''Kung Fu Panda 3 '' is a 2016 animated
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
produced by
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...
,
China Film Group Corporation
China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) is the largest, most influential film enterprise in the People's Republic of China, owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. According to ''Forbes'', it is a state monopoly ...
,
Oriental DreamWorks and Zhong Ming You Ying Film, and formerly distributed by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
. It is the third installment in the
''Kung Fu Panda'' franchise and the sequel to ''
Kung Fu Panda 2
''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge ...
'' (2011). The film was directed by
Jennifer Yuh Nelson and
Alessandro Carloni and written by the writing team of
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
,
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
,
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu (; born December 2, 1968) is an American actress, producer, and artist. Widely regarded as a trailblazer for Asian Americans in arts and entertainment, Asian American representation in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, she is t ...
,
Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
,
David Cross,
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
,
James Hong
James Hong (born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. Known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time, he has worked in over 400 productions in U.S. media since the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s. ...
,
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
and
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
all reprise their roles from the previous films, and
Randall Duk Kim
Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American actor. On stage, he is known both for his extensive classical repertoire and as an interpreter of the works of playwright Frank Chin. He is the co-founder of the American Players Theatre. ...
reprising his role of Oogway from the
first film with Liam Knight returning in a different role. They are joined by
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
(replacing
Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
, who went on to voice Master Bear),
J. K. Simmons and
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...
as new characters. 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 General Kai, a spirit warrior intent on destroying Master Oogway's legacy. The film is dedicated to the memory of
Nancy Bernstein, who served as Head of Production at DreamWorks Animation, and died on September 18, 2015.
''Kung Fu Panda 3'' premiered at the
TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 16, 2016.
It received a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in China on January 23, for a sneak preview, and was released in the United States on January 29, in
3D. It grossed $521 million worldwide against its $145 million budget, becoming the second-highest-grossing film released in the month of January (behind ''
American Sniper
''American Sniper'' is a 2014 American Biographical film, biographical War film, war drama film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and written and executive-produced by Jason Hall (screenwriter), Jason Hall, based on the memoir American ...
''). The film received generally positive reviews with the
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
critical consensus praising the visuals and narrative.
[ The franchise's second ]sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
, '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny'', aired on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
from November 16, 2018, to July 4, 2019. It was followed by a third animated series, '' Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'', which began airing on Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in July 2022 and features Black reprising his role as Po. A fourth film, '' Kung Fu Panda 4'', was theatrically released on March 8, 2024.
Plot
In the Spirit Realm, Master Oogway fights General Kai, a spirit bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...
who has stolen the chi from all the other deceased kung fu
Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
masters. He steals Oogway's chi, but not before Oogway warns Kai that someone is destined to stop him. Kai uses the stolen chi to return to the Mortal Realm and is enraged to find he has been forgotten from history.
Meanwhile, Master Shifu
The following is a list of characters from the DreamWorks animated film media franchise '' Kung Fu Panda''. The franchise includes four films ('' Kung Fu Panda'', '' Kung Fu Panda 2'', '' Kung Fu Panda 3'', and '' Kung Fu Panda 4''), a series of ...
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 to teach more like himself and less like Shifu. Disheartened, Po returns home, where he meets Li Shan, a panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...
who received a message from the universe that his son was alive. Both quickly realize Li is Po's biological father and they immediately bond, much to the dismay and jealousy of Po's adoptive father, Mr. Ping.
After introducing Li to Shifu and the Five, Po and the Five defend the Valley of Peace from Kai's jade
Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
zombies, the remains of the kung fu masters who had their chi stolen. The group learns that Kai and Oogway were once brothers-in-arms, and that Kai saved Oogway's life by taking him to a secret panda village after he was injured in battle. The pandas taught Oogway to give chi, but Kai learned to take chi from others for his own personal gain, forcing Oogway to banish him to the Spirit Realm. Li offers to take Po to the village to learn chi so he can defeat Kai, while Shifu and the Five prepare to protect the Valley. Mr. Ping travels with Po, hoping to drive a wedge between him and Li. At the village, Li tells Po he will teach him chi once he has learned to live like a panda.
