Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American computer-animated action martial arts comedy film in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It was announced on DreamWorks Animation's Twitter account on August 12, 2022: "This is the moment you've all been waiting 4." It was released on March 8, 2024.^[4] It is the studio's 46th feature film.

Synopsis[]

After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po is called upon by destiny to... give it a rest already. More specifically, he's tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position. Even worse, there's been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon, a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po's Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen, a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

Plot[]

One night, on top of a mountain, Tai Lung somehow returns. Sometime later, Po is stopping an evil stingray before helping his dads open their new restaurant. While there, Shifu wants to talk with Po. At the Jade Palace, he tells Po that he must advance to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, meaning that he won't be the Dragon Warrior anymore, much to the latter's disappointment.

The next day, Po is struggling to choose candidates, much to Shifu's anger. Later, he spots a thief named Zhen trying to steal some ancient weapons from kung fu past. He easily defeats her and sends her to prison, but soon hears of Tai Lung's return. Thanks to a clue from Zhen, he finds out that Tai Lung is in fact not back, but someone has been portraying him. She tells him that the person who shape shifted into Tai Lung is The Chameleon, and that if he wants to stop her, he'll need her help. Reluctant at first, but wanting to go on one last adventure as Dragon Warrior, Po heads to Juniper City with Zhen. Meanwhile, Ping and Li, terrified of what might happen to their baby, trail behind them.

At Juniper City, they are arrested as Po finds out Zhen is a wanted criminal. They escape to the Den of Thieves where Zhen reunites with Han, who allows them to stay in the Den for a bit, but wants them gone the next day. Soon, Po and Zhen head to the Chameleon's lair to take her down. However, it's revealed that Zhen works for her, betraying Po's trust. He escapes, but without the Staff of Wisdom. When he asks Zhen to give it back, it's revealed to be the Chameleon in disguise, who sends him off a cliff. With the staff, the Chameleon makes a spiritual doorway to summon every martial arts master to steal their kung fu, including Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai. Zhen, seeing the horrible mistake she's made, decides to run away from her for good.

Meanwhile, Po talks with his dads, telling them that he's afraid of change. Ping tells him that he was afraid of change too, but also says that if things didn't change, he wouldn't be a father. This gives Po the encouragement to stop Chameleon once and for all. Po and Zhen bump into each other. She tries to stop him from getting killed, leading to a duel between the both of them. Realizing she can't change his mind, she gives him a tearful hug before he goes to face Chameleon.

Zhen manages to convince the Den of Thieves to help her out in saving Po. Meanwhile, Tai Lung finds out Po lost the Staff of Wisdom, causing him to lose even more faith in Po than he did originally. Po tries to face off against the Chameleon, getting his staff back. Just when Chameleon tries to get in the final blow, Zhen intervenes. Chameleon transforms into a hybrid of multiple creatures, and the three of them have a fight all around the room. Zhen falls due to the rubble, while Chameleon changes into Po, whom the real Po faces. However, Chameleon traps him in a cage.

Putting his trust in Zhen, he gives her the Staff of Wisdom, which she uses to defeat the Chameleon. Not accepting defeat easily, the latter tries to kill Po again, but is quickly defeated. He gives the kung fu back to every master that she stole from. Realizing that he was wrong about Po, Tai Lung finally gives his respect and acknowledges him as the Dragon Warrior. Po opens a spiritual doorway and sends all the masters back to the Spirit Realm, with Tai Lung taking the Chameleon with him.

Back at the Valley of Peace, Zhen is ready to go back to prison, but Po decides to choose her as the next Dragon Warrior, shocking both Shifu and herself. While she believes she doesn't deserve to be the Dragon Warrior, Po gives her some advice. In a mid-credits scene, Po, along with the Furious Five, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane, help Zhen train to become the next Dragon Warrior.

