Remember when this franchise took a left turn down a serious and emotional alley in the second film? Well, DreamWorks certainly didn't turn around on this one. The character of Li Shan, Po's father, is a central presence, and might possibly be the most sympathetic character in all of Kung Fu Panda. From what we saw in the second film, he was a loving father and husband who was fiercely protective of his family when threatened, and he is re-introduced as a gentle soul who wants only to be with his son. But like any of us, he isn't perfect, as well-intentioned as he may be. Which is why I'm also glad Mr. Ping got a bigger role in this film, as he is a perfect foil to Li Shan. There are some very heartfelt moments between them and Po that brings depth to the family dynamic, and it's all the better to see that the Dragon Warrior loves both his dads very much.
I would have liked to see the Furious Five play a more important part in this movie; although we've pretty much seen all there is to see about their abilities in the previous two films, I couldn't help but feel that the writers were a little too eager to move them out of the way in favor of the new characters. But I do think having Tigress as the lone "survivor" to help Po was a nice touch, as we glimpsed the strength of their friendship in the second movie, but this film certainly brought it out in full.
While Kai may be something of a run-of-the-mill villain, there's no denying that he's gorgeously animated, perhaps on par with the showy and elegant Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2. Still, the "frustrated famous character who no one remembers as famous" joke (or as I like to call it, "Star-Lord syndrome") feels like a retread from countless other movies. But it is a movie for kids, so I can't really hold that against DreamWorks.
Some of these shortcomings would be detrimental to most movies, but nonetheless I think Kung Fu Panda 3 has pulled its weight fairly well (pun intended?). The majority of the film has been otherwise interesting, visually appealing, downright emotional at times, and of course funny. While it's hard to measure up to the bar that was set by the previous movie's tear-jerking third act, Kung Fu Panda 3 concludes the trilogy (unless the studio REALLY wants to make three more) on a satisfying note.
Source: http://www.kungfupanda3film.com/
I would have liked to see the Furious Five play a more important part in this movie; although we've pretty much seen all there is to see about their abilities in the previous two films, I couldn't help but feel that the writers were a little too eager to move them out of the way in favor of the new characters. But I do think having Tigress as the lone "survivor" to help Po was a nice touch, as we glimpsed the strength of their friendship in the second movie, but this film certainly brought it out in full.
While Kai may be something of a run-of-the-mill villain, there's no denying that he's gorgeously animated, perhaps on par with the showy and elegant Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2. Still, the "frustrated famous character who no one remembers as famous" joke (or as I like to call it, "Star-Lord syndrome") feels like a retread from countless other movies. But it is a movie for kids, so I can't really hold that against DreamWorks.
Some of these shortcomings would be detrimental to most movies, but nonetheless I think Kung Fu Panda 3 has pulled its weight fairly well (pun intended?). The majority of the film has been otherwise interesting, visually appealing, downright emotional at times, and of course funny. While it's hard to measure up to the bar that was set by the previous movie's tear-jerking third act, Kung Fu Panda 3 concludes the trilogy (unless the studio REALLY wants to make three more) on a satisfying note.
Source: http://www.kungfupanda3film.com/