Intent on erasing Oogway's legacy, Kai destroys the Jade Palace and steals the chi of every living kung fu master, including Shifu, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and Viper, and turns them into jade zombies, while Tigress escapes, tracks down Po and tells him what happened. When Po demands that Li teach him how to use chi immediately, Li confesses that he lied about knowing it out of fear of losing him again. Hurt by Li's misdirection, Po disowns him and trains alone to defeat Kai. Mr. Ping sympathizes with Li and assures him that Po will forgive him. While training, Po tells Tigress that he hopes to get close enough to Kai to put him in a Wuxi Finger Hold and send him back to the Spirit Realm. Li, Mr. Ping and the pandas ask Po to teach them kung fu so they can defeat Kai together. Realizing what earlier made him fail when attempting to teach, Po trains them not to imitate his kung fu, but instead to use their everyday activities as kung fu skills. Between training sessions, Po and Li reconcile.
Kai arrives with his jade zombies and attacks the village. Po's students fight them, distracting Kai long enough for Po to use the Wuxi Finger Hold on him. However, Kai reveals that the technique works only on mortals, not on spirit warriors like himself, then overpowers Po. To save the others, Po uses a trick from Shifu, grabs Kai and executes the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself, banishing them both to the Spirit Realm. Enraged, Kai furiously attacks Po and begins to steal his chi and turn him into a jade zombie. In the Mortal Realm, Li leads the others to give their chi to Po in the Spirit Realm, rejuvenating him and empowering his chi. As they fight, Po overloads Kai with excessive chi, returning the kung fu masters to normal and restoring their chi.
Po encounters Oogway, who reveals that he sent the message to Li, and explains that he chose Po as the Dragon Warrior because, as a panda, he had the potential to become a master of both kung fu and chi. Oogway proudly names Po his successor and gives him his mystic staff, which Po uses to return to the Mortal Realm. After happily reuniting with the others and his fathers, Po takes on his new role at the restored Jade Palace, where he celebrates Kai's death by training the pandas and the residents of the Valley in kung fu and chi.
Voice cast
* Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
as Po, the panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
and the Dragon Warrior.
* J. K. Simmons as General Kai, a chi-stealing zebu
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...
spirit warrior and former friend of Oogway.
* Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
as Li Shan, Po's biological father. Cranston replaces Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
, who had briefly voiced Li Shan in ''Kung Fu Panda 2
''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge ...
''.
* James Hong
James Hong (born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. Known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time, he has worked in over 400 productions in U.S. media since the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s. ...
as Mr. Ping, Po's adoptive Chinese goose father.
* Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
as Master Tigress, a South China tiger
* Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
as Master Shifu, a red panda
The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...
and Po’s master.
* Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
as Master Monkey, a golden snub-nosed monkey
* Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
as Master Mantis, a Chinese mantis
* David Cross as Master Crane, a red-crowned crane
The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown (anatomy), crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian Crane (bird), crane among the ...
* Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu (; born December 2, 1968) is an American actress, producer, and artist. Widely regarded as a trailblazer for Asian Americans in arts and entertainment, Asian American representation in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, she is t ...
as Master Viper, a green tree-viper
* Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...
as Mei Mei, a ribbon dancing panda.
* Randall Duk Kim
Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American actor. On stage, he is known both for his extensive classical repertoire and as an interpreter of the works of playwright Frank Chin. He is the co-founder of the American Players Theatre. ...
as Grand Master Oogway, a tortoise
Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...
and former friend of Kai.
* Steele Gagnon as Bao, a panda cub.
* Liam Knight as Lei Lei, a panda cub. Knight previously voiced Baby Po in ''Kung Fu Panda 2
''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge ...
''.
* Wayne Knight
Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996� ...
as Big Fun, Hom-Lee
* Barbara Dirikson as Grandma Panda
* Willie Geist as Sum
* Al Roker as Dim
* Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
as Master Croc
* Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
as Master Bear. Tatasciore previously voiced Li Shan in ''Kung Fu Panda 2
''Kung Fu Panda 2'' is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge ...
'' and Master Shifu in the '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'' animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
.
* Stephen Kearin as Master Chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
* Pax Jolie-Pitt as Yoo
* Knox Jolie-Pitt as Ku Ku
* 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
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
, further reprising the role after ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' in the direct spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
animated series '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny''.
Production
Development
In 2010, DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...
(DWA) CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg ( ; born December 21, 1950) is an American media proprietor and film producer. He served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, a position in which he oversaw production and busin ...
announced that the ''Kung Fu Panda
''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'' franchise was planned to have six movies, or "chapters", altogether. In July 2012, ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' was officially confirmed by Bill Damaschke, DWA's chief creative officer.
