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Kung Fu Panda 4

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Kung Fu Panda 4
Teaser poster
Directed byMike Mitchell
Produced byRebecca Huntley
Starring
Edited byChristopher Knights
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
Countries
  • United States
  • China
LanguageEnglish

Kung Fu Panda 4 is an upcoming animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The film is directed by Mike Mitchell and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine (in her feature directorial debut), and features Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane reprising their roles from the previous films, with Awkwafina, Viola Davis, and Ke Huy Quan joining the cast as new characters.

Directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni were asked about the possibility of a fourth Kung Fu Panda film prior to the release of the third film in January 2016, with Nelson later saying in August 2018 that she was open to a fourth installment. DreamWorks officially announced the fourth film in August 2022, with Mitchell, Ma Stine, and Rebecca Huntley attached as director, co-director, and producer respectively by April 2023. Most of the main voice cast was announced in December 2023, following Awkwafina's casting in May of that year.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on March 8, 2024.

Premise

Po, who is set to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, searches for his successor as the new Dragon Warrior while fighting a new foe called "The Chameleon".[1]

Voice cast

Main article: List of Kung Fu Panda characters

Director Mike Mitchell stated that Masters Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper—known collectively as the Furious Five—will make an appearance in the film and that they are "off on their own individual missions", with producer Rebecca Huntley confirming that there will be "a glimpse of the Furious Five".[3][4]

Production

Development

On December 3, 2010, then-DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that there was a possibility the series could have three more sequels after Kung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.[5] On January 13, 2016, Collider asked the filmmakers of Kung Fu Panda 3 about the possibility of a fourth film. Co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson stated, "It's one at a time. We want to make this a perfect jewel, and then we'll see what happens after that". Co-director Alessandro Carloni said, "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".[6] On August 2, 2018, when asked about the possibility of Kung Fu Panda 4, Nelson replied that she always saw the series as a trilogy, but was open for a fourth installment as long the franchise focused on Po.[7]

In August 2022, DreamWorks Animation confirmed that Kung Fu Panda 4 was in production.[8] At CinemaCon in April 2023, more details for the film were revealed, such as the premise as described by Jack Black.[9] It was also announced that Mike Mitchell was set to direct the film, with Stephanie Ma Stine co-directing and Rebecca Huntley producing.[10]

It will be one of the last two films to be made entirely by DreamWorks Animation in-house at their Glendale campus alongside The Wild Robot.[11] Cartoon Brew reported in October 2023 that DreamWorks was moving away from producing films in-house to rely more heavily on outside studios after 2024, as part of a layoff by chief operating officer Randy Lake in a series of meetings the previous month. According to the report, Sony Pictures Imageworks was named as the animation service for DreamWorks' Dog Man and two other unannounced films scheduled for 2025.[11]

Writing and animation

Mitchell described Kung Fu Panda 4 as a love letter to the first film.[3][12] Despite its connections to previous entries in the series, he wanted the story to stand on its own.[12] Additionally, he wanted to evolve Po's character, introduce new characters, and expand the franchise's world.[13] He described Po as having a black-and-white view of the world and wanted to pair him with a more morally grey character, Zhen. Mitchell also wanted a character who Po can be frustrated by, like how Shifu gets frustrated by him.[3]

For the Chameleon, Mitchell sought to make her a more brain-than-brawn kind of villain.[3] He went on to say that she is the smartest and most supernatural foe Po has faced.[4][12] He described Chameleon as a mirror to Po in that both characters were underestimated by society for their bodies, but went on to gain high status. He said, "So Po has become the greatest hero, and now she's the greatest villain."[12]

According to Mitchell, the film's fight scenes reflect advances in both technology and kung fu,[3] and took more influence from anime than previous films in the series.[12] Stunt performers from Marvel films joined production to give the animators moves to study and use in the choreography.[3]

Casting

In May 2023, it was reported that Awkwafina had joined the voice cast of the film.[14] In December 2023, it was announced that Ke Huy Quan and Viola Davis would join the cast, with the latter playing the villain of the film, The Chameleon.[15][16] Lori Tan Chinn and Ronny Chieng were also announced as new cast members,[3] with Ian McShane, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, and Dustin Hoffman reprising their roles from the previous films.[2][17]

Music

In December 2023, Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, the former of whom also composed for the first three films, were announced to compose the film's score.[18]

Release

Theatrical

Kung Fu Panda 4 is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 8, 2024.[8]

Marketing

Po returned to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2023 as promotion for the film.[19] The trailer for the film, along with the poster, was released on December 13, 2023. The trailer was viewed over 142 million times in the first 24 hours across all social media, becoming the most-viewed trailer for a Universal animated film, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Sing 2 and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.[20]

Home media

As part of Universal's deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, then will move to Netflix for the next ten, and then will return to Peacock for the remaining four.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ Gearan, Hannah (December 12, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 Synopsis Revealed As Two Oscar-Winners Join Voice Cast". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sachdeva, Maanya (December 13, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda fans praise 'legendary' new villain as trailer for fourth film released". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grebey, James (December 13, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 Director Teases Epic Fights & New Characters From Awkwafina, Viola Davis & More". NBC. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Gray, Peter (December 14, 2023). "Interview: Kung Fu Panda 4 director Mike Mitchell and producer Rebecca Huntley on what we can expect in this brand new adventure". The AU Review. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ O'Hara, Helen (December 3, 2010). "Katzenberg Talks DreamWorks Sequels". Empire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Radish, Christina (January 13, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3′: Directors, Producer on Shaping a Worthy Sequel and Po's Future". Collider. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  7. ^ Wakeman, Gregory (August 2, 2018). "Will there be a 'Kung Fu Panda 4'? Here's what director Jennifer Yuh Nelson told us". Metro New York. Metro International. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Chapman, Wilson (August 12, 2022). "'Kung Fu Panda 4' Announced, Sets 2024 Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Scott, Ryan (April 26, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 Plot Details Revealed, Unveils Po's Latest Challenge [CinemaCon 2023]". /Film. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  10. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (April 26, 2023). "Jack Black, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake Tease 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Trolls' Sequels". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Amidi, Amid (October 6, 2023). "Dreamworks Shifting Away From In-House Production In Los Angeles; Sony Imageworks Is A New Production Partner". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e Richard, Nate (December 13, 2023). "Tai Lung Isn't the Only Villain Returning for 'Kung Fu Panda 4'". Collider. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  13. ^ Sharma, Devansh (December 14, 2023). "Exclusive: Kung Fu Panda 4 makers open up on Jack Black, new characters, what's next in Po's quest for inner peace". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Brandon (May 17, 2023). "Awkwafina Joins Kung Fu Panda 4". ScreenSpy. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Legacy, Spencer (December 12, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 Cast: Viola Davis & Awkwafina Join DreamWorks Sequel". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  16. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (December 12, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 Adds Ke Huy Quan, Awkwafina, and Viola Davis". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Peralta, Diego (December 12, 2023). "Viola Davis and Ke Huy Quan Join 'Kung Fu Panda 4'". Collider. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Billings, Kevin (December 14, 2023). "Kung Fu Panda 4 gets Hans Zimmer twist fans will love". Clutch Points. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade recap: All the floats, performances and more". NBC News. November 23, 2023. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (December 15, 2023). "'Kung Fu Panda 4' Trailer Racked Up 142 Million Views on Launch Day, Powered by TikTok". Variety. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  22. ^ Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2021.

External links

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