“Kung Fu Panda 4” continues the adventures of Po, the Dragon Warrior, who is now chosen as the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. The movie introduces new characters like Zhen, a fox, and the villainous Chameleon, a shape-shifting sorceress. Critics note that the film lacks the artistry and wit of its predecessors, focusing more on younger audiences with frantic action sequences and puns. While the visuals are praised, the pacing is criticized for being rushed, missing the depth and spiritual elements that characterized the earlier films. The movie is seen as the weakest in the franchise, with a storyline that struggles to justify its existence and falls short in comparison to the previous installments
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine, written by Darren Lemke and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and produced by Rebecca Huntley. It features Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane reprising their roles from the previous films, with Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis joining the cast as new characters. In the film, Po (Black), who must find and train his successor as the new Dragon Warrior, teams up with fox bandit Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat the evil sorceress, the Chameleon (Davis).
Directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni were asked about the possibility of a fourth Kung Fu Panda film before the release of the third film in January 2016, with Nelson later saying in August 2018 that she was open to a fourth installment. DreamWorks officially announced the fourth film in August 2022, with Mitchell, Ma Stine, and Huntley attached as director, co-director, and producer, respectively, by April 2023. Most of the main voice cast, along with the return of Aibel and Berger as writers and co-producers, was announced in December 2023, following Awkwafina’s casting in May of that year. Composer Hans Zimmer, who had scored for the previous three installments, the first two with John Powell and the third alone, returned as composer alongside frequent collaborator Steve Mazzaro. Some additional production assets were borrowed from Jellyfish Pictures.
Kung Fu Panda 4 premiered at the AMC 14 Theater at The Grove in Los Angeles on March 3, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 8. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $179 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of 2024.
Plot
Po helps his adoptive father, Mr. Ping, and biological father Li Shan, to open their new restaurant as Master Shifu arrives to tell him that he must advance and become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. This means Po can no longer be the Dragon Warrior and must find a suitable candidate to take his place.
Po struggles to choose the right candidate, but then he catches a fox bandit named Zhen trying to steal ancient weapons. He sends her to prison, but he soon learns that Tai Lung has returned and destroyed an entire village. Zhen reveals that Tai Lung’s return was masqueraded by the Chameleon, a powerful sorceress who can shape-shift into any animal she wants.
Po heads to Juniper City with Zhen to take down the Chameleon. However, they are arrested and eventually escape to the Den of Thieves. From there, Po and Zhen head to the Chameleon’s lair. Po is captured, but Zhen doesn’t help and takes Po’s staff instead. She has been working for the Chameleon all along and gives the Chameleon Po’s staff, which has the power to bridge the gap through the Spirit Realm. The Chameleon uses the staff to summon every martial arts master to steal their kung fu, including Tai Lung, Lord Shen and General Kai.
Po reunites with his fathers, who encourage him to stop the Chameleon. He reunites with a remorseful Zhen, who convinces the Den of Thieves to help her rescue Po. As the villagers battle the Chameleon’s lizard army, Po fights the Chameleon. Zhen intervenes, but the Chameleon turns into a Chimaera of several of the masters, and the trio fight. The Chameleon then turns into a Po clone, fights Po and soon traps him in a cage. Putting his trust in Zhen, Po gives her the Staff of Wisdom, with which she bests the Chameleon. Po, who was only pretending to be trapped, defeats the Chameleon using the staff and returns all of the stolen kung fu skills to their owners, who return to the Spirit Realm, taking the Chameleon with them.
Back at the Valley of Peace, Po decides to choose Zhen as his successor. Confident of his choice, Po and the Furious Five help train Zhen to become the next Dragon Warrior.
