''Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'' (also referred to simply as ''Kung Fu Panda'') is an American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

television comedy series spun off from

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...

's ''

Kung Fu Panda films Kung or Küng may refer to: * ǃKung people * ǃKung language * Kung (Haida village), an historical village of the Haida people of the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia, Canada; also Kung Indian Reserve No. 11 at the same location * Kung ...

''. It serves as a bridge between the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and second films, showing Po's training to becoming a successful Dragon Warrior, whereas the second series is, according to the series' developer Peter Hastings, "not unlike a very long, super-deluxe 3-D version of one of our episodes". The series was originally set to air on Nickelodeon in 2010, but it was pushed back to 2011 instead. The series premiered with a special preview on September 19, 2011, and began airing regularly on November 7. Three seasons were produced. Airing ceased in the United States partway through season 3. Before finishing up in the United States, all the episodes aired already in other countries, for example on Nicktoons in Germany from 2014–2015 and then on YTV in Canada from 2015–2016. In 2016 Nicktoons in the United States began running ads announcing the airing of new episodes; it was subsequently revealed that five of the ten unaired episodes would play from February 15 through February 19. As a result, the final episode aired on June 29, 2016. Besides Lucy Liu and

James Hong James Hong (; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 20 ...

, who reprise their film roles as Viper and Mr Ping, the cast features new voice actors for the characters of Po ( Mick Wingert), Master Shifu ( Fred Tatasciore), Tigress ( Kari Wahlgren), Crane (

Amir Talai The Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after Inauguration of Donald Trump, the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. It was prompted by Trump's policy positions and rhetoric, which protesters called Misog ...

), Monkey ( James Sie), and Mantis (Max Koch). Netflix commissioned a successor series, titled ''Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'', in 2022. Peter Hastings, the developer of ''Legends of Awesomeness'', returned as an executive producer. Unlike the said show, however,

Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...

will reprise his role as Po from the films.

Synopsis

Po and the Furious Five defend the Valley of Peace from villains of different kinds. All the while, Po makes mistakes, learns lessons, learns more about the history of kung fu, and meets other famous kung fu masters.

Episodes

Voice cast

* Mick Wingert as Po * Fred Tatasciore as Shifu * Kari Wahlgren as Tigress * Lucy Liu as Viper *

as Crane * James Sie as Monkey * Max Koch as Mantis *

as Mr. Ping

Development

The series was DreamWorks Animation's second co-production with Nickelodeon. The two companies previously partnered on '' The Penguins of Madagascar''. The show's musical score is done by the Track Team, most Chinese musical instruments including erhu, zhonghu, gaohu, bawu, hulusi, xiao, dizi, guqin, sanxian, suona, guanzi, xunetc. by well-known multi-instrumentalist Hong Wang. In addition, Sifu Kisu was the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

consultant for the show as he was on the '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' series.

Media

''Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'' took part in Nickelodeon's revamp to their cartoon season on TV. As an early promotion, Po was featured in a Nickelodeon bumper alongside other characters. On July 23, an exclusive sneak peek of the show was shown at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, with producers and members of the voice cast present at the panel. A sneak peek episode was released for the DVD / Blu-ray release for '' Kung Fu Panda 2'' on December 13, 2011. In addition, two sneak preview episodes aired (one on September 19, 2011 and another on October 21, 2011) before the official premiere of the show. In June 2018, it was announced that the series will stream on

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

Other dubbed versions

In 2021, Bangladeshi television channel Duronto started to broadcast a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

dubbed version of this show as part of the channel's 15th season.

Critical reception

Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times called ''Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'' "a show that won't drive every adult in earshot absolutely crazy. And these days, that's saying something." Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club said that the show "rips out the elements that made the original film such a surprise, leaving behind a derivative, cliché-laden children's show that recycles moral platitudes adequately but is otherwise indistinguishable from countless other programs" and "isn't a show that's aiming to be cutting edge or original, just mildly entertaining, which it is....This isn't going to harm any kids, but it's not going to impress them either." Despite the mixed reviews, the show has received four Emmy Awards and nominated for four Annie Awards.

Awards and nominations

Home media

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness 2011 American television series debuts 2016 American television series endings 2010s American animated television series 2010s Nickelodeon original programming Animated television shows based on films American animated television spin-offs American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American computer-animated television series Anime-influenced Western animated television series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners English-language television shows Interquel television series Kung Fu Panda television series Martial arts television series Nicktoons Television series about pandas Television series set in Ancient China Television series by DreamWorks Animation