Kung Fu Panda
| Kung Fu Panda | |
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| Created by | DreamWorks Animation |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
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| Short film(s) | |
| Animated series | |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Play(s) | |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
The Kung Fu Panda franchise from DreamWorks Animation consists of three films: Kung Fu Panda (2008), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The first two were distributed by Paramount Pictures, while the third film was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Three shorts, Secrets of the Furious Five (2008), Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special (2010) and Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011), were also released. A television series for Nickelodeon television network, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, premiered in the fall of 2011.
The franchise, set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by humanoid animals, features the adventures of Po Ping, an obese giant panda, who was improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior. Although his status is initially doubted, Po proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny and learn about his past with his new friends.
The film series has been highly acclaimed with both features being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as numerous Annie Awards while the television series has won 11 Emmy Awards. Furthermore, this acclaim is particularly enthusiastic in China, where the series is hailed as not only an excellent contribution to the wuxia genre, but for its impressively knowledgeable understanding of Chinese culture and heritage for an American movie production. In addition, both films were the most successful animated feature film for their years[1] and the second is currently the biggest worldwide box office success for a movie directed solely by a woman (Jennifer Yuh Nelson).
Film series
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Po, a clumsy, overweight panda, is a kung fu fanatic who lives in the Valley of Peace and works in his goose father Mr. Ping's noodle shop, unable to realize his dream of learning kung fu. One day, a kung fu tournament is held for the elderly spiritual leader of the valley, Grand Master Oogway, to determine the identity of the Dragon Warrior, the one kung fu master capable of understanding the secret of the Dragon Scroll, which is said to contain the key to limitless power. Everyone in the valley expects the Dragon Warrior to be one of the Furious Five—Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane—a quintet of kung fu masters trained by Master Shifu to protect the valley. To everyone's surprise, Oogway chooses Po, who had accidentally stumbled into the tournament arena after arriving late.
Refusing to believe that Po can be the Dragon Warrior, Shifu subjects Po to torturous training exercises in order to discourage him into quitting. Determined to change himself into someone he himself can respect, Po perseveres in his training and befriends the Furious Five, who had previously mocked Po for his lack of skill in kung fu. Po soon learns that he must fight Tai Lung, an evil kung fu warrior who has escaped from prison to take revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, and despairs he will be unable to defeat him. However, Shifu discovers that Po is capable of martial arts when motivated by food, and successfully trains him to learn kung fu. After his training is complete, Po is given the Dragon Scroll, which he discovers to be blank. However, Po realizes that the key to limitless power lies within himself, allowing him to defeat Tai Lung and restore peace to the valley.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Po now lives his dream as a kung fu master and protects the Valley of Peace alongside the Furious Five. However, he is thrown into internal conflict when he begins having flashbacks of his mother and learns from Mr. Ping that he was adopted as an infant. Shortly after, Po and the Five are sent on a mission to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from using a newly developed weapon, the cannon, to conquer all of China and destroy kung fu tradition. Po remains tormented by thoughts of being abandoned by his real parents until he is guided by a wise old soothsayer to embrace his past, and remembers that his parents risked their lives to save him from Shen, who had set out to exterminate all pandas after learning of a prophecy that he would be defeated by "a warrior of black-and-white". Po achieves inner peace, which allows him to destroy Shen's new weapon, defeat Shen, and accept Mr. Ping as his father. However, during the last scene of the movie it shows Po's biological father realizing his son is alive.
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO, announced in 2010 that "Kung Fu Panda actually has 6 chapters to it."[2] Kung Fu Panda 3 was officially confirmed in July 2012 by Bill Damaschke, chief creative officer for DWA.[3] The film will be made in China as a co-production between DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks, a Shanghai-based studio, founded in 2012 as a partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Chinese companies. One third of the film will be made in China, and the rest at DWA.[4][5] The film is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni,[6] produced by Melissa Cobb, written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger with Guillermo del Toro as executive producer.[7] It was released on January 29, 2016.[8][9]
Future
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has said that it is possible that the series could see 3 more sequels after Kung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.[2]
Television series
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an animated television series based on the Kung Fu Panda film series, set between the first two films. The show was originally intended to first air in 2010, but it was delayed and officially premiered on Nickelodeon on November 7, 2011. Of the series's voice cast, only Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, and James Hong reprise their roles from the films as Viper, Oogway, and Mr. Ping. The first season, consisting of 26 episodes, ended on April 5, 2012. The second season aired from April 6, 2012 to June 21, 2013 and also consisted of 26 episodes. A third season began airing June 24, 2013 and consists of 28 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
| 1 | 26 | September 19, 2011 | April 5, 2012 | Nickelodeon | |
| 2 | 26 | April 6, 2012 | June 21, 2013 | ||
| 3 | 28 | 18 | June 24, 2013 | June 22, 2014 | |
| 10 | February 15, 2016 | June 29, 2016[note 1] | Nicktoons | ||
Short films
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five is an animated short film that serves as a semi-sequel (or spin-off) to Kung Fu Panda and appears on a companion disc of the original film's deluxe DVD release. It was later broadcast on NBC on February 26, 2009, and is available as a separate DVD as of March 24, 2009. The film has a framing story of Po (in computer animation), telling the stories of his comrades in arms, the Furious Five, which are depicted in 2D cel animation.
Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)
Kung Fu Panda Holiday (also known as Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special) is a 2010 television special that premiered on NBC on November 24, 2010. It tells a story of Po, who is assigned to host the annual Winter Feast by Master Shifu, despite his wishes to spend the holiday with Mr. Ping.
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters is an animated short film that was released on December 13, 2011 as a special feature attached to the Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD and Blu-ray. It tells the backgrounds of the masters of Gongmen City: Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox, and Croc.[10]
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016)
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll is an animated short film officially released as a bonus feature in the Kung Fu Panda: Ultimate Edition of Awesomeness Blu-ray pack in January 2016. [11] Secrets of the Scroll details the forming of the Furious Five, and seems to contradict the events of Secrets of the Furious Five, another Kung Fu Panda short film, released in 2008. Unlike previous Kung Fu Panda short films, Secrets of the Scroll has yet to be released on its own DVD or Blu-ray.
Panda Paws (TBA)
Several people including film critic "Rendy's Clubhouse" mentioned watching a new Kung Fu Panda short film during a screening of Dreamworks' Home. [12] The short film was described as a prelude to Kung Fu Panda 3, and involves the character Mei Mei (voiced by Rebel Wilson as Panda Paws was completed before Kate Hudson replaced her) competing with a panda child to perform for Po at the "Spring Festival." It is not currently known when Panda Paws will be publicly released.
Releases
Box office performance
The films series grossed over $1.5 billion making the Kung Fu Panda franchise the sixth highest-grossing animated franchise (behind Shrek, Ice Age, Toy Story, Madagascar,and Despicable Me) and the third highest-grossing DreamWorks Animation's franchise behind Shrek and Madagascar.
| Film | Release date | Box office | Rank | Budget | Ref(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening weekend North America |
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | ||||
| Kung Fu Panda | June 6, 2008 | $60.239.130 | $215.434.591 | $416.309.969 | $631.744.560 | #130 | #84 | $130.000.000 | [13] |
| Kung Fu Panda 2 | May 26, 2011 | $47.656.302 | $165.249.063 | $500.443.218 | $665.692.281 | #231 | #79 | $150.000.000 | [14] |
| Kung Fu Panda 3 | January 29, 2016 | $41.282.042 | $104.604.584 | $162.618.112 | $267.222.696 | #571 | #427 | $145.000.000 | [15] |
| Total | $149,177,474 | $485,288,238 | $1,079,371,299 | $1,564,659,537 | $325,000,000 | [16][17] | |||
Critical and public reception
Each Kung Fu Panda film has received positive reviews, with critics often praising the animation, voice acting, and character development.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kung Fu Panda | 87% (178 reviews)[18] | 73 (33 reviews)[19] | A-[20] |
| Kung Fu Panda 2 | 81% (167 reviews)[21] | 67 (31 reviews)[22] | A[20] |
| Kung Fu Panda 3 | 81% (89 reviews)[23] | 66 (28 reviews)[24] | A[20] |
Cast and characters
- A dark gray cell indicates the character does not appear in the film, special, or TV series.
- *(y) indicates the actor portrayed the role in a flashback scene when the character was younger.
- *(c) indicates a cameo appearance.
