Kung Fu Panda has become one of the most iconic animated series of all time. Although targeted at children, the films have found a huge viewership among adults. This is not surprising considering just how good the films are. Perfectly balancing comedy and story, they have created a world like no other. Not only does it have deeply fascinating power structures and dynamics, but it is one of the most beautiful worlds in animation.
The third film from the franchise was released in 2016. When it was announced that a fourth part would be coming out, eight years after the previous one, many expected it to be a flop. However, fans cannot seem to get enough of these characters and the world.
This raises the question of whether will there be a fifth part to the series. The director of the fourth film has the perfect answer. One that will catch many viewers by surprise.
Kung Fu Panda 5 Will Not Have Po At Its Center
As the name suggests, the Kung Fu Panda films follow the story of Po, a panda who has been forced to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders, being given the title of Dragan Warrior of Kung Fu despite only being a noodle maker.
The stories across the films follow the character as he understands and accepts the role that has been given, all the while looking back into aspects of his past. He is the protagonist, voiced by Jack Black, who does an excellent job of giving one of the most heartwarming personalities.
This is why it is extremely interesting to find out that the director of the fourth film, Mike Mitchell, does not want Po to be the protagonist of the fifth film. Speaking with The Direct, he revealed that for Kung Fu Panda 5, he wishes to change the focus from the Panda to those who have been by his side every step of the way.
Mitchell revealed that he wants the movie to have the Furious Five at its center. The Furious Five are the students of Master Shifu and consist of Crane, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Tigress. They helped Po learn not only Kung Fu but also many great lessons of life. While such an approach is not surprising, it is what the director says next which truly shocking.
Kung Fu Panda 5 Will Take A Page Out Of James Cameron’s Book
Mike Mitchell talked more about what the fifth film would be about, revealing that Kung Fu Panda 3 gave him the inspiration for what he was going to do with the next part. In the movie, there is a scene where a Master Dolphin is mentioned, which makes the director realize that there is an entire underwater realm that has not been explored in this world.
“This is my very strange, weird, nerdy wish. But in ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’, which I executive produced, A guy came up with a gag, and it’s in the film, where Po–We always go to the Hall of Heroes with Po and look around, and I loved the little taste of like, previous Masters that Po always geeks out on.”
“Po looked up, and hanging on the wall, he’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Master Dolphin’s armor, and you see this Dolphin armor that’s hanging up on the wall. And that just blew my mind. I was like, ‘There’s a whole underwater world for Kung Fu Panda?'”” said Mitchell.
Taking inspiration from that, much like James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of the Water, the fifth part of the franchise will follow an underwater world. The director believes there to be animals and fish in the oceans who know how to fight using Kung Fu.
“Is there an ocean with, you know, animals that are fighting kung fu? And so that’s really what led us to the idea of Ronny Chieng as the fish inside the pelican’s mouth… So that came from that.”
“And then our Stingray fight at the beginning came from that Master Dolphin armor joke that was just a random storyboard joke… And so I always think, what’s it like in an ocean in a ‘Kung Fu Panda’ world, but I don’t know if that’s possible.”
He took a lot of inspiration from this concept for the fourth film as well, however, he wants to make a movie that solely focuses on the protagonists exploring an underwater kingdom that he believes to exist. The concept certainly sounds extremely interesting and could work very well among audiences.
