On the heels of this news comes another roundhouse kick to the face: Po’s long-lost biological father Li (Bryan Cranston) shows up looking for him, and he wants Po to visit his secret village full of dumpling-downing, noodle-snarfing pandas just like him. But while it lacks the wonder and nuance of earlier Pandas, there are enough new faces and wowing, Asian-influenced style to also keep parents amused for an hour and a half.Įxuberant but still pretty clueless, the giant panda at the heart of the saga is forced into an uncomfortable position: His master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) has decided to hand over his classes to Po, a move that dumbfounds the big guy as well as his pals in the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross). The movie's story and cute characters are geared toward the younger crowd, per usual. Kung Fu Panda 3 (**½ out of four rated PG in theaters Friday nationwide), the latest in the kid-friendly animated martial-arts franchise directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni, continues to explore the parentage of wide-bodied “Dragon Warrior” Po - again voiced with infectiously quirky glee by Jack Black. It’s just that the rotund “skadoosh!”-ing animated bear has a lot to learn about teaching it. As the cuddly Chosen One comes to terms with his own destiny, he helps everyone else discover their best selves, too.Po knows kung fu. It’s also what makes this franchise such a winner.
That’s what makes him such an earnest, lovable hero.
The directors also make sure to let Po stay the charming bumbler he’s always been. Rich golden tones color the Spirit Realm, where some of the climactic fights take place. Ping in hopes of more noodles and dumplings.ĭirectors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni deploy a gorgeous color palette for the Chinese countryside, using vibrant, swirling shades of green, blue and red for the panda hideaway. She flirts with a clueless Po while an assortment of adorable panda cubs toddle around Mr. In addition to Li, a few other notable new characters enter the story, including the overconfident, ribbon-dancing panda Mei Mei (Kate Hudson). Master Shifu and the rest of his protégés - Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross) - are AWOL for the bulk of the story. With the film’s focus shifting to the pandas’ ancestral village in the mountains, there’s little for the original Furious Five to do except for Tigress (Angelina Jolie). (He’s especially excited to learn that other pandas don’t waste time using chopsticks, but stuff dumplings directly into their mouths with their paws.) Meanwhile, Po’s doting adoptive father (James Hong) is understandably worried that the instant bond between Li and Po will leave no room for a noodle-making goose. Li’s presence delights Po, who’s thrilled merely to discover that other pandas exist. Simmons is a natural as the vengeful Kai, having perfected his ominous baritone in everything from HBO’s prison drama “Oz” to his Oscar-winning performance as a tyrannical music teacher in “ Whiplash.”īy contrast, Bryan Cranston dials up the dulcet tones to play Po’s returned papa Li, who convinces Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he can teach Po the ancient art of chi necessary to defeat Kai. Attacking Oogway allows Kai to return to the mortal realm to continue his attempt at world domination, leaving only Po to stop him. Stuck there for centuries, Kai’s been stealing the chi, or energy, of ancient kung fu masters and turning it into amulets that transform into jade soldiers at his command. Simmons), an angry yak Oogway had exiled to the Spirit Realm. The late kung fu master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) - the tortoise who selected the unlikely Po as the legendary Dragon Warrior - is trying to enjoy his eternal rest when he’s interrupted by Kai (J.K. In a prologue, “Kung Fu Panda 3” wastes no time getting to the heart of its central conflict. That set things up for a reunion between Po - who had been living with his adoptive father, a goose - and his birth family. And this Dragon Warrior is every bit as brave as the galaxy’s favorite Resistance pilot.ĭreamWorks Animation’s “ Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) ended with a revelation: The biological father of Po (voice of Jack Black) is alive and living in a faraway panda Shangri-La. Po remains a charming bumbler - excited to learn, for example, that other pandas don’t eat with chopsticks. In “Kung Fu Panda 3,” Po, left, reunites with his father, Li.