Voice Cast[]

• Jack Black as Po
• Awkwafina as Zhen^[5]
• Viola Davis as The Chameleon
• Bryan Cranston as Li Shan
• James Hong as Mr. Ping
• Dustin Hoffman as Shifu
• Ian McShane as Tai Lung
• Ke Huy Quan as Han
• Lori Tan Chinn as Granny Boar
• Ronny Chieng as Captain Fish
• MrBeast as Panda Pig
• Seth Rogen as Mantis
• Harry Shum Jr. as Scott

Lord Shen and Kai appear in the film but without their voice actors, Also Tigress, Monkey, Crane and Viper appear in the film's end credits.

Production[]

Development[]

On December 3, 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that if it's possible perhaps the series could see three more sequels after Kung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.^[6] 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 said, "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".^[7] On August 2, 2018, when asked on the possibility of Kung Fu Panda 4, Nelson replied that she did not know as she always saw the series as a trilogy, but that she was open for a fourth installment as long the franchise focuses on Po.^[8]

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

It will be one of the last films to be made entirely by DreamWorks Animation in-house at their Glendale campus as Cartoon Brew reported in October 2023 that DreamWorks was moving away from fully 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 one of DreamWorks' three unannounced films scheduled for 2025.^[11]

Casting[]

In May 2023, it was reported that Awkwafina had joined the voice cast of the film.^[12] On December 12, 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. It was also announced that Ian McShane, Bryan Cranston, and James Hong would reprise their roles.^[13][14]

Music[]

By December 2023, Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro were hired to compose the film's score.^[15]

Release[]

Kung Fu Panda 4 is was released on March 8, 2024.

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.^[16][17]

Marketing[]

A new balloon of Po debuted in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote the film.

The teaser poster was released on December 12, 2023, while the first official trailer was released a day later.

Reception[]

Box office[]

As of March 12th, 2024, Kung Fu Panda 4 has grossed $188.3 million in the United States and Canada and $331.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $520 million.^[3]

In the United States and Canada, Kung Fu Panda 4 was released alongside Imaginary and Cabrini, and was projected to gross $45–50 million from 3,900 theaters in its opening weekend.^[18][19] The film made $19.4 million on its first day, including $3.8 million from Thursday night previews.^[20][21] It went on to debut to $58 million, topping the box office and becoming the highest opening weekend for a DreamWorks Animation film since Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012.^{[22][23][24][25]}

Critical response[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 147 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Kung Fu Panda 4 offers enough eye-catching entertainment to sustain the franchise's young fans, although it's starting to feel like this series is running out of steam." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Potential sequel[]

In May 2024, following the film's critical and commercial success, 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.^[26]

Trivia[]

• Kung Fu Panda is the second DreamWorks Animation franchise has become a quadrilogy, after Shrek.
• This is the eighth DreamWorks Animation film to be released in March, after The Road to El Dorado, Monsters vs. Aliens, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Home, and The Boss Baby. This would also be the first sequel released in March.
• This is the third DreamWorks Animation sequel to feature villains of previous films in the franchise outside of cameos and mentions after Shrek the Third and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
• This is the first DreamWorks Animation quadrilogy to have the same widescreen aspect ratio as its predecessors.
• This will be the third DreamWorks Animation film to be directed by Mike Mitchell, after Shrek Forever After and Trolls.
  • Coincidentally, this is Mitchell's second quad-quel to a DreamWorks franchise after Shrek Forever After.
• This is Awkwafina's second voice acting role in a DreamWorks Animation feature film, her first being The Bad Guys.
• The twenty-fourth DreamWorks Animation film to be produced in 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio, after Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After, Megamind, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, The Croods, Turbo, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls, The Boss Baby, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Trolls World Tour, The Croods: A New Age, Spirit Untamed, The Boss Baby: Family Business, The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, and Trolls Band Together.
• This film marks the shortest-advertised Kung Fu Panda feature film in history, due to a three-month gap between its trailer and its release date.
• According to the producers, the animation style for this film was inspired from the ink-like style of the Spider-Verse movies.
• This film marks the fourth animated collaboration with score composers Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro after The Boss Baby, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and The Boss Baby: Family Business.
• This film is exactly 30 DreamWorks films away from the original Kung Fu Panda film. Interestingly, when taken into account for their respective years of release, they're about 16 years apart, which makes sense since the first film is also the studio's 16th feature film overall.
  • Funnily enough, the number 16 is divisible by four, in which its quotient is also four, further solidifying the appropriateness of this numerical matter between the films themselves.

