Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently featured in training scenes and other sequences in addition to fights. Martial arts films commonly include hand-to-hand combat along with other types of action, such as stuntwork , chases, and gunfights . Sub-genres of martial arts films include kung fu films , wuxia , karate films, and martial arts action comedy films, while related genres include gun fu , jidaigeki and samurai films .
79-399: Kung Fu Panda is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film Kung Fu Panda produced by DreamWorks Animation . Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily voiced by Jack Black and Mick Wingert ), a giant panda who is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master of kung fu ,
158-616: A Kung Fu Panda themed area titled Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness , which opened alongside the park in September 2021. Universal Studios Florida 's DreamWorks Land will include the play area "Po's Kung Fu Training Camp" and the digital meet-and-greet titled "Po Live!". Martial arts film Notable actors who have contributed to the genre include Zhang Ziyi , Tony Jaa , Bruce Lee , Jean-Claude Van Damme , Jet Li , Toshiro Mifune , Donnie Yen , Jackie Chan , Michelle Yeoh , and Sammo Hung . The first ever martial arts film
237-485: A television special , Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010), have also been produced. The franchise's first two features were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as numerous Annie Awards , the first television series won 11 Emmy Awards and the third television series won two Emmy Awards . All four films were critical and commercial successes, grossing over $ 2 billion overall, making it
316-506: A tie-in to the theatrical run of Kung Fu Panda 3 . Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny is the second Kung Fu Panda animated series, set after the events of Kung Fu Panda 3 . Across 26 episodes produced by DreamWorks Animation Television with Amazon Studios and ordered, and aired by Amazon Prime Video , the series was released in its 13-episode first season's first part on November 16, 2018, and its 13-episode first season's second and final part on July 4, 2019. The series follows Po on
395-656: A fresh adventure, mentoring four young pandas (Nu Hai, Jing, Bao and Fan Tong), who happen upon a mystical cave beneath the Panda Village - and accidentally absorb the chi of the ancient and powerful Kung Fu warriors known as the four constellations. The four friends realize that they now have a new destiny - to save the world from an impending evil with their new-found Kung Fu powers. They are aided along their journey by Po, who finds himself faced with his biggest challenge yet - teaching this ragtag band of kids how to wield their strange powers. Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight
474-486: A large impact on the spread of practice of Traditional Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts in English-speaking countries. Martial arts films have been produced all over the world, but the genre has been dominated by Hong Kong action cinema , peaking from 1971 with the rise of Bruce Lee until the mid-1990s with a general decline in the industry, until it was revived close to the 2000s. Other notable figures in
553-422: A minimal plot and amount of character development and focus almost exclusively on the action, while others have more creative and complex plots and characters along with action scenes. Films of the latter type are generally considered to be artistically superior films, but many films of the former type are commercially successful and well received by fans of the genre. One of the earliest Hollywood movies to employ
632-599: A movie set in China for Americans; it's a movie set in a mythical, universalized China for everyone in the world." Kung Fu Panda 2 was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in early May, before its commercial release. In the United States, it premiered on May 22, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. The film was widely released in the United States and South Korea on May 26, 2011, in
711-485: A prophecy that he would be defeated by "a warrior of black-and-white". Po achieves inner peace, which allows him to destroy Shen's new weapon, defeat Shen, and accept Mr. Ping as his father. However, during the last scene of the movie, it shows Po's biological father realizing his son is alive. Shortly after the events of the second film , Shifu relinquishes his duties as master of the Jade Palace to Po, claiming that
790-490: A red eye gives Po a flashback of his mother. Po questions his father, Mr. Ping, who reveals that he found Po as a cub in a shipment of radishes outside his restaurant, and adopted him as his son when no one came to claim him. Po and the Five are dispatched to Gongmen City after learning that Shen killed Master Thundering Rhino, a regent of the city, with a cannon. Shen imprisons the other regents, Masters Ox and Croc, and takes over
869-493: A significant movie genre in themselves. Like westerns for Americans, they have become an identity of Chinese cinema. As the most prestigious movie type in Chinese film history, kung fu movies were among the first Chinese films produced and the wuxia period films (武俠片) are the original form of Chinese kung fu films. The wuxia period films came into vogue due to the thousands of years popularity of wuxia novels (武俠小說). For example,
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#1732764663677948-600: A small area featuring a Po photo opportunity. In late 2012, additional rides and attractions were added to the area. All of the rides were moved to Ocean Parade since DreamWorks Experience was rethemed as Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland in 2023. A multi-sensory attraction, based on Kung Fu Panda , opened at the DreamWorks Theatre on June 15, 2018, at Universal Studios Hollywood . A Kung Fu Panda -themed children's play area opened at DreamWorks Water Park on October 1, 2020. Universal Studios Beijing also has
