Kung Fu Panda 3
Kung Fu Panda 3 is a 2016 animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, China Film Group Corporation, Oriental DreamWorks, and Zhong Ming You Ying Film, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). The film was directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.
Kung Fu Panda 3 | |
---|---|
Directed by | |
Written by | Jonathan Aibel Glenn Berger |
Produced by | Melissa Cobb |
Starring | |
Edited by | Clare Knight |
Music by | Hans Zimmer[1] |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[2] |
Countries | |
Language | English |
Budget | $145 million[4] |
Box office | $521.2 million[4] |
Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, James Hong and Jackie Chan reprise their roles from the previous films, with Randall Duk Kim reprising his role of Oogway from the first film. They are joined by Bryan Cranston (replacing Fred Tatasciore, who went on to voice Master Bear), J. K. Simmons and Kate Hudson in the roles of Li Shan, Kai, and Mei Mei, respectively. In the film, Po is reunited with his birth father and discovers the existence of a secret Panda Village, but must soon learn to master chi and prepare the pandas to fight against Kai, a spirit warrior intent on destroying Oogway's legacy. The film was dedicated to Nancy Bernstein, who served as Head of Production at DreamWorks Animation, as she died from colorectal cancer at the age of 55 on September 18, 2015.
Kung Fu Panda 3 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 16, 2016.[5] It received a limited release in China on January 23, 2016 for a special three-hour sneak preview and was released in the United States on January 29, 2016 in 3D, grossing $521 million worldwide against its $145 million budget, becoming the second highest-grossing film released in the month of January behind American Sniper. The film received generally positive reviews; the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus praises the visuals and narrative.[6] A spin-off animated series, Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, aired on Amazon Prime Video from November 16, 2018 to July 4, 2019, while a sequel animated series, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, began airing on Netflix in July 2022, the latter of which features Black reprising his role as Po. A fourth film is currently in production and is set for release on March 8, 2024.
Plot
In the Spirit Realm, Grand Master Oogway fights against General Kai, a spirit warrior yak who has defeated all the other dead kung fu masters and stolen their chi. Oogway has his own chi stolen, but not before he warns Kai that someone is destined to stop him. Kai uses the chi he stole to return to the Mortal Realm.
Meanwhile, Master Shifu announces his retirement from teaching, and names Po as his successor. Po's first attempts to teach inadvertently injure the Furious Five, and Shifu, who predicted the calamity, advises Po should try to be more like himself and less like Shifu. Disheartened, Po returns home, where he meets Li Shan, a panda that both quickly realize is Po's biological father, who came to find Po after receiving a sign from the universe that his son was alive. The two immediately bond, much to the dismay and jealousy of Po's adoptive father Mr. Ping.
After introducing Li to Shifu and the Five, Po joins the Five to defend the Valley of Peace from Kai's jade zombies, the remains of the kung fu masters that had their chi stolen. Through research, the group learns that Kai and Oogway were once friends, and that Kai saved a wounded Oogway's life by taking him to a secret panda village to be healed. The pandas taught Oogway to give healing chi, but Kai learned to take chi from others for his own personal power, forcing Oogway to banish him to the Spirit Realm. Li offers to take Po to the village to learn chi and defeat Kai, while Shifu and the Five prepare to protect the Valley. Mr. Ping stows away, hoping to drive a wedge between Po and Li, but is soon discovered. Upon arriving at the village, Li refuses to teach Po chi until he has learned to live the relaxed lifestyle of a panda.
Kai, hoping to erase Oogway's legacy, steals the chi of every living kung fu master and destroys the Jade Palace. Only Master Tigress escapes, tracking down Po and telling him what happened. When Po demands that Li teach him how to use chi immediately, Li confesses that he lied about knowing chi out of fear of losing his son again. Hurt by his father's misdirection, Po disowns Li and trains alone to defeat Kai, while a repentant Mr. Ping sympathizes with Li and assures that Po will forgive him.
While training, Tigress attempts to stop Po, and assures that he cannot defeat Kai alone. Po rebuffs and the pair end up fighting. Po reveals his plan to Tigress, to get hopefully get close enough to Kai and put him in a Wuxi Finger Hold, but Tigress informs him that will not work because of Kai’s army, and he will never get close enough to use such a technique. Realizing this, Po finally admits to Tigress that he cannot defeat Kai and his army alone. Li, Mr. Ping and the pandas ask Po to teach them kung fu. Realizing what previously made him fail as a teacher, Po trains them to not imitate his kung fu but instead to use their everyday activities as kung fu skills. Between training, Po and Li reconcile, and both prepare for Kai's attack.
