+ Best Comedy of the Year
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| The fun-filled poster for Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh Nelson's Kung Fu Panda 3 |
The Dragon Warrior, panda hero Po is about to finish his training under Master Shifu, just as the supernatural villain Kai comes back from the spirit realm to claim all the chis of the masters, and Po learns revelatory news of his own parentage.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is the highly awaited third movie in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda (2008)) and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)) and Alessandro Carloni (The Shark and the Piano (2001, short), co-director).
We are once again spoiled with a delicious visual universe of fresh, deep colors, amazing landscapes, effects that will woo 3D and 2D audiences alike and a barrage of great characters. The franchise comes to a natural high here, as Po meets his real Panda family, who are simply a ton of fun. The unveiling of the secret panda village works phenomenally as a kind of paradisiacal dream haven that everyone should be overjoyed to get to visit here.
Kung Fu Panda 3 might well be the best Kung Fu Panda movie yet!
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| Poe finds the amazing secret panda village in Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh Nelson's Kung Fu Panda 3 |
The film intersperses a wealth of returning as well as new characters, gags and a strong storyline that both plays on an immediate, outer threat and a more personal development (just as the previous films do), and does so impressively well. While some of the concluding plot points might seem a bit nonsensical to some, - this is a film about a kung fu panda, and kung fu movies don't have to make perfect sense. What's more important is that the heart is in the right place, and it certainly is here: Kung Fu Panda 3 is a very spirited and edifying piece of family entertainment.
It is also packed with cool action and more fun than any live-action comedy out right now. I laughed countless times, and I think the film must count as one of the funniest major animation films yet. It is filled with especially physical comedy of all varieties.
But it also is heightened by its great voice cast: Jack Black (Bernie (2011)) is once again a joy in the title role; J. K. Simmons (Whiplash (2014)) is good as the scary Kai, who seems to crave destruction for its own sake just as some of the real-life villains of today seem to; James Hong (Kung Fu Panda) returns and is again a lot of fun as Po's goose 'father'; and Kate Hudson (Good People (2014)) will be recognized by few here, but the character she voices, (which Rebel Wilson was supposed to voice), a theatrical lady panda of the village, is a real hoot.
Related posts:
Jennifer Yuh Nelson: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) or, The Heritage of Po
Watch the trailer for the movie here
Cost: 145 mil. $
Box office: 521.2 mil. $
= Big hit
[Kung Fu Panda 3 was released January 23 (in China first) and runs 95 minutes. The film was done as an American-Chinese co-production, the first major animation to be done so, with 1/3 of the production done in China, where the film received a more favorable release bargain in return. A fully animated (lip-synced) version was also created especially for the Chinese market. It opened #1 to a 41.2 first weekend, the biggest January opening for an animated film ever, but lowest in the franchise, in North America, where it has grossed 139.4 mil. $ (32.3 % of the total gross). It hung on to the #1 spot in its second week before getting thrown off by the arrival of Deadpool. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were South Korea with 26.3 mil. $ (6.1 %) and China with 22.6 mil. $ (5.2 %). It also opened #1 internationally, but was overtaken in its second week by The Revenant. Another 3 (!) sequels in the franchise have been announced by DreamWorks. Kung Fu Panda 3 is certified fresh at 86 % with a 6.8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Kung Fu Panda 3?
Is it the best in the franchise so far, in your opinion?
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