1027-660: Is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures . Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson (in her feature directorial debut) and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger , the film is the sequel to Kung Fu Panda (2008), and the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise . It stars Jack Black , Angelina Jolie , Dustin Hoffman , Seth Rogen , Lucy Liu , David Cross , James Hong and Jackie Chan reprising their roles from
1106-486: Is a short film that was released with the home media of Kung Fu Panda 3 . Panda Paws involves the character Mei Mei (voiced by Kate Hudson ) competing with Bao at the "Spring Festival". A version of the short was previously released in theaters preceding the DreamWorks Animation film Home in 2015, with Rebel Wilson voicing Mei Mei, prior to her firing from Kung Fu Panda 3 . Dueling Dumplings
1185-399: Is a short film that was released with the home media of Kung Fu Panda 4 . It involves Po and Zhen offering each other dumplings from their respective homelands. They bicker over whose are better and try to force each other to try them. After a playful battle, they end up tasting each other's dumplings and end up liking them. This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in
1264-614: Is a wanted criminal, leading to both of them getting arrested. They successfully escape to the Den of Thieves where Zhen reunites with her old mentor Han who allows them to stay there for one day. Po and Zhen then enter Chameleon's lair, where Zhen betrays Po, takes the Staff of Wisdom and gives it to the Chameleon, who is revealed to be her master. Po manages to escape without the staff but Chameleon, who has shapeshifted into Zhen, throws him off of
1343-493: Is an in-progress live arena show, featuring characters from the Kung Fu Panda . Combining circus and Chinese acrobatics as well as arena show effects, the production was supposed to be released around the same time of Kung Fu Panda 2 . After a multi city casting tour in 2010, the production went behind closed doors until late 2011 when a new set of audition dates were announced for the following year. However, shortly before
1422-622: Is complete, Po is given the Dragon Scroll, which he discovers to be blank. However, Po realizes that the key to limitless power lies within himself, allowing him to defeat Tai Lung and restore peace to the valley. Po now lives his dream as a kung fu master and protects the Valley of Peace alongside the Furious Five. However, he is thrown into internal conflict when he begins having flashbacks of his mother and learns from Mr. Ping that he
1501-621: Is considered revolutionary in American cinema for raising the standard of fight scenes in western cinema. In the Chinese-speaking world, martial arts films are commonly divided into two subcategories: the wuxia period films (武俠片), and the more modern kung fu films (功夫片, best epitomized in the films of Bruce Lee ). However, according to Hong Kong film director, producer, and movie writer Ronny Yu , wuxia movies are not to be confused with martial arts movies. Kung fu films are
1580-491: Is considered the "panda hometown". In addition to seeing real pandas at the Giant Panda Research Centre, the production-design crew learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that the sequel incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film. The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at Mount Qingcheng , a renowned Taoist mountain. In an interview with
1659-399: Is sailing downriver with his cannons and army. Po frees the Five, and with the help of Masters Ox, Croc, and Shifu, they are able to wreck the foremost ships and prevent the army from reaching the harbor, but Shen fires a cannon, killing some of his own soldiers, to clear the way. Po stands alone against Shen, using his newfound inner peace skills to deflect the cannonballs shot at him back at
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#17327646636771738-533: Is the third Kung Fu Panda animated series, which premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022, with Jack Black reprising his role as Po. The series follows Po as he must leave his home behind and embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight known as the Wandering Blade. Rita Ora joined the cast as Wandering Blade and James Hong reprised his role as Mr. Ping. Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of
1817-523: The China Daily , Zibach recounted that the Panda research center influenced the movie in a big way, as did their experience of holding a month-old panda cub named A Bao, which gave them the idea for baby Po in a flashback. It also gave them the idea of featuring Sichuan food , such as Mapo tofu and Dandan noodles . In an interview with Movieline , Berger stated, "We never really thought of this as
1896-467: The 84th Academy Awards , losing to Rango . Nelson became the second woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, after Marjane Satrapi for Persepolis . It was followed by Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016 and Kung Fu Panda 4 in 2024. Long ago, the peacock rulers of Gongmen City invented fireworks for peaceful purposes, but their son, Lord Shen, discovered that
1975-673: The American Film Institute , the success of Bloodsport (1988), starring Van Damme, helped the resurgence of the martial arts film genre in the United States. In the 2000s, Thailand's film industry became an international force in the genre with the films of Tony Jaa and the cinema of Vietnam followed suit with The Rebel (2007) and Clash (2009). In more recent years, the Indonesian film industry has offered Merantau (2009) and The Raid: Redemption (2011). The Middle East has also participated in