Kai arrives with his jade zombies and attacks the village. Po's students fight them, distracting Kai long enough for Po to try the Wuxi Finger Hold technique to banish Kai to the Spirit Realm. Kai, a spirit warrior, reveals that the technique only works on mortals, and savagely attacks Po. To save the others, Po grabs Kai and uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself, banishing them both to the Spirit Realm. Infuriated, Kai binds Po and begins to steal his chi. In the Mortal Realm, Li, recognizing that finding one's true self is the key to unlocking chi, leads the others in giving their chi to Po. Rejuvenated, Po uses his now-augmented chi to destroy Kai.
With Kai gone, the kung fu masters have their chi restored. In the Spirit Realm, Oogway reveals that he sent Li a cosmic message explaining where to find Po. Oogway also reveals why he chose Po as the Dragon Warrior—as a panda, Po had the potential to become a master of both kung fu and chi. Oogway names Po his successor as Grand Master, and gives Po his mystic staff, which Po uses to return to the Mortal Realm. After reuniting with the others, Po takes on his new role at the restored Jade Palace, where all the pandas and the residents of the Valley of Peace learn kung fu and chi.
Voice cast
- Jack Black as Po.[7]
- J. K. Simmons as Kai.
- Bryan Cranston as Li Shan.[8][7][9] Cranston replaces Fred Tatasciore, who had briefly voiced Li Shan in Kung Fu Panda 2.
- Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress.[7][10]
- Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu.[11]
- James Hong as Mr. Ping.
- Jackie Chan as Master Monkey.
- Seth Rogen as Master Mantis.
- David Cross as Master Crane.
- Lucy Liu as Master Viper.
- Randall Duk Kim as Grand Master Oogway.
- Steele Gagnon as Bao.
- Liam Knight as Lei Lei. Knight previously voiced Baby Po in Kung Fu Panda 2.
- Wayne Knight as Big Fun, Hom-Lee.
- Barbara Dirikson as Grandma Panda.
- Willie Geist as Sum.
- Al Roker as Dim.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Croc.
- Fred Tatasciore as Master Bear. Tatasciore previously voiced Li Shan in Kung Fu Panda 2 and Master Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness animated series.
- Stephen Kearin as Master Chicken.
- Pax Jolie-Pitt as Yoo.
- Knox Jolie-Pitt as Ku Ku.
- Kate Hudson as Mei Mei.[8][7][12]
- Zahara Jolie-Pitt as Meng Meng.
- Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as Shuai Shuai.
- Ming Tsai as Ming.
- Mike Mitchell as Male Palace Goose, Smart Panda Villager.
- Kelly Cooney as Female Palace Goose.
- Mick Wingert as the Goose and Rabbit farmers. Wingert previously voiced Po in the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness animated series, further reprising the role after Kung Fu Panda 3 in the direct spin-off animated series Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.
Production
Development
In 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that the Kung Fu Panda franchise was planned to have six movies, or "chapters", altogether.[13] In July 2012, Kung Fu Panda 3 was officially confirmed by Bill Damaschke, DWA's chief creative officer.[14]
The film was made as a co-production between DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks, a Shanghai-based animation studio, founded in 2012 as a partnership between DreamWorks Animation and Chinese companies. One third of the film was made in China, and the rest in the United States, at DWA.[15][16] This was the first time that any major American animated feature film had been co-produced with a Chinese firm.[17] The filmmakers worked closely with SAPPRFT to ensure the film's release in China.[18] As a film with a co-production status in China, it allowed the production companies to circumvent the country's strict import quota and take a greater share of box-office revenue than imported films.[16][19] To ensure the film's success in China, in addition to the English version, the Chinese version of the film was also fully animated, making them the only versions that have the characters' lips synchronized with their voices.[20]
Casting
Kung Fu Panda 3 saw the crew from the second film reunite, including director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, producer Melissa Cobb, screenplay writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and Guillermo del Toro as executive producer.[21] Initially, Nelson was to direct the film alone, but by February 2015, Alessandro Carloni had joined her as a co-director. According to the report, Carloni, who had worked as an animation supervisor on the first film and a story artist on the second, joined Nelson after she requested strengthening "the director's bench" to ensure that the film is completed in a timely manner.[22]
On April 9, 2013, DreamWorks Animation announced that Rebel Wilson, Bryan Cranston, and Mads Mikkelsen had joined the cast of the film.[7] By April 2015, J.K. Simmons had replaced Mikkelsen, whose character had been rewritten.[23] Five months later, Wilson was replaced by Kate Hudson due to an extended production schedule.[12] The studio had to reanimate previously completed scenes to reflect Hudson's interpretation of the character.[12]