The film is a co-production between DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks, a Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
-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. This was the first time that any major American animated feature film had been co-produced with a Chinese firm. The filmmakers worked closely with SAPPRFT to ensure the film's release in China. 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. 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.
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
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
as executive producer. 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 be completed in a timely manner.
On April 9, 2013, DreamWorks Animation announced that Rebel Wilson
Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson (born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds; 2 March 1980) is an Australian actress, comedian and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing in the SBS comedy ser ...
, Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
and Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...
had joined the cast. By April 2015, J. K. Simmons had replaced Mikkelsen, whose character had been rewritten. Five months later, Wilson was replaced by Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...
due to an extended production schedule. The studio had to reanimate previously completed scenes to reflect Hudson's interpretation of the character.
The film's antagonist, General Kai, is the first supernatural villain of the ''Kung Fu Panda'' film series. Described by del Toro as "the most formidable villain yet", the creators wanted him to stand apart from his predecessors. 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."
Music
On July 25, 2014, it was announced that Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...
, who co-scored the first two ''Kung Fu Panda'' movies with John Powell, would return to score the film. 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
Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with major orchestras around the world and appeared at many leading concert halls. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Phi ...
, Chinese cellist Jian Wang, ''erhu
The (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, that is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-stringed fiddle''. It is used as a solo instrument as ...
'' musician Guo Gan, Chinese pipa
The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...
player Wu Man, Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou
Jay Chou Chieh-lun ( zh, s=周杰伦, t=周杰倫, first=t, p=Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman. Regarded as one of the most influential artists in the Chinese-speaking worl ...
, and Canadian-Taiwanese singer Patrick Brasca, who, with Chou, performs the main theme, "Try", in the end credits.
The soundtrack album was released January 29, 2016, on Sony Classical
Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...
. Powell did not return for the third installment, but, despite this, most of the themes on which he collaborated with Zimmer were worked into the score. Many themes from the score contain portions of the garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
song, " I'm So Sorry", by the American pop-rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
band, Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons are an American pop rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band currently consists of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee. They first gained exposure with the release of ...
. 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
Lorne Balfe (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish composer of film, television and video game scores.
A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, Balfe's scoring credits include the films '' Megamind'', ''Penguins of Madagascar'', ...
, and Paul Mounsey. The orchestrator for the ethnic instruments overdub sessions was Derrick Werlé.
Release
Theatrical
In September 2012, it was announced that ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' would be released on March 18, 2016. On April 9, 2013, the film's release date was moved up to December 23, 2015. In December 2014, the film was delayed to its original release date of March 18, 2016, to avoid competition with '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. In April 2015, the release date was again brought forward, this time to January 29, 2016. AMC Theatres
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (doing business as AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC) is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered ...
partnered with Fox and DreamWorks Animation to play the movie in Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
at seven theaters, and in Spanish at 14 locations in the U.S and Canada, creating a mix of subtitled and dubbed formats of ''Kung Fu Panda 3''. This marked the first time that AMC presented a major theatrical release in Mandarin. The film had a day-and-date release in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
, Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
and China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
on January 28, and in the U.S. and Canada on January 29. Other markets followed in March and April. According to ''Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'', the strategy behind such a staggered release was to take advantage of certain opportunistic dates that presented themselves, such as the Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...
in February for China.
Home media
The film was released on Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on June 28, 2016. On June 6, 2024, it was announced that ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' was released on Peacock on June 26, 2024.
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; it is the lowest-grossing film in the series. 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.
In the United States and Canada, early speculation anticipated that the film would open to about $40–45 million from 3,955 theaters, with Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon.
History
Brandon Gray ...
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 first film's $60.2 million opening in 2008. However, DreamWorks Animation and Fox gave a more conservative estimate of a "mid-$40 million" opening. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Rentrak
Rentrak Corporation is a global media measurement and research company serving the entertainment industry. Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, US, with additional offices in the United States and around the world.
In February 2016, co ...
, said that 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". On January 27, two days before the film's release, Fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
reported that ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' was the top advance-ticket seller for the weekend, outperforming previous DreamWorks Animation films, ''Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
'' and ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', at the same point in their sale cycles. Box-office pundits also noted that the film did not 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''; all were expected to gross close to $10 million.
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. The film continued to top the North American box office during its second weekend, grossing $21.2 million.
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 3s opening in China ranged from $35 million to $50 million. 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 — it had earned $153 million at the box office in 2015 — because ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' had the advantages of opening a week before the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
, as well as debuting during the school holidays in the Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar ye ...
"blackout" period that prohibits the release of foreign films; it therefore did not face competition from major Hollywood productions.
