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Kung Fu Panda 4 backdrop
Kung Fu Panda 4 poster

Kung Fu Panda 4

“The “Dragon” returns.”

7.0
2024
1h 34m
AnimationFamilyActionComedyAdventureFantasy
Director: Mike Mitchell

Overview

Po is gearing up to become the spiritual leader of his Valley of Peace, but also needs someone to take his place as Dragon Warrior. As such, he will train a new kung fu practitioner for the spot and will encounter a villain called the Chameleon who conjures villains from the past.

Full Plot (Spoilers)

AI-generated full plot summary

In the Valley of Peace, Master Shifu informs Po that he must take the next step in his journey by becoming the Spiritual Leader of the Valley. Po resists the promotion, as he does not want to give up his role as the Dragon Warrior.

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Trailer

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Cast

Reviews

AI-generated review
The Weight of the Next Step

There is a nice little sting in the setup of *Kung Fu Panda 4*. Po, after three movies of tumbling, brawling, and accidentally becoming legendary, is told that the Dragon Warrior chapter is supposed to end. Time to stop fighting and start guiding. Watching him sag at the news, I had the odd feeling the film was quietly describing itself. How long can a franchise keep throwing the same punch before it has to admit it should grow into something else?

Po walking through the Valley of Peace

Mike Mitchell takes over after a long eight-year gap, and you can feel DreamWorks trying to restart a very dependable engine. The movie is still lovely to look at. The colors are rich, the textures warm, and every so often the animation slips into those bold silhouette compositions that remind you this series has real affection for martial-arts cinema. Under the dumpling jokes, the bodies still move with purpose. But there is also a brisk, almost industrial neatness to the storytelling, the kind of efficiency that usually shows up when a studio knows exactly which buttons worked last time.

Po and Zhen facing danger

I'm not convinced the movie earns all the feeling it reaches for. Po's new companion, Zhen, is a thieving corsac fox voiced by Awkwafina, and their chemistry is agreeable enough without ever digging very deep. It does not have the soulful push-and-pull Po shared with Shifu in the original film. M.N. Miller at *InSession Film* was blunt but not wrong when calling it a "pure retread" that is "repackaging ideas, themes, and jokes." The mentor-student road trip is one of animation's oldest hand-me-downs, and you can feel the seams this time.

The Chameleon looking menacing

Then Viola Davis opens her mouth as The Chameleon and suddenly the movie wakes up. Davis turns this tiny, power-hungry lizard into a real threat through sheer vocal heft. After years of watching her carry enormous grief in *Fences* or hard steel in *The Woman King*, hearing that same formidable voice wrapped around a cartoon villain is a delight. She gives the character a weight the design alone doesn't quite supply. One low threat from her and the whole movie sharpens. In the end, *Kung Fu Panda 4* is basically a comfortable, fairly harmless return visit. Maybe it did not need to exist. Still, there are worse ways to spend ninety minutes than hanging around the Valley of Peace again.

Clips (19)

Just say no to crime, kids!

Say Cheese

Kung Fu Papa!

Po is a wanted panda?!

And they said English was simple

We must do as the cat commands

When the anxiety kicks in

You can (maybe) do it!

Po Must Take His Big Next Step - Extended Preview

Po runs into Juniper City's dangerous underworld

Shh!! Sneaking into Chameleon's Fortress

Skadooshes Creepily

I'm only hungry for vengeance! Po & Zhen's Tavern Brawl

Maybe a little too relaxed

Introducing... Zhen

Don't Meditate Before Dinner

Po Saves Village from Giant Stingray

New Year Same Me

Po Catches a Thief in the Hall of Heroes

Featurettes (10)

The Extended Preview Collection

Jack Black and Awkwafina's Perfect Movie Night In

The perfect casting doesn't exi--

Jeremy Lynch Cameo Announcement

'Kung Fu Panda 4' with filmmakers | Academy Conversations

The Slyest Fox in All of China

...Baby One More Time (from Kung Fu Panda 4) by Tenacious D

Quick Hits Jack Black

4 Hour Inner Peace Meditation with Po

Jack Black Recaps Kung Fu Panda 1-3 in 60 Seconds!

Behind the Scenes (6)

Skadoosh or Skablam?

The Kung Fu of Kung Fu Panda 4

Good To Be Back

Skadoosh

Take A Look

Choreography