The film's antagonist, Kai, is the first supernatural villain of the Kung Fu Panda film series outside of the television series.[24] Described by del Toro as "the most formidable villain yet",[25] the creators wanted him to stand apart from his predecessors.[24] Nelson reasoned, "You can't go brawler because Tai Lung was brawler. You can't go smarter because Shen was smarter. Where can you go? You have to go supernatural, bigger, and even more intimidating."[24]
Music
On July 25, 2014, it was announced that Hans Zimmer, who co-scored the first two Kung Fu Panda movies with John Powell, would return to score the film.[1] The score is performed by the London Session Orchestra, includes choir pieces performed by The Metro Voices and Shanghai Roxi Musical Studio Choirs, and features performances from renowned Asian musicians such as Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Chinese cellist Jian Wang, erhu musician Guo Gan, Chinese Pipa player Wu Man, Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou, and Canadian-Taiwanese young singer Patrick Brasca, who performs the main theme "Try" with Chou in the end credits. The soundtrack album was released on January 29, 2016 on Sony Classical.[26] Powell did not return for the third installment but despite this, most of the themes he collaborated with Zimmer were worked into the score. Many themes from the score contained portions of the garage rock song "I'm So Sorry" by the American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. For the soundtrack, the song was portioned in the tracks "The Arrival of Kai", "The Hall of Heroes", "The Legend of Kai", "Jaded", "Po Belongs", "Kai Is Closer", "The Battle of Legends", and "The Spirit Realm". The soundtrack also includes additional music composed by Chinese-American composer Nathan Wang, and Scottish composers Lorne Balfe, and Paul Mounsey. The Orchestrator for the ethnic instruments overdub sessions was Derrick Werlé.
Release
In September 2012, it was announced that Kung Fu Panda 3 would be released on March 18, 2016.[21] On April 9, 2013, the film's release date was moved back to December 23, 2015.[7] In December 2014, the film was pushed forward to its original release date of March 18, 2016, to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[27] In April 2015, the release date was once again shifted, this time to January 29, 2016.[28] AMC Theatres partnered with Fox and DWA to play the movie in Mandarin at seven theaters and in Spanish at 14 locations in the U.S and Canada meaning there will be a mix of subtitled and dubbed formats of Kung Fu Panda 3. This will mark the first time that AMC is playing a major theatrical release in dubbed/subtitled Mandarin.[29] The film had a day-and-date release starting from January 28 in South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Jamaica and Puerto Rico and China and the U.S. and Canada on January 29, 2016. Other markets followed in March and April.[30][31] According to Deadline Hollywood, the strategy behind such a staggered release was to take advantage of certain opportunistic dates which presented themselves such as the Chinese New Year in February for China.[30]
Reception
Box office
Kung Fu Panda 3 grossed $143.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $377.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $521.2 million, and is the lowest-grossing film in the series.[4] According to Deadline Hollywood, the film made a net profit of $80.65 million, making it one of the top 20 most profitable releases of 2016.[32]
In the United States and Canada, early speculation expected the film would open to about $40–45 million from 3,955 theaters, with Box Office Mojo reporting as high as a $53 million opening, on par with Kung Fu Panda 2's $47.7 million opening in 2011, but a significant decrease from the original film's $60.2 million opening in 2008.[29][33][34][31][35] However, DreamWorks Animation and Fox gave a more conservative estimate of a "mid-$40 million" opening.[33] Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Rentrak, said the film's opening "should land somewhere between the first two installments," noting that the film will likely appeal to families "with few options for appropriate entertainment at the multiplex of late."[34] On January 27, two days before the film's release, Fandango reported that Kung Fu Panda 3 was the top advance ticket seller for the weekend, outperforming previous DreamWorks Animation films Home and Kung Fu Panda 2, at the same point in their sale cycles.[29] Box office pundits also noted that the film didn't face any serious competition with other new releases, such as The Finest Hours and Fifty Shades of Black, nor with holdovers The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which were all expected to gross around $10 million.[29] In North America, Kung Fu Panda 3 topped the box office in its debut weekend with $41.3 million, making it the best opening weekend for an animated film in January and the third-highest weekend debut ever for the month.[36] The film continued to top the North American box office during its second weekend, grossing $21.2 million.[37]