The film had a limited theatrical release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in China 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, topping the daily box-office charts. Buoyed by word of mouth
Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
, the film had a single-day opening of $16.3 million, the biggest of 2016 to that point, 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.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds a approval rating of 87%, based on 179 reviews, with 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." On Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
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". Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers.
...
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." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded ''Kung Fu Panda 3'' three stars out of four, 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".
Justin Chang
Justin Choigee Chang is an American film critic and columnist currently working at ''The New Yorker''. He previously worked for '' Variety'' and for ''Los Angeles Times''. His 2023 reviews at the ''Times'' won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Critici ...
of '' Variety'' gave a positive review, saying that "a winning lightness of touch prevails in this delightful continuation of the durable DreamWorks franchise".
Christian Holub of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' 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".
Michael Rechtshaffen of ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote, "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."
Marter Parkinson of '' The Escapist'' gave the film three stars out of five, 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", as well as "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".
''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' 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".
Accolades
Unlike its predecessors, this is the first Kung Fu Panda film not to be nominated for an Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
. 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. Jack Black was nominated for Best Virtual Performance at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, and Most Wanted Pet at the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards. The film was also nominated at the Golden Trailer Awards
The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in 10 ...
for Best Animation/Family TV Spot, and the British Academy Children's Awards for Kid's Vote — Film. It earned a pair of nominations for Best Animated Film from the Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...
and the Georgia Film Critics Association Awards.
Video game
''Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends'' is a fighting video game that features characters from all three ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. Developed by Vicious Cycle Software
Vicious Cycle Software was an American video game developer, video game development company based in Morrisville, North Carolina.
History
Vicious Cycle was founded in 2000 by Eric Peterson, Dave Ellis (game designer), Dave Ellis, Marc Racine, a ...
, and published by Little Orbit, the game was released December 1, 2015, for Microsoft Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
, PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
, Nintendo 3DS
The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
, Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
. The Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
version was released December 15, 2015.
Future
Sequel
On December 3, 2010, then-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. On January 13, 2016, Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
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." 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.
On August 12, 2022, DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed that ''Kung Fu Panda 4'' was in production and set to be released on March 8, 2024.
In April 2023, during CinemaCon, it was announced that director Mike Mitchell will direct the film, with Stephanie Ma Stine as a co-director and Rebecca Huntley as a producer. Black revealed the story, which follows Po trying to find a new Dragon Warrior in a fox named Zhen while facing a new villain, the Chameleon, who can bring back to life deceased villains like Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai.
On December 12, 2023, it was announced that Awkwafina
Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina (), is an American actress, comedian and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...
, Viola Davis
Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...
and Ke Huy Quan
Ke Huy Quan ( ; ; born August 20, 1971), also known as Jonathan Ke Quan, is an American actor. List of awards and nominations received by Ke Huy Quan, His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.
Born in Vietnam, Quan immig ...
would join the cast, playing Zhen, Chameleon and Han, respectively. It was also announced that Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Bryan Cranston and James Hong would reprise their roles from the previous films.
Television series
On April 12, 2018, a spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
animated series of ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', titled '' Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny'', received a 26-episode order from Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
. Airing across two 13-episode seasons, respectively released in their entireties November 16, 2018, and July 4, 2019, the series follows Po (voiced by Mick Wingert, reprising his role from the 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, rendering them the only ones able to save the world from an impending evil with their newfound kung fu powers.
On March 16, 2022, during National Panda Day, it was announced that another ''Kung Fu Panda'' animated series, set after ''Kung Fu Panda 3'', and titled '' Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'', would premiere on Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in July 2022, with Jack Black reprising his role as Po. The series follows Po as he must leave his home to embark on a globetrotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered with a no-nonsense English knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
known as the Wandering Blade.
Notes
References
External links
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{{Authority control
2010s English-language films
2010s Mandarin-language films
2010s martial arts comedy films
2016 3D films
2016 action comedy films
2016 American animated films
2016 computer-animated films
2016 martial arts films
20th Century Fox animated films
3D animated films
American 3D films
American action comedy films
American computer-animated films
American martial arts comedy films
American sequel films
Animated films about father–son relationships
Animated films about talking animals
Animated films set in China
DreamWorks Animation films
English-language action comedy films
English-language Chinese films
Films directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Films scored by Hans Zimmer
Films with screenplays by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
IMAX films
Kung fu films
Kung Fu Panda films
Wuxia films