Gallery[]

Promotional[]

Screenshots[]

Videos[]

References[]

External links[]

• Kung Fu Panda 4 on Wikipedia
• Kung Fu Panda 4 on IMDb

Navigation[]

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Media Films: Kung Fu Panda • Kung Fu Panda 2 • Kung Fu Panda 3 • Kung Fu Panda 4 TV Specials: Kung Fu Panda Holiday • Secrets of the Furious Five • Secrets of the Masters • Secrets of the Scroll TV Series: Legends of Awesomeness • The Paws of Destiny • The Dragon Knight Characters Warriors: Po • Shifu • Tigress • Crane • Monkey • Viper • Mantis Allies: Oogway • Mr. Ping • Li Shan • Zhen • Soothsayer • Thundering Rhino • Storming Ox • Croc • Good Po • Peng • Song • Han Villains: Tai Lung • Lord Shen • Boss Wolf • Gorilla Army • Kai • Fenghuang • Hundun • Ke-Pa • Fenghuang • Hundun • Taotie • Temutai • Wu Sisters • Bad Po • Ju-Long • Scorpion • The Chameleon • Rabbit Trio • Granny Boar Others: Zeng • Vachir • Badger Twins • Bao • Bear • Grandma Panda • Jombies • Mei Mei • Porcupine • Shen's Parents Cast Films: Dustin Hoffman (Shifu) • Angelina Jolie (Tigress) • David Cross (Crane) • Gary Oldman (Lord Shen) • Bryan Cranston (Li Shan)} • Dennis Haysbert (Storming Ox) • Awkwafina (Zhen) • Dan Fogler (Zeng) • Edie Mirman (additional voices) Shows: Alfred Molina (Ke-Pa) • André Sogliuzzo (Tai Lung) • Danny Cooksey (Peng) • Susanne Blakeslee (Mei Ling) • Steve Blum (Jindiao) • April Winchell (Mugan) • Jeff Bennett (Tong Fo) • David Cowgill (Flying Rhino) • R. Lee Ermey (General Tsin) • Stephanie Hsu (Zhen) • Harvey Guillén (Pelpel) • Cree Summer (additional voices) • Keith Ferguson (additional voices) • Elisa Gabrielli (additional voices) • Donald Fullilove (additional voices) See also Locations: China • Jade Palace • Jade Mountain • Valley of Peace • Chorh-Gom Prison • Thread of Hope • Gongmen City • Gongmen Jail • Panda Village • Spirit Realm • Training Hall Objects: Adversary • Oogway's Staff • Shift Stones Crew: Bill Damaschke • Alessandro Carloni • Chris Sanders • Duncan Marjoribanks • Gary Trousdale Miscellaneous: Kung Fu Fighting • Kung Fu Panda • Furious Five • Ladies of the Shade

