Dec 13, 2023

Director Mike Mitchell credits 8 years between films for "Badass Gopro" effect in first trailer for "Kung Fu Panda 4"

The first trailer for DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 4 was released today.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by DreamWorks native Mike Mitchell ("Trolls," "Shrek Forever After"), co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stein ("She-Ra and the Princesses of Power"), and Produced; scheduled for release March 8, 2024.

This will be the first theatrical feature film for the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise since "Kung Fu Panda 3" in 2016, although several animated series and special features have been produced since then.

In an interview with Cartoon Brew, Mitchell said that waiting was necessary:

We took our time because we wanted to make sure we told the best story ever. I've worked on a lot of franchises, from 'Shrek' to 'Trolls,' and we don't want to move forward unless we know we have an impactful story that evolves the lead character and finds a theme we really believe in."

The eight-year gap between films meant that DreamWorks artists had new toys to play with this time around. According to Mitchell,

the good thing about taking so long is that in that time the technology has gotten better and better and better to do all this bad-ass Gopro stuff. The effect has been incredible.

In the film, the franchise's protagonist Po, also known as the Dragon Warrior, is tasked with taking over as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. As part of the transition, he must find a new warrior to take up the mantle of Dragon Warrior. Complicating the situation, a new shape-shifting villain known as the Chameleon begins to terrorize the area as she tries to obtain Po's wand of wisdom, allowing her to resurrect all the villains previously banished from the Valley by Po.

Ma Stein says that Po's evolution makes sense narratively and is an homage to classic Chinese martial arts films. It was a natural progression.

For Kung Fu Panda 4, Jack Black will once again voice Po, joined by fellow franchise veterans Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane. Newcomers include Viola Davis, Awkwafina, and Ke Huy Quan.

According to Huntley, Kung Fu Panda 4 was one of the most collaborative films the studio has directed. Mike and Stephanie were open to any idea the artists had. Everyone saw things through a different lens, and it was really refreshing and fun to be part of the conversation about the ideas the artists brought to the table. [25] [26] Mitchell agreed, adding:

More than any other film I worked on, I relied not only on the screenwriter and storyboard artists, but also on the animators and effects artists. This film has the thumbprint of all the artists.