(Note: This article contains spoilers for ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’)
‘Kung Fu Panda 4‘ was reportedly considered as a live-action/animated hybrid film featuring humans at one point.
Recently, during a Reddit discussion with Stephane Stine, the co-director of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’, u/Mystic3012 revealed the behind-the-scenes creative decisions for the film.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Main Spoilers:
In its early stages, ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ toyed with the idea of mixing live-action and animation, with humans included. Concept art showed a human Chameleon, labeled The Collector, battling Po. It seemed Zhen would also be a human from Hu-man City. Surprisingly, one version had Po stuck in a box for 20 minutes.
Director Mike Mitchell had full control to make things funny, so he and the studio wanted lots of jokes and a fun vibe, similar to the F5’s funny side stories. Jack Black said he’s great at comedy, while Stephanie made sure there were deeper emotions and heartfelt moments too.
Mitchell didn’t want to give a backstory to the Chameleon at first. In the early versions, both the Chameleon and Zhen had no backstory. When the crew finally convinced him to change his mind, it was too late in the animation process to add much except for a few lines for the Chameleon.
The movie’s runtime was decided by the studio because they thought kids couldn’t sit through a longer film, and they wanted to make sure they made as much money as possible.
Lord Shen, General Kai, and the Furious Five were added very last minute, so their animation rigs were rushed and incomplete. This meant they didn’t have much plot importance, like not being properly redeemed, and it made it hard to bring back their original actors. Some crew members wanted them to return, but there were complications. Additionally, actors are paid more for sequels, and just one line from an actor like Jolie could have cost $20 million, making it difficult to include the Furious Five in the film.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ debuts with an 81% audience score and a 72% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, a rating of 6.7/10 on IMDb, and receives an A- on CinemaScore.
After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position. Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.
So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
Directed by Mitchell and produced by Rebecca Huntley. The film features the voice talent of returning stars Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master, Shifu; James Hong as Po’s adoptive father, Mr. Ping; Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li, and Emmy Award nominee Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Shifu’s former student and arch-nemesis. Ke Huy Quan joins the ensemble as a new character, Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ will be available on digital HD platforms on April 9, 2024.
RELATED: ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Budget Trimmed to $85M, Bucks Tradition of $150M Range
