Why is Kung Fu Panda 4 A Global Success?
A DreamWorks tribute to their most beloved franchises like Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon and, of course, Kung Fu Panda, appears before the latter’s fourth instalment film begins.
Instead of the wonder-eyed, magic-believers hero & heroines of Disney Studio’s filmography, the DreamWorks studio often finds stories in unlikely heroes. In the case of Kung Fu Panda, well, the title says it all. It isn’t Tigress as the lead of the franchise, but the initially clumsy, fluffy and outcasted Panda, just like Hiccup or Shrek, who lived on the edges of society.
Po’s new quest to select a successor of his title as the Dragon Warrior finds a similar vessel of such characteristics in Zhen (voiced by Akwafina) who is initially introduced as a slinking, savvy stealer. We don’t know if the instalments that would later follow would alter the title to Kung Fu Fox, but as it doesn’t ring quite like the original, we hope to assume if there are plans for the next movies, it would still continue to centre on Po as the main character, even if it means his role as the conventional hero has changed to that of a spiritual leader.
The easy way the title evokes the simple premise and idea of the franchise has contributed to its wide commercial appeal. One has to do a little more digging when it comes to hearing the word “Dune”, or “Argylle”, even “Oppenheimer”. But, without a google search, to place or imagine the silliness, senses and look of Kung Fu Panda is easy. I suppose one can’t wonder why mentioning if one’s favourite movie is called Kung Fu Panda, the straightforward cheesiness of that doesn’t sound as intellectually intriguing as does the other titles that also appeared in cinemas this March 2024.
Never mind the animation appeal that captures the comical expressions and intricate details or designs of cities and locations of the story, with just enough hint of transcendental spiritual glow and a variety of art styles to portray our newfound villain.
The same finesse can’t be said for the Netflix series of Kung Fu Panda so, in such a once-in-every-few-years blessing that audiences get bestowed the soul-enriching spectacle from this movie is well worth visiting time and again, especially in times of everyday reality and hastily-made content online.
While the story of Po carries on the trademark set of characters and gags like Skadoosh, or Po’s irksome presence to his master Shifu, and the adaptation Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) as Po’s panda father to the goose Mr Ping (James Hong), the structure of the narrative is still close-ended and whole, and can be watched as a standalone if one hasn’t seen the previous movies. That way, the conclusive ending, although open-ended to what possibilities the next instalments could become, still provides the audience satisfaction with the overall experience, which puts this movie among those that manage to keep the audience happy walking away from the cinema. This deviates from more serious, existential or political stories that dominate the scenes today. With this element of fun, anybody can watch Kung Fu Panda.
Jack Black’s bombastic personality is synonymous with Po’s sense of humour and antics as well as kick for grandeur, of course. His other movies in the previous decade or so have, in some form or another, thrived on music, comedic fight wrestles, and adventures. Some of these Jack Black ingredients of appeal do come into play significantly in the franchise and are well and alive in this fourth instalment.
Sitting atop number five in YouTube music trend ranks, his rendition of …Baby One More Time cover of Britney Spears, as part of his duo band Tenacious D, is a huge factor that exemplifies the allure of Kung Fu Panda, and the buzz around the fourth owes them to Black’s talent and charisma, longstanding and unique career as a veteran senior from 2000s-2010s movies. It’s fitting that a hit song from the 2000s becomes the song optioned to soundtrack the movie’s training montage, a token to remind the internet and fans of it for a time to come beyond the runtime of the cinema.
A scene in the movie featured Po hugging another character in the same vein Tigress embraced Po in the first movie. This echoing familiarity and variation in storyline, characters and quest and ensemble makes a point that proves intellectual property blockbusters are still a force to be reckoned with, an opportunity to update a modern twist to nostalgic materials, to as wide and across all ages an audience as possible.