In China, expectations were high for the film, with Nancy Tartaglione of Deadline Hollywood anticipating a bigger opening weekend than in the U.S. and a higher total gross. Conservative estimates for Kung Fu Panda 3's opening in China ranged from $35 million to upwards of $50 million.[30] Even before the film's official Chinese release, it was already projected to surpass Monkey King: Hero Is Back as the country's highest-grossing animated film, which had earned $153 million at the box office in 2015,[38] since Kung Fu Panda 3 had the additional benefits of opening a week before the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day, and debuting during the school holidays in the Lunar New Year "blackout" period banning the release of foreign films, and therefore did not face competition from major Hollywood productions.[30][38]
The film had a limited theatrical release in China on January 22, 2016, a week before its release in the United States. A three-hour special sneak preview was screened, earning $6.4 million from two different versions of the film[39] topping the daily box office charts.[40] Buoyed by good word-of-mouth,[38] the film had a single-day opening of $16.3 million, the biggest of 2016 thus far, earning a total of $23.1 million including previews from its Saturday showings, giving Kung Fu Panda 3 one of China's highest-grossing openings.[41]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a approval rating of 86% based on 180 reviews and an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Kung Fu Panda 3 boasts the requisite visual splendor, but like its rotund protagonist, this sequel's narrative is also surprisingly nimble, adding up to animated fun for the whole family."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[42] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[43]
IGN gave the film a score of 8.5 out of 10, commenting that "Kung Fu Panda 3 offers a fun-filled, action-packed conclusion to DreamWorks' endearing animated series."[44] Screen Rant awarded it 2.5 out of 5, saying, "At times, it's a beautiful movie, filled with likable characters, as well as digestible gags, that should keep kids smiling and giggling–but, with a plethora of more ambitious animated options out there, passable might not justify the money (or time) required for a viewing."[45] Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded Kung Fu Panda 3 three out of four stars and wrote that the film "in spite of its abundant action–and for all the interspecies mashups, this is as much an action-adventure animated movie as it is a funny-animal animated movie–is a pretty relaxing experience for the adult viewer."[46] Justin Chang of Variety gave a positive review, saying that "a winning lightness of touch prevails in this delightful continuation of the durable DreamWorks franchise."[47] Christian Holub of Entertainment Weekly gave Kung Fu Panda 3 a rating of B, commenting that the film was "just complicated enough to reward steady viewers and just simple enough for parent escorts to enjoy without much prior knowledge."[48] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "while the storyline, in which Jack Black's dumpling-downing Dragon Warrior is reunited with his biological father, doesn't quite fulfill its prophecies, dramatically speaking, visually speaking it's all quite impressive–one of those very rare animated features that completely justifies its 3D glasses."[49] Marter Parkinson of The Escapist gave the film three out of five stars, saying that "Kung Fu Panda 3 can best be described as 'another one,'" and called it "just a slight variation of the story told in the first film" and "a step down from the second film", but concluded that "it's a perfectly fine film, and if all you want is 'more of the same,' it won't disappoint."[50] Forbes gave a mixed review, negatively comparing Kung Fu Panda 3 to its predecessors and describing it as "a comedown from the first two superb entries," but conceding that the film was "visually gorgeous and generally entertaining."[51]
Accolades
Unlike its predecessors, this is the first Kung Fu Panda film not to be nominated for the Academy Awards. At the 44th Annie Awards, Kung Fu Panda 3 received nominations for Best Animated Feature, Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Feature Production, and Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production.[52] Black was nominated for Best Virtual Performance at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards and Most Wanted Pet at the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards.[53][54] The film was also nominated at the Golden Trailer Awards for Best Animation/Family TV Spot.[55][56] It earned a pair of nominations for Best Animated Film from the Saturn Awards and the Georgia Film Critics Association Awards.[57][58][59]
Video game
Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends is a single and multiplayer RPG martial arts video freefire game that features characters from all three Kung Fu Panda films.[60] Developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Little Orbit, the game was released on December 1, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.[61] The Wii U version was released on December 15, 2015.[61]
Future
Sequel
On December 3, 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg officially confirmed that the series could see three more sequels after Kung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.[13] On January 13, 2016, Collider asked the filmmakers of Kung Fu Panda 3 about the possibility of a fourth film, with co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson answering, "It's one at a time. We want to make this a perfect jewel, and then we'll see what happens after that," and co-director Alessandro Carloni replying, "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."[62] On August 2, 2018, when asked about any updates on Kung Fu Panda 4, Nelson replied that she did not know and had always seen the series as a trilogy, but that she was open to the idea of a fourth installment, as long as the focus remained on Po.[63]
