The fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda story was released in theaters on Friday, March 8th. The movie, like its predecessors, is an animated comedy enjoyed by families of all ages. The announcement of a fourth movie arrived in 2022; however, it took a while to get the ball rolling. Director Mike Mitchell shared, “For this one, probably why it took so long to get to the big screen is we didn’t start on this until we [were] sure we had the right story. It’s all about finding that perfect story.” The small group of cast members that reprised their past roles includes Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane.
Since we last saw Po, voiced by Jack Black, he has become a stellar son to his two fathers and is assisting them in opening a new restaurant. As he is settling into this new lifestyle, Master Shifu informs him that Po is expected to move on from the role of Dragon Warrior to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. In order to move on, he is to find a successor to take over his position. While he struggles with this command, he crosses paths with a conniving fox by the name of Zhen, catching her stealing ancient weapons and relics. Zhen supplies him with information on a new potential threat, the Chameleon, who wields the ability to shapeshift into any person or creature. Along with Zhen as a guide, Po travels to Juniper City with the mission of defeating the Chameleon before she tries to do anything major. The pair run into a series of obstacles, including a band of thieves and criminals, but eventually make it to the Chameleon’s lair. Po faces many challenges throughout the course of his newest adventure, including a betrayal that cuts quite deep.
I feel that the movie maintained a fine line between showing something new and incorporating scenes and nuances that reminds us of the past three movies. The newest villain seeks to attain the strength of the already-defeated antagonists and take over the world with a hybrid-like mix of martial arts powers. While this is a very complex and interesting concept, there is not much clarity on what her motive was for taking over the world besides being viewed as an underdog in her youth. What inspired her to go to such lengths to open the spirit realm and bring out the incredibly feared villains of the past is not made very clear.
The animation and character design was unsurprisingly satisfying and enjoyable. The Chameleon, while being smaller in size, commanded immense power, and this is shown in her intricate design and striking eye colors. My personal favorite aspect of the movie was the animation of the whole thing, as it kept in tune with past films while offering new characters and scenes.
It is a common thought that the plot was predictable in many senses, which ended up making the movie disappointing to many. The protagonist has a little run-in that sets him off on an adventure to take down a villain. There’s only so many ways a hero narrative can play out, and Mitchell took to a classic one.
It’s been seven years since the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, and since then many wondered whether or not the story would be continued. Therefore, it is safe to say there were a lot of expectations riding on the quality of this production. The movie has received both positive and negative reviews. Some believe that the story of Po should have ended with the reunion of father and son in the third movie and that at this point, DreamWorks is just dragging on a narrative that could have retired by now. Others simply enjoy the movie for nostalgia. What the future holds for the Kung Fu Panda franchise is not clear, but Jack Black teased, “I think the spiritual leader could be a cool character to explore. Maybe he’ll have the power to levitate and move stuff with his mind. He may have some new powers we haven’t even considered yet…There’s lots of rad adventures that Po could go on as this new kind of character.”
Regardless of different opinions, the movie has already raked in $58.3 million during its first weekend. There has also been a lack of animated movies in theaters recently, so many were excited to head to their local Cinemark to view the new installment of a classic.
