It’s easy to forget how crazy the KUNG FU PANDA voice cast is until you see them all lined up like that. And they don’t even have room to mention James Hong!!
This third KUNG FU PANDA justifies its existence by finally digging into Po’s mysterious heritage, with his father, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), seeking him out and trying to establish a relationship. Given that the first two dealt heavily with Po’s relationship with his adopted father, Mr. Ping the duck, this is an area ripe for emotional moments and character growth; I suppose that warrants setting Po and the Furious Five against yet another anthropomorphic villain (J.K. Simmons?).
I thought KFP 2 was a worthy, if somewhat thin follow-up, and I’m hoping this keeps things fun and lively without devolving into the meme-baiting kiddie humor of MADAGASCAR 3. I think this series has served as a big eye opener for kids towards both weight disorders and the majesty of foreign cultures (particularly Ancient China, obviously), so at the very least, I’m sure it’ll do as much for a new crop of young moviegoers.
I wonder why it’s coming out in January though…
KUNG FU PANDA 3 gives us some father-son chow-down sessions on January 29th, 2016.