On August 12, 2022, DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed that Kung Fu Panda 4 was in production and is set to be released on March 8, 2024.[64]
In April 2023, during CinemaCon, it was announced that The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part director Mike Mitchell will direct the film, with Stephanie Ma Stine as a co-director and Rebecca Huntley as a producer, while Jack Black revealed the story, which follows Po trying to find a new Dragon Warrior while facing a new villain, the Chameleon.[65]
Television series
On April 12, 2018, a spin-off animated series of Kung Fu Panda 3, titled Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, received a 26-episode order from Amazon Prime Video.[66] Airing across two 13-episode seasons, respectively released in their entireties on November 16, 2018 and July 4, 2019, the series follows Po (voiced by Mick Wingert, reprising his role from previous Kung Fu Panda animated series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) in the aftermath of Kung Fu Panda 3 as he mentors four young pandas — Nu Hai (voiced by Haley Tju), Jing (voiced by Laya Deleon Hayes), Bao (voiced by Gunnar Sizemore, replacing Steele Gagnon from Kung Fu Panda 3), and Fan Tong (voiced by Makana Say) — who become imbued with the chi of the ancient and powerful Kung Fu warriors known as the Four Constellations — leaving them the only ones able to save the world from an impending evil with their newfound Kung Fu powers.[66]
On March 16, 2022, during National Panda Day, it was announced that another Kung Fu Panda animated series set after Kung Fu Panda 3, titled Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, would premiere on Netflix in July 2022, with Jack Black reprising his role as Po.[67] 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.[67]
References
- "Hans Zimmer to Return for 'Kung Fu Panda 3'". Film Music Reporter. July 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- "KUNG FU PANDA 3 [2D] (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- Flores, Terry (January 16, 2016). "DreamWorks Animation Celebrates 'Kung Fu Panda 3' With Chinese Performers, Dragons and Noodles". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- DreamWorks Animation (April 9, 2013). "DreamWorks Animation Packs A Powerful Punch With New Cast Additions For Kung Fu Panda 3" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Cooke, Nick (January 2015). "Living the Dream". Toy World. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- Alexander, Bryan (June 10, 2015). "Sneak peek: 'Panda 3' amps up bear count". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- Alexander, Bryan (June 18, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' unveils trailer, villain". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- Chitwood, Adam (April 23, 2015). "Synopses Revealed for KUNG FU PANDA 3, JOY, THE MARTIAN, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- Kit, Borys (September 4, 2015). "Kate Hudson to Replace Rebel Wilson in 'Kung Fu Panda 3' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- O'Hara, Helen (December 3, 2010). "Katzenberg Talks DreamWorks Sequels". Empire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- Oldham, Stuart; Maxwell, Erin (July 12, 2012). "Comic-Con: D'Works fires up 'Kung Fu Panda 3'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- "DreamWorks Animation SKG Management Discusses Q3 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- Tsui, Clarence (June 17, 2013). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' to Begin Production in August". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- DreamWorks Animation (August 6, 2012). "Rising Dreams in the Orient: Oriental DreamWorks To Establish Headquarters in Xuhui" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- Michael Cieply; Brooks Barnes (January 14, 2013). "To Get Movies Into China, Hollywood Gives Censors a Preview". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- Jaafar, Ali (January 23, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3′ To Get China Co-Production Status". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- Frater, Patrick (April 19, 2015). "Jeffrey Katzenberg Pumps Up 'Panda 3,' Puts Down Deal Talk". Variety. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- DreamWorks Animation SKG (September 9, 2012). "New Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Unveils DreamWorks Animation's Release Slate Through 2016" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- Patten, Dominic (February 24, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3′ Gets Co-Director As DWA Looks To Shore Up Franchises". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- den Hartog, Max (April 27, 2015). "Mads Mikkelsen Leaves 'Kung fu Panda 3′ Voice Cast + More New Details!". Rotoscopers. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
The studio confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen is indeed no longer on the project, but because his character has been rewritten.
