Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Animation | Comedy

Directors

Jennifer Yuh Nelson | Alessandro Carloni

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Fred Tatasciore, Stephen Kearin, Steele Gagnon, Barbara Dirickson, Al Roker, Willie Geist, Radzi Chinyanganya, Pax Jolie-Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Liam Knight, Lindsey Russell

Storyline

When Po's long-lost panda father (Bryan Cranston) suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai (J.K. Simmons) begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po (Jack Black) must do the impossible-learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas.

Opinion

Skadoosh! After five long years of waiting, the Dragon Warrior is back for the third installment of the franchise, "Kung Fu Panda 3", a humorous, entertaining and visually beautiful animated flick.

The storyline is again on the same lines of good vs evil, and at first sight it may seem complicated, but the well-constructed narrative allows the youngest to understand and follow the story quite easily. 

Another important factor that helps kids is the lightness with which the film addresses some pretty heavy philosophical issues. Unfortunately, while it is inspirational, the eastern philosophy gets repetitive and very similar to previous ones, still dealing with obstacles and dilemmas of finding yourself and going beyond your limits. I really appreciate DreamWorks Animation for taking Chinese philosophy seriously, but maybe they should try find some other issue to address.

The jokes are mostly good, and made me - and the rest of the audience - laugh out loud multiple times, but some lines are really not suitable for a youngish audience.

Working with the same characters for the third time isn't certainly easy, but the team actually did a great job with all those characters we already know. A lot more could have been done with the new ones. Po's father is probably the most sympathetic character in the whole film, and Bryan Cranston does a good voice work. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the villain Kai, which, despite J.K. Simmon's voice, isn't much memorable with his weak personality and motivation. The same goes with the majority of the pandas, as they are completely forgettable.

Like in the previous films, the animation is stunning. Once again the beautiful CGI/3D animation is cleverly paired with gorgeous 2D animation sequences.

Overall, "Kung Fu Panda 3" is worth watching, especially for the fans of Po. 

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Genre

Animation | Action | Adventure

Director

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber, Fred Tatasciore, Conrad Vernon

Storyline

After a year of being the dragon warrior, Po (Jack Black) is a hero in China. But trouble pops out when Shen (Gary Oldman), a villainous peacock, begins chaos and wants to conquer China with a deadly weapon.

Opinion

Three years after "Kung Fu Panda", DreamWorks Animation brought back the most beloved panda in the whole world, Po. I was expecting a "Shrek 2" kind of sequel, aka a disappointment, but I was pleasingly surprised.

A spectacular, action-packed film as well as a proper sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is full of awesomeness and has the same heart of the first installment.

Like a lot of other sequels, the film has a dark tone, a very dark tone. That arguably serves to increase the level of the film, and probably to make of it a great film for adults as well, but at some points it feels almost like the filmmakers have forgotten to make it fun. There still are some comical situations and some humour though.

However, it's the darker story that gives the film more depth. At first I was a little worried about the panda genocide as I consider it to be a little too sensitive for children, but I was impressed it has being addressed, and I was impressed by the way it was dealt with.

Like its predecessor, this film carries a life lesson, and a philosophical idea. First it leads us to consider how much someone's childhood can influence his present, and his ability to effectively deal with a given situation. Secondly it outlines the way to find inner peace within one's life: it's all about learning to coexist harmoniously at present.

The fantastic CGI animation, both riche(er) in colour, shapes and atmospheres, is cleverly paired with some beautiful 2D animation sequences.

Kudos to the talented voice cast that makes the film even better. The entire main cast - Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, James Hong - returns from the first film and still does a great job with their characters. New entry Gary Oldman shines in the spotlight as villainous Shen. He's definitely good at being a villain in films. Even if it's animated.

"Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be."  - Soothsayer

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Animation

Directors

John Stevenson | Mark Osborne

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan

Storyline

A lazy, irreverent slacker panda, Po (Jack Black), sees his dream become reality when he is chosen as the Dragon Warrior and must become a Kung Fu Master in order to save the Valley of Peace from a villainous snow leopard, Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

Opinion

As I'm waiting for episode three to be released - hoping it won't disappoint me-, I decided to re-watch the film that has changed my perception of DreamWorks Animation, who finally delivered something worth watching.

"Kung Fu Panda" is a winning mix of humour, martial arts action, colourful animation and enjoyable characters that appeals to all ages.

The story is pretty easy to follow, and no matter how clichéd and predictable it becomes, it is good enough to keep the audience, both kids and adults, glued to the screen also thank to a well-crafted storytelling.

Despite being quite familiar, the film carries some strong morale and educational messages: 1. we all have our weaknesses, but we also have our strengths, and it's our duty to use our strengths to turn those weaknesses into something we can rely on; 2. we have to live in the present, without being slaves of the past or afraid of the future; 3. we have to accept our and the others differences; 4. the usual, but effective "don't judge a book by its cover" message.

The stunning animation, and the breathtaking, realistic scenery are paired with some beautifully-crafted, emotional moments - the inspirational talk of Master Oogway and Po, the talk of Master Oogway and Shifu about the peach tree - and funny characters brought to life by some of the most famous names in Hollywood: comic genius Jack Black does a great job as lovable panda Po, Dustin Hoffman is excellent as Shifu, and Ian McShane is fantastic as villain Tai Lung. The supporting voices are also great, with Seth Rogen as Mantis that didn't fail to make me chuckle, not even once.

Quit, don't quit... Noodles, don't noodles... You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present. - Master Oogway