Kung Fu Panda has lots of storytelling elements to like in the three films that makes up this fun franchise.
Five years are a long time to wait for the continuation of Po the Panda’s heroic journey. As Kung Fu Panda 3 is knocking it out of the park at the box office, perhaps a few awards will come as result of its steller work in the digital rendering front.
However, some people going to this instalment may well have forgotten some key story points from the previous two movies. They do all tie together very nicely. Po’s rise to Dragon Warrior to self-discovery (realizing who he is) as an individual is very familiar. Much like how baby Moses was found cast adrift and become raised by royalty, the only opposite is that Po is raised in a humble abode by Mr. Ping, a noodle maker and restaurateur.
The virtues instilled upon baby Po as he grew up helped shape part of his personality. While the youth grew to admire the Furious Five, a quintet of Kung Fu masters, little did he know that the fates decided that he would be the chosen one, to become the Dragon Warrior, the most prestigious master of the martial arts who’s also an amalgam of the best in what any individual—human or animal—can represent.
In this series, all the styles of Kung Fu represented in the animals presented. Oogway is a turtle and Shifu (the chinese name for master) is a red panda. The other masters named include Croc, Ox and Rhino. More animals were added in Kung Fu Panda 3. Throughout the series, Tiggress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, Crane have yet to achieve their final ranking, and as this third film points out, Oogway is set to retire, ready to pass on his title to Po.
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