Kung Fu Panda 3 (soundtrack)

On July 25, 2014, it was announced that Hans Zimmer, who co-scored the first two instalments with John Powell, would return to score the film.[2] Zimmer collaborated with renowned Asian musicians as "the only way you can really connect with a culture is to be respectful of the people who actually are that culture and play from that culture".[3] Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Chinese cellist Jian Wang, erhu musician Guo Gan scoring the instrumental portions and Shanghai Roxi Musical Studio Choirs perform the choir, and several traditional Chinese instruments were used in the score, as Zimmer said "the great thing about being in music and it’s happened to me time and time again where I get to work with people from different cultures. They might not speak English or German or whatever is useful in my case, you spend a couple of hours with the translator not getting anywhere and then you just sit down and start playing and then four or five hours go by and you haven’t noticed that you haven’t said a word to each other but it works really well."[4]

Recording of the score took place from December 2014 – October 2015 at various studios, including Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London, Shanghai Broadcast Studio in Shanghai, China and Remote Control Productions in Santa Monica, California, United States.[3] The London Session Orchestra and Metro Voices collaborated for the orchestral and choral portions.[4] Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou, and Canadian-Taiwanese young singer Patrick Brasca, perform the main theme "Try" in the end credits.[5] Powell did not return for the third installment but despite this, most of the themes he collaborated with Zimmer were worked into the score. The soundtrack also includes additional music composed and produced by Chinese-American composer Nathan Wang, and Scottish composers Lorne Balfe, and Paul Mounsey, assisting Zimmer in the film score.[6]

James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "The score as a whole may be somewhat disposable fun but it is fun, blessed at times with the same kind of swagger and twinkle in the eye as the Pirates of the Caribbean scores at their best (if not the array of strong themes) – “The Dragon Warrior" for instance is an action highlight that really is Zimmer at his lighthearted but boisterous best.  This is possibly the best of these scores so far and for an undemanding hour's listening you can't really go far wrong."[7] Filmtracks.com wrote "The album nicely consolidates the song placements to its conclusion, but the score selections are not provided in film order. Nor do they really maintain a cohesive narrative flow. Still, don't be surprised if you append a handful of cues from this score to any compilation of favorites from the stronger Kung Fu Panda 2. Once again, contracts permitting, Zimmer and his ghostwriters don't seem to care about the issue of appropriate, prominent credit for these works, but it's only fair to enlighten listeners who have the mistaken impression that Zimmer writes all or most of this material himself. This is only marginally a Zimmer score."[8]

Pete Simons of Synchrotones gave 4/5 to the score saying "Hans Zimmer’s Kung Fu Panda 3 is an incredibly fun ride in a fast machine. Arguably the best score Powell never wrote. When it’s fast and fun and zany it sounds just like John Powell. When it’s more noble and introvert it is really beautiful, poignantly so, with solo cello and various ‘ethnic’ instruments taking the lead – in a way that is very Zimmer. It is well written, just brilliantly orchestrated, and performed with gusto by … whoever performed it. All that whackiness does get a little tiresome, but in all this is a great album to cheer you up any ol’ day."[9] Unger the Radar wrote "Hans Zimmer is a truly great composer and he is celebrated the world over for his diverse and powerful music. His work on the Kung Fu Panda films is no different and the third film’s soundtrack is the stuff of absolute legends. This is a fantastic musical trilogy and should be appreciated by not just film score aficionados but by lovers of all things musically."[10]

Writing for Blueprintreview, Judomeh gave 4 out of 5 stars, saying "it was a nice little soundtrack for a much loved franchise which supports the film in the best possible way".[11] Max Nicholson of IGN wrote "Hans Zimmer returned to do the score, which at this point has become a staple of the series."[12] Regarding Kai's (J. K. Simmons) main theme, Stephanie Zacharek of Time had stated that Zimmer "gives him a terrific, swaggering Ennio Morricone-style bad-guy theme".[13]

Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[14]