It has been a few years since the Kung Fu Panda franchise has been on screens (big screens, at least — the TV 'toons have somewhat filled the gap). But DreamWorks Animation loves to keep those franchises rolling, so here we are with Kung Fu Panda 4, which sees the return of Jack Black's butt-kicking, food-loving panda Po, now facing yet another threat. See the first trailer below…
After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior, is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.
That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.
Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.
So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
Much of the voice cast is back from the previous movies, while Ke Huy Quan finds another genre world to conquer by joining the ensemble as Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves.
Kung Fu Panda 4 will be in cinemas on 28 March.