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Cinema Feature Films: Antz (1998) • The Prince of Egypt (1998) • The Road to El Dorado (2000) • Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) • Shrek (2001) • Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) • Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) • Shrek 2 (2004) • Shark Tale (2004) • Madagascar (2005) • Over the Hedge (2006) • Shrek the Third (2007) • Bee Movie (2007) • Kung Fu Panda (2008) • Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) • Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) • How to Train Your Dragon (2010) • Shrek Forever After (2010) • Megamind (2010) • Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) • Puss in Boots (2011) • Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) • Rise of the Guardians (2012) • The Croods (2013) • Turbo (2013) • Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) • Penguins of Madagascar (2014) • Home (2015) • Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) • Trolls (2016) • The Boss Baby (2017) • Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) • Abominable (2019) • Trolls World Tour (2020) • The Croods: A New Age (2020) • Spirit Untamed (2021) • The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) • The Bad Guys (2022) • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) • Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) • Trolls Band Together (2023) • Orion and the Dark (2024) • Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) • The Wild Robot (2024) Co-produced films: Chicken Run (2000) • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) • Flushed Away (2006) • How to Train Your Dragon (2025) • Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie (2025) Upcoming films: Dog Man (2025) • The Bad Guys 2 (2025) • Shrek 5 (2026) Feature films in development: Mice & Mystics • Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles • The Wild Robot 2 Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021) • Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate (2024) Canceled films: Tusker • The Wanderer • Tortoise vs. Hare • Truckers • Me and My Shadow • Monkeys of Mumbai • Rumblewick • B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations • Giants: Forces of Nature • Larrikins • Zodiac • Spooky Jack Television TV Specials: Shrek the Halls (2007) • Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009) • Merry Madagascar (2009) • Scared Shrekless (2010) • Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010) • Gift of the Night Fury (2011) • Madly Madagascar (2013) • Trolls Holiday (2017) • How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019) • Trolls: Holiday in Harmony (2021) • The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (2023) • The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist (2024) Shorts: Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party! (2001) • Shrek 4-D (2003) • Sinbad and the Cyclops Island (2003) • Far Far Away Idol (2004) • Club Oscar (2005) • The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (2005) • First Flight (2006) • Hammy's Boomerang Adventure (2006) • Secrets of the Furious Five (2008) • B.O.B.'s Big Break (2009) • Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010) • Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular (2010) • Megamind: The Button of Doom (2011) • Thriller Night (2011) • The Pig Who Cried Werewolf (2011) • Night of the Living Carrots (2011) Book of Dragons (2011) • Gift of the Night Fury (2011) • Secrets of the Masters (2011) • Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos (2012) • Almost Home (2014) • Rocky and Bullwinkle (2014) • Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) • Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016) • Bird Karma (2018) • Bilby (2018) • Marooned (2019) • To: Gerard (2020) Shows: Toonsylvania (1998) • Invasion America (1998) • 3-2-1 Penguins! (2000) • Alienators: Evolution Continues (2001–2002) • Father of the Pride (2004–2005) • The Penguins of Madagascar (2008–15) • Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016) • DreamWorks Dragons (2012-2018) • Monsters vs. Aliens (2013-2014) • Turbo FAST (2013–2016) • VeggieTales in the House (2014-2016) • All Hail King Julien (2014-2017) • The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015-2018) • Dinotrux (2015-2018) • The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015-2017) • Dawn of the Croods (2015-2017) • Noddy, Toyland Detective (2016-2020) • Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016-2018) • Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh (2016-2018) • Trollhunters (2016-2018) • VeggieTales in the City (2017) • Spirit Riding Free (2017-2020) • Trolls: The Beat Goes On! (2018-2019) • The Boss Baby: Back in Business (2018-2020) • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (TV series) (2018-2019) • Harvey Street Kids (2018-2020) • The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018-2020) • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020) • Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny (2018-2019) • 3Below (2018-2019) • Where's Waldo? (2019-2020) • Archibald's Next Big Thing (2019-present) • Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019-2022) • Fast & Furious: Spy Racers (2019-2021) • Cleopatra in Space (2020-present) • Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020) • Rhyme Time Town (2020-2021) • Madagascar: A Little Wild (2020-2022) • Wizards (2020) • Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020-2022) • The Mighty Ones (2020-2022) • Doug Unplugs (2020-2022) • Trolls: TrollsTopia (2020-2022) • Gabby's Dollhouse (2021-present) • Go, Dog. Go! (2021-2022) • The Croods: Family Tree (2021-2023) • Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021-2023) • Team Zenko Go (2022) • Pinecone & Pony (2022-2023) • The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib (2022-2023) • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022-2023) • Abominable and the Invisible City (2022-2023) • Not Quite Narwhal (2023-present) • Dew Drop Diaries (2023-present) • Fright Krewe (2023-present) • Curses! (2023-present) • Megamind Rules! (2024-present) • Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024-present) • Mighty MonsterWheelies (2024-present) Upcoming TV Series: Felix the Cat (TBA) • Bearbrick (TBA) See also Lists: List of DreamWorks Animation films • List of DreamWorks references in other media • List of Easter Eggs • List of Post-credits Scenes • List of Villains' Defeats • Mistakes found in films Crew: Frank Welker • Fred Tatasciore • Grey DeLisle Miscellaneous: Moon Child • Academy Awards • Adult Humor • Deleted Pages • World of DreamWorks Animation