Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Pandais an Americanmartial artscomedymedia franchisethat started in 2008 with the release of the animated filmKung Fu Pandaproduced byDreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titularPo Ping(primarily voiced byJack BlackandMick Wingert), agiant pandawho is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master ofkung fu, the franchise is set in a fantasywuxiagenre version ofancient Chinapopulated byanthropomorphic animals. Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny.
The franchise consists mainly of four animated films:Kung Fu Panda(2008),Kung Fu Panda 2(2011),Kung Fu Panda 3(2016) andKung Fu Panda 4(2024), as well as three television series:Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness(2011–2016),The Paws of Destiny(2018–2019), andThe Dragon Knight(2022–2023). The first two films were distributed byParamount Pictures, the third film was distributed by20th Century Foxand the fourth was distributed byUniversal Pictures, while the television series respectively aired onNickelodeonandNicktoons,Amazon Prime, andNetflix. Sixshort films:Secrets of the Furious Five(2008),Kung Fu Panda Holiday(2010),Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters(2011),Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll,Panda Paws(both 2016), andDueling Dumplings(2024), have also been produced.
The franchise's first two features were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Featureas well as numerousAnnie Awards, the first television series won 11Emmy Awardsand the third television series won twoEmmy Awards. All four films were critical and commercial successes,grossing over $2 billion overall, making it theseventh highest-grossing animated film franchise, while the second film was the highest-grossing film worldwide directed solely by a woman (Jennifer Yuh Nelson) untilWonder Woman(2017). The series is additionally popular inChinaas an outstanding Western interpretation of thewuxiafilm genre.
Po, a clumsy panda bear, 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 the art of 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 warriors trained by Master Shifu to protect the valley. To everyone's surprise, Oogway chooses Po, who has accidentally stumbled into the tournament arena after arriving late via fireworks explosion.
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 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 the valley is being approached by 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.
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.
Shortly after the events of thesecond film, Shifu relinquishes his duties as master of the Jade Palace to Po, claiming that the next step of his own apprenticeship is to oversee the Furious Five's training. While struggling with this new responsibility, Po rejoices upon reuniting with his biological father, Li, though Mr. Ping is less enthusiastic. However, news arrives that the spirit warrior General Kai has returned to the mortal realm and is 'collecting' Kung Fu masters from all over China, both living and dead, to serve in his army of Jade Zombies. Po and the others discover from a scroll left by Oogway that Kai can only be defeated by the power of Chi, a technique known only by the panda colonies; thus, Po and Li set to the secret Panda Valley in order to have Po learn it. Po eventually discovers, to his horror, that Li had deceived him, because the pandas have long forgotten about how to manipulate the Chi, and he just wanted to protect his son from Kai. Once making amends with both his adoptive and biological fathers, Po joins forces with Ping, Tigress, and the pandas to make a stand against Kai, all mastering the power of Chi in the process and using its power to destroy him for good. After returning to the Valley of Peace, Po spends his days spreading the teachings of Kung fu and Chi.
Shifu tasks Po to retire as the Dragon Warrior and find a successor as he must advance to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Disappointed, he struggles to find the right candidate angering Shifu. He later spots acorsac foxand thief namedZhenentering the Jade Palace and sends her to prison but soon learns that Tai Lung has returned. Zhen reveals that it wasn't actually Tai Lung but a shapeshifting sorceress named The Chameleon. Po decides to go after her and Zhen agrees to lead him to the Chameleon in exchange for a reduction of her sentence. They both head towards Juniper City and there, Po finds that Zhen is a wanted criminal, leading to both of them getting arrested. They successfully escape to the Den of Thieves where Zhen reunites with her old mentor Han who allows them to stay there for one day. Po and Zhen then enter Chameleon's lair, where Zhen betrays Po, takes the Staff of Wisdom and gives it to the Chameleon, who is revealed to be her master. Po manages to escape without the staff but Chameleon, who has shapeshifted into Zhen, throws him off of the cliff and Po gets saved by his adoptive and biological father. The Chameleon uses the staff to summon every martial arts master from the Spirit Realm, stealing their kung fu abilities and locking them in cages. Zhen decides to deflect away from Chameleon and reunites with Po. Zhen later manages to convince the Den of Thieves to help her out in saving Po. Zhen and Po defeat the Chameleon and return the stolen Kung fu to their masters. Po sends them back to the spirit realm with Tai Lung taking the Chameleon with him. At the Valley of Peace, Po chooses Zhen as the next Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five joins him in training her.
In May 2024, following the critical and commercial success ofKung Fu Panda 4, Mitchell suggested that a fifth film could happen, but it would likely not be released until at least 2027 due to the lengthy production process.
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomenessis an animated television series based on theKung Fu Pandafilm series, set between the first two films. The show was originally intended to premiere in 2010, but was delayed and officially launched onNickelodeonon November 7, 2011. Of the series's voice cast, onlyLucy Liu,Randall Duk Kim, andJames Hongreprise their roles from the films asViper,Oogway, andMr. Ping, respectively. 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 consisting of 28 episodes began airing June 24, 2013, going on an extended hiatus after June 22, 2014, before airing its last 10 episodes two years later, from February 15 to June 29, 2016, as atie-into the theatrical run ofKung Fu Panda 3.
Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destinyis the secondKung Fu Pandaanimated series, set after the events ofKung Fu Panda 3. Across 26 episodes produced byDreamWorks Animation TelevisionwithAmazon Studiosand ordered, and aired byAmazon Prime Video, the series was released in its 13-episode first season's first part on November 16, 2018, and its 13-episode first season's second and final part on July 4, 2019.The series follows Po on a fresh adventure, mentoring four young pandas (Nu Hai, Jing, Bao and Fan Tong), who happen upon a mystical cave beneath the Panda Village - and accidentally absorb the chi of the ancient and powerful Kung Fu warriors known as the four constellations. The four friends realize that they now have a new destiny - to save the world from an impending evil with their new-found Kung Fu powers. They are aided along their journey by Po, who finds himself faced with his biggest challenge yet - teaching this ragtag band of kids how to wield their strange powers.
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knightis the thirdKung Fu Pandaanimated series, which premiered onNetflixon July 14, 2022, withJack Blackreprising his role as Po.The series follows Po as he must leave his home behind and embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight known as the Wandering Blade.Rita Orajoined the cast as Wandering Blade and James Hong reprised his role as Mr. Ping.
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, or simplySecrets of the Furious Five, is an animated short film that serves as a semi-sequel (or spin-off) toKung Fu Pandaand appears on a companion disc of the original film's deluxe DVD release. It was later broadcast onNBCon February 26, 2009, and is available as a separate DVD as of March 24 the same year. The film has a framing story of Po (incomputer animation), telling the stories of his comrades in arms, the Furious Five, which are depicted in2Dcel animation.
Kung Fu Panda Holiday(also known asKung Fu Panda Holiday Special) is a 2010 television short film that premiered onNBCon 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 Mastersis an animated short film released on December 13, 2011, as a special feature attached to theKung Fu Panda 2DVD and Blu-ray. It tells the backgrounds of the masters of Gongmen City:Thundering Rhino,Storming Ox, andCroc.
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scrollis an animated short film officially released as a bonus feature in theKung Fu Panda: Ultimate Edition of AwesomenessBlu-raypack in January 2016.Secrets of the Scrolldetails the forming of the Furious Five, and their first fight together against a common enemy. Unlike previousKung Fu Pandashort films,Secrets of the Scrollhas yet to be released on its own DVD or Blu-ray.
Panda Pawsis a short film that was released with the home media ofKung Fu Panda 3.Panda Pawsinvolves the characterMei Mei(voiced byKate Hudson) competing withBaoat the "Spring Festival". A version of the short was previously released in theaters preceding theDreamWorks AnimationfilmHomein 2015, withRebel Wilsonvoicing Mei Mei, prior to her firing fromKung Fu Panda 3.
Dueling Dumplingsis a short film that was released with the home media ofKung Fu Panda 4. It involves Po and Zhen offering each other dumplings from their respective homelands. They bicker over whose are better and try to force each other to try them. After a playful battle, they end up tasting each other's dumplings and end up liking them.
The film series has grossed over $2.3 billion, making it the eighthhighest-grossing animated franchiseand DreamWorks Animation's second highest-grossing franchise behindShrek.
EachKung Fu Pandafilm has received positive reviews, with critics often praising the animation, voice acting, and character development.
Directed by entertainment directorFranco Dragone,Kung Fu Panda: Arena Spectacularis an in-progress live arena show, featuring characters from theKung Fu Panda. Combining circus and Chinese acrobatics as well as arena show effects, the production was supposed to be released around the same time ofKung Fu Panda 2.After a multi city casting tour in 2010,the production went behind closed doors until late 2011 when a new set of audition dates were announced for the following year.However, shortly before the announced January 2012 auditions, both Franco Dragone and DreamWorks decided to postpone the live show's opening date, canceling all auditions.No further announcements have been made since.
A themed areaPo's Kung Fu Gardenwas opened in 2012 atDreamWorks Experience, one of the themed lands at the Australian theme parkDreamworld. At openingPo's Kung Fu Gardenconsisted only of a small area featuring a Po photo opportunity. In late 2012, additional rides and attractions were added to the area. All of the rides were moved toOcean Paradesince DreamWorks Experience was rethemed asKenny and Belinda's Dreamlandin 2023.
A multi-sensory attraction, based onKung Fu Panda, opened at theDreamWorks Theatreon June 15, 2018, atUniversal Studios Hollywood.
AKung Fu Panda-themed children's play area opened atDreamWorks Water Parkon October 1, 2020.
Universal Studios Beijingalso has aKung Fu Pandathemed area titledKung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, which opened alongside the park in September 2021.
Universal Studios Florida'sDreamWorks Landwill include the play area "Po's Kung Fu Training Camp" and the digital meet-and-greet titled "Po Live!".