the first Asian-American to
do so as well. And thanks to Kung Fu Panda 2 being another financial hit
for DreamWorks, managing to surpass the first film’s worldwide total by earning
over $665 million worldwide, that made it the highest-grossing film directed by
a woman at that time. Sure, this record would be surpassed just two years later
by Frozen earning over $1 billion, but since Disney Animation’s Chief
Creative Officer Jennifer Lee shared directorial duties with Chris Buck on that
film, Nelson would retain the record as a solo director for a few more years until
2017 when Patty Jenkins directed Wonder Woman ($822 million). But perhaps
most notably of all, while Kung Fu Panda 2 technically has a lower score
than its predecessor on Rotten Tomatoes (an 80% compared to the original’s 87%),
I have seen many people proclaim this to be yet another example of a superior
DreamWorks sequel following in the footsteps of Shrek 2 and the second
and third Madagascar films. And while this may have been the first time
that I’ve ever seen this film… I must say that I would have to agree.
Like the original, Kung Fu Panda 2 boasts incredible
action sequences, and thanks in large part to the fast-break style that DreamWorks
was beginning to adopt at that time as evident from films like Madagascar 3,
that gives this film’s action sequences an even greater kinetic energy. But
aside from maintaining the original’s brilliantly choreographed action and
solid sense of humor, Kung Fu Panda 2 also delivers on some terrific
emotional poignancy, arguably more so than the first film. As part of the main
plot of Po and the Furious Five taking on the sinister peacock warlord Lord
Shen, the film also begins to delve into Po’s backstory, showing that he was seemingly
the only survivor of a full-on massacre of pandas initiated by Shen, who was told
that he would be defeated by ‘a warrior of black of white’. Thus, Po was separated
from his parents (both of whom presumed dead) and taken in by kindly noodle
shop owner Mr. Ping. In short, because of Shen’s pivotal role in this turn of
events (as well as his collection of powerful cannons that can straight-up kill
off kung-fu masters), the wannabe despot, as excellently voiced by Gary Oldman,
is a truly formidable and intimidating main antagonist. And so, with all that
in mind, it’s easy to see why Kung Fu Panda 2 is, indeed, considered by
many to be a superior sequel as it takes everything that was great about its
predecessor and amplifies it all even further, thus resulting in an all-around
crowd pleaser that cemented its franchise’s premier status.
Rating: 5/5!
KUNG FU PANDA 3
(2016)
At the end of Kung Fu Panda 2, it is revealed that Po’s
real father, Li Shan, did, in fact, survive Lord Shen’s massacre. Thus, in Kung
Fu Panda 3, Po finally reunites with his long-lost dad (originally voiced
by Fred Tatasciore in the second film but now voiced by Bryan Cranston in what
is ironically his second-straight appearance in a DreamWorks threequel after Madagascar
3), who has been residing in a secret village full of pandas ever since
that fateful day. At the same time, though, Po and company now find themselves dealing
with their most dangerous opponent yet; Kai (voiced by J.K. Simmons), a warrior
from the Spirit Realm and former colleague of the late Master Oogway who has been
hunting the masters of kung-fu for their chi as revenge against Oogway for sending
him to the Spirit Realm a long time ago. Jennifer Yuh Nelson returned to direct
this third installment, but to help ensure that it would be finished on time,
she did have a co-director in longtime DreamWorks animator/story artist Alessandro
Carloni. This was also one of the many DreamWorks projects at that time that the
one and only Guillermo Del Toro was involved with, as he also had producing
credits on films like Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians and
would go on to create the Tales of Arcadia trilogy of TV shows that
DreamWorks developed for Netflix. And as you might have guessed, Kung Fu
Panda 3 was another critical and commercial success; while it may not have made
over $600 million worldwide like both of its predecessors, it still did quite
well for itself with over $521 million.
Critically, the film had the franchise’s second highest
rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% score though, from what I’ve seen, there
have been some who feel that it doesn’t quite reach the same exact highs of Kung
Fu Panda 2, which most likely stems from one key development. Tonally
speaking, Kung Fu Panda 3 is, surprisingly, a much different kind of
film compared to its predecessors as it is by far the most comedic-driven entry
in the franchise. Whether it’s the running gag of Kai getting frustrated by the
fact that no one knows who he is or the various side characters that Po meets
at the secret panda village (each of whom has their own little quirk that comes
into play during the final battle), Kung Fu Panda 3 explicitly relies
more on its humor than any of its dramatic moments. As such, one could arguably
describe this as the animated equivalent of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film,
especially because of how the MCU has often been called out for how it has
consistently maintained that narrative approach throughout its run. And yet, as
anyone familiar with my love of the MCU may have guessed, it goes without
saying that I don’t have any major issues with this film’s decision to take
that same kind of route. After all, as I’ve often argued with MCU films, just
because a film is primarily comedic in nature doesn’t mean that it can’t
deliver any high-quality emotional moments, and thanks in large part to the
whole plot of Po reuniting with his father, Kung Fu Panda 3 still
delivers some solid bits of emotional poignancy while also boasting the best
animation out of any film in the series with its beautiful landscapes, vibrant
color palette, and sharp and fluent character animation. Thus, while I do
understand why some may find this film’s more lighthearted nature to be
something of a step back for this franchise, that doesn’t stop Kung Fu Panda
3 from being another charming and entertaining animated film that presents
an all-around satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
Rating: 4.5/5
And so, that concludes
Rhode Island Movie Corner’s Retrospective on the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. Next
time on the DreamWorks Retrospective series, we finally come to the
franchise that I’m sure a lot of you folks have been waiting for, How to Train
Your Dragon.
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