- Smith, C. Molly (July 28, 2015). "Kung Fu Panda 3 filmmaker explains why Kai is the series' first supernatural villain". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- Chitwood, Adam (November 12, 2012). "Guillermo del Toro Talks Puss in Boots 2, Kung Fu Panda 3 & Trollhunters; Says Panda 3 Has the 'Most Formidable Villain in the Series'". Collider.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- 陈博渊. "Jay Chou sings for very Chinese 'Kung Fu Panda 3'". China.org.cn. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Moves Out of 2015 to Avoid 'Star Wars'". The Hollywood Reporter. December 11, 2014. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- Rebecca Ford (April 14, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Release Date Moves Up Two Months". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- Anthony D'Alessandro (January 27, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Will Dig Box Office Out Of The Snow With $40M+ Opening – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Nancy Tartaglione (January 27, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' China Debut To Dominate U.S. In Day-And-Date Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Brad Brevet (January 28, 2016). "Weekend Preview: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' To Top 'Fifty Shades of Black' and 'Finest Hours'". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- Mike Fleming Jr (March 22, 2017). "No. 16 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Box Office Profits – 2016 Most Valuable Movie Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- Pamela McClintock (January 27, 2016). "Box-Office Preview: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Prepares to Capsize 'The Finest Hours'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Dave McNary (January 27, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' to Deliver a Punch to the U.S. Box Office". Variety. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Devan Coggan (January 28, 2016). "Box office preview: Kung Fu Panda 3 eyes $40+ million opening". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- Anthony D'Alessandro (February 1, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Gets Leg Up On Fierce 1st Quarter & Scores Record January Toon Opening – Monday B.O. Postmortem". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- Anthony D'Alessandro (February 11, 2016). "At the Box Office: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' keeps top spot". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- Jonathan Papish (January 29, 2016). "On Screen China: Let the Bear Hug Commence—'Kung Fu Panda 3'". China Film Insider. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- Patrick Brzeski (January 25, 2016). "China Box Office: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Earns Impressive $6.4M in Previews". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- Silvia Wong (January 26, 2016). "China Box Office: 'Star Wars' holds lead; 'Kung Fu Panda 3' previews strongly". Screendaily. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Scott Mendelson (January 29, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' China Box Office: A Huge $16.3M Debut For A Boffo $23.1M Total". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Gets Leg Up On Fierce 1st Quarter & Scores Record January Toon Opening – Monday B.O. Postmortem". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3 Review - IGN". January 27, 2016.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3 Review". Screen Rant. January 29, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- Kenny, Glenn. "Kung Fu Panda 3 Movie Review & Film Summary (2016) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- Chang, Justin (January 16, 2016). "Film Review: 'Kung Fu Panda 3'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- "'Kung Fu Panda 3': EW review". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- "'Kung Fu Panda 3': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. January 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- "Kung Fu Panda 3 – Is the Third Time the Charm for Fat Pandas?". The Escapist. January 30, 2016. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- Mendelson, Scott. "Review: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Is A Merely Good Entry In A Great Franchise". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- Giardina, Carolyn (February 4, 2017). "Annies: Zootopia Wins Big With 6 Awards Including Best Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- "MTV Movie Awards Winners: Complete List". Variety. April 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- "Kids' Choice Awards: The Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. March 11, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- Lee, Ashley (April 8, 2016). "Universal, Fox Top Golden Trailer Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- Nolfi, Joey (May 5, 2016). "2016 Golden Trailer Awards winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- Nakamura, Reid (February 24, 2016). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Leads Saturn Awards Nominees". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- Cohen, David S. (June 23, 2016). "The Force Awakens Rings Up Eight Saturn Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- Dietz, Jason (November 29, 2016). "Best of 2016: Film Awards & Nominations Scorecard". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- Little Orbit (May 4, 2015). "Little Orbit Kicks Off Totally Epic Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends Video Game". PR Newswire iReach. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- Little Orbit (December 1, 2015). "Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends Video Game Launches Today" (Press release). Gamasutra. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- Radish, Christina (January 13, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda 3′: Directors, Producer on Shaping a Worthy Sequel and Po's Future". Collider. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- Wakeman, Gregory (August 2, 2018). "Will there be a 'Kung Fu Panda 4'? Here's what director Jennifer Yuh Nelson told us". Metro. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 12, 2022). "DreamWorks Animation's 'Kung Fu Panda 4' Is Happening; Universal Sets 2024 Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- Giardina, Carolyn (April 26, 2023). "Jack Black, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake Tease 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Trolls' Sequels". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- Pedersen, Erik (April 12, 2018). "New 'Rocky & Bullwinkle', 'Kung Fu Panda' Series From DreamWorks Animation TV Headed To Amazon". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- Motamayor, Rafael (March 16, 2022). "Jack Black To Reprise Role As Po For Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Netflix Series". Slash Film. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.