Yesterday we went to see Twentieth Century Fox’s Kung Fu Panda 3. As it was Mother’s Day in the UK that meant it was a whole family affair (with my sons ages 6, 8, 12 and 19, my husband and I).
Kung Fu Panda 3 Plot
When Oogway’s (Randall Duk Kim) old arch enemy Kai (BAFTA and Golden Globe Award winner J.K. Simmons) comes back from the spirit world, 500 years after he was banished there, he wants to take everyone’s Chi (the special power energy within). Once he is able to take Oogway’s Chi he is able to return back to the mortal realm to take all the Kung Fu Master’s Chi too.
Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) says that it is now the time for Po (Jack Black) to be the teacher: That he is going to learn how to control his Chi. Po is terrible at being a teacher and everyone is talking about him, he just wants to give up. In the meantime Po is reunited with his real Father Li (Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston) and learns that there is a secret panda village – with lots of characters who are all different, but all like Po.
In turns out that Kai used to be a good friend of Oogway’s who actually saved him by carrying him to the Panda Paradise – where the Panda’s gave Oogway Chi. This is why Oogway chose Po as the Dragon Warrior. But Kai saw that if you can give Chi then you can take it too, so he did. Oogway did not like this saying that Kai could not see that the more you take, the less you have; and so that is when he banished him to the spirit world.
Li convinces Po that he must return to the Panda village to learn what it means to be a panda, in order to learn how to give Chi, and save everyone. Po returns and tries to teach all the Pandas an important lesson of not trying to be someone else, but instead to focus on what is good about themselves.
Thoughts of Kung Fu Panda 3
We all really enjoyed it and laughed so much – it is clear to see why Kung Fu Panda 3 is set to be the biggest comedy adventure yet. I like how the film is a stand-alone film – with it making perfect sense even if you have never seen Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, but that it also continues on the adventures of Po.
It also has a lot of great moral messages and words of advice: Such as the acceptance of Po as the Dragon Warrior and their master by the others; particularly Tigress (Angelina Jolie) who went to find Po to tell him that he must save them all. And that of losing a child (and finding them again), of lies and acceptance; of sharing and co-operation. I think the film is good to show that you don’t have to be great at everything to be successful. It is well animated, written and I think the addition of the song Kung Fu Fighting really added to the feel good factor of the film.
The UK Premier of Twentieth Century Fox’s Kung Fu Panda 3
Took place yesterday at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London.
In attendance from the film were: Jack Black, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Alessandro Carloni, Glenn Berger, Jeffrey Katzenberg and The Vamps.
Red Carpet Pandas: Izzy, 11, from Alleyn’s Junior School in Dulwich, south east London, met Po the panda at the London film premiere of ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’, when she won the WWF and DreamWorks Animation ‘design a panda’ competition. The film is on in cinemas from 11 March. 
Kung Fu Panda 3 is set to be the biggest comedy adventure yet from one of the most successful animated franchises in the world, and will be released across cinemas in the UK and Ireland this Friday.
Reprising their roles are Jack Black as Po, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogan as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper, David Cross as Crane, and James Hong as Mr. Ping. Joining them is an all-star voice cast, including Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Kate Hudson as Mei Mei, four-time Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston as Li, and Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award winner J.K. Simmons as Kai.