Crew
| Film | Director(s) | Producer | Writer(s) | Composer(s) | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kung Fu Panda | John Stevenson and Mark Osborne | Melissa Cobb | Screenplay By: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Story By: Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris |
Hans Zimmer and John Powell | Clare Knight |
| Kung Fu Panda 2 | Jennifer Yuh Nelson | Screenplay By: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger and Charlie Kaufman Story By: Jennifer Yuh Nelson | |||
| Kung Fu Panda 3 | Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni | Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger | Hans Zimmer |
Video games
- Kung Fu Panda is a video game loosely based on the first film, released by Activision in June 2008 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.
- Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors is a sequel to the video game Kung Fu Panda. It was published by Activision on November 5 and December 5, 2008 for the Nintendo DS and Wii, respectively.
- Kung Fu Panda World is a virtual world online game released on April 12, 2010.
- Kung Fu Panda 2 is a video game that takes place after the events of the second film. It was developed and published by THQ on May 23, 2011, for Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360.
- Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends is a Fighting game developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Little Orbit. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in December 1, 2015.[25]
Arena show
Directed by international entertainment director, Franco Dragone, best known for Le Rêve and House of Dancing Waters, Kung Fu Panda: Arena Spectacular is an in-progress live arena show, featuring characters from the Kung Fu Panda. Combining circus and Chinese acrobatics as well as arena show effects, the production was supposed to be released around the same time of Kung Fu Panda 2.[26] After a multi city casting tour in 2010,[27] the production went behind closed doors until late 2011 when a new set of audition dates were announced for the following year.[28] However, shortly before the announced January 2012 auditions, it was announced that both Franco Dragone and DreamWorks had decided to postpone the live show's opening date, canceling all auditions.[29]
Themed land
A themed area Po's Kung Fu Garden was opened in 2012 at DreamWorks Experience, one of the themed lands at the Australian theme park Dreamworld. As of 2012 Po's Kung Fu Garden consists only of a small area featuring a Po photo opportunity. In late 2012, additional rides and attractions were added to the area.
Chronology
In order of the Kung Fu Panda franchise history:
- Kung Fu Panda (2008)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)
- Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
- Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2015)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016)
- Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
References
- ^ "2011 WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ a b O'Hara, Helen (December 3, 2010). "Katzenberg Talks DreamWorks Sequels". Empire. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ Oldham, Stuart; Maxwell, Erin (July 12, 2012). "Comic-Con: D'Works fires up 'Kung Fu Panda 3'". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ "DreamWorks Animation SKG Management Discusses Q3 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. November 1, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ Tsui, Clarence (June 17, 2013). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' to Begin Production in August". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (February 24, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3′ Gets Co-Director As DWA Looks To Shore Up Franchises". Deadline. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ^ DreamWorks Animation (September 9, 2012). "New Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Unveils DreamWorks Animation's Release Slate Through 2016" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ Rebecca Ford (April 14, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Release Date Moves Up Two Months". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 15, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Bryan Cranston, Mads Mikkelsen & Rebel Wilson Board 'Kung Fu Panda 3′". Deadline. April 9, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- ^ "The Hilarious Global Smash Hit Kung Fu Panda 2 Becomes the Most Awesome Holiday Gift Pack on Blu-Ray™ and DVD Tuesday, December 13th". DreamWorks Animation via PRNewswire. October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|newspaper=(help) - ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017VOHQSG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00168OINK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0RG1M3PBT3RTAAJJ4PXF
- ^ http://rsomerendy.tumblr.com/post/113068203531/yesterday-i-went-to-a-screening-of-dreamworks
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Franchise Index". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Metacritic. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)". Metacritic. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ "Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)". Metacritic. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ Little Orbit (May 4, 2015). "Little Orbit Kicks Off Totally Epic Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends Video Game" (Press release). PRNewswire iReach. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ DreamWorks Animation (May 19, 2009). "DreamWorks Animation and Franco Dragone Entertainment Group to Create 'Kung Fu Panda' Arena Show" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ Kung Fu Panda Auditions (November 22, 2010). "AUDITIONS START NEXR SUNDAY IN ORLANDO!". Facebook. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ "KUNG FU PANDA LIVE AUDITIONS". inside Gymnastics. January 3, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ Kung Fu Panda Auditions (January 11, 2012). "Given the immense innovation..." Facebook. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
Given the immense innovation in development for "Kung Fu Panda Arena Spectacular," DreamWorks Theatricals and the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group have made the difficult decision to delay the production's launch date. It is the ambition of both companies to give the show the appropriate amount of time it needs to recognize its fullest creative potential. All auditions have been postponed indefinitely.
External links
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