2054-739: The Kung Fu Panda film series, set between the first two films. The show was originally intended to premiere in 2010, but was delayed and officially launched on Nickelodeon on November 7, 2011. Of the series's voice cast, only Lucy Liu , Randall Duk Kim , and James Hong reprise their roles from the films as Viper , Oogway , and Mr. Ping , respectively. The first season, consisting of 26 episodes, ended on April 5, 2012. The second season aired from April 6, 2012, to June 21, 2013, and also consisted of 26 episodes. A third season consisting of 28 episodes began airing June 24, 2013, going on an extended hiatus after June 22, 2014, before airing its last 10 episodes two years later, from February 15 to June 29, 2016, as
2133-684: The Philippines , Singapore , South Korea and Thailand . It became the highest-grossing film released in Vietnam , surpassing Avatar . DreamWorks Animation has invested $ 100 million in creating promotional partners and building up marketing for its films. For Kung Fu Panda 2 , DWA had partnerships with McDonald's , AT&T , Best Buy , General Mills , Sun-Maid , Airheads , Hint Water and HP . The film's characters were used in products and advertising campaigns across various media. The studio also pursued social media efforts to promote
2212-411: The black powder could also be weaponized. Troubled by Shen's obsession, his parents consulted a soothsayer, who foretold them that if he continued too far down this path, he would be stopped by "a warrior of black and white". Overhearing the prophecy, Shen deduced that the warrior would be a panda and led his wolf army to exterminate the pandas. Horrified by the genocide, Shen's parents banished him. In
2291-549: The seventh highest-grossing animated film franchise , while the second film was the highest-grossing film worldwide directed solely by a woman ( Jennifer Yuh Nelson ) until Wonder Woman (2017). The series is additionally popular in China as an outstanding Western interpretation of the wuxia film genre. Po , a clumsy panda bear, is a kung fu fanatic who lives in the Valley of Peace and works in his goose father Mr. Ping's noodle shop, unable to realize his dream of learning
2370-411: The Furious Five , or simply Secrets of the Furious Five , is an animated short film that serves as a semi-sequel (or spin-off) to Kung Fu Panda and appears on a companion disc of the original film's deluxe DVD release. It was later broadcast on NBC on February 26, 2009, and is available as a separate DVD as of March 24 the same year. The film has a framing story of Po (in computer animation ), telling
2449-443: The Furious Five, who had previously mocked Po for his lack of skill in kung fu. Po soon learns that the valley is being approached by Tai Lung, an evil kung fu warrior who has escaped from prison to take revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, and despairs he will be unable to defeat him. However, Shifu discovers that Po is capable of martial arts when motivated by food, and successfully trains him to learn kung fu. After his training
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2528-567: The Red Lotus Temple", which is set in the Qing Dynasty and tells the story of a group of martial artists who band together to defend their temple from raiders. The film is notable for its action sequences and fight scenes, which were groundbreaking for the time and helped establish the martial arts film genre. Asian films are known to have a more minimalist approach to film based on their culture. Some martial arts films have only
2607-611: The Scroll is an animated short film officially released as a bonus feature in the Kung Fu Panda: Ultimate Edition of Awesomeness Blu-ray pack in January 2016. Secrets of the Scroll details the forming of the Furious Five, and their first fight together against a common enemy. Unlike previous Kung Fu Panda short films, Secrets of the Scroll has yet to be released on its own DVD or Blu-ray. Panda Paws
2686-795: The United Kingdom on June 10, 2011, and in Australia on June 23, 2011. It was also released in IMAX theaters in the EMEA region. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 13, 2011, accompanied by the short film, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters , and an episode of the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness television series. As of February 2013, 6.5 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide. On
2765-480: The action director may rely more on stylized action or film making tricks like camera angles , editing , doubles , undercranking , wire work and computer-generated imagery . Trampolines and springboards used to be used to increase the height of jumps. The minimalist style employs smaller sets and little space for improvised but explosive fight scenes, as seen by Jackie Chan's films. These techniques are sometimes used by real martial artists as well, depending on
2844-588: The animation has been praised. Frank Lovece of Film Journal International described the film as "truly beautiful to behold", and stated that it "works on both aesthetic and emotional levels". Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times wrote that " Panda 2 is not just wall-to-wall animation, it is artistry of the highest order". Many critics praised Gary Oldman's voice acting and developed characterization of Lord Shen, with some comparing him favorably to Ian McShane 's voice performance as Tai Lung in
2923-458: The announced January 2012 auditions, both Franco Dragone and DreamWorks decided to postpone the live show's opening date, canceling all auditions. No further announcements have been made since. A themed area Po's Kung Fu Garden was opened in 2012 at DreamWorks Experience , one of the themed lands at the Australian theme park Dreamworld . At opening Po's Kung Fu Garden consisted only of
3002-623: The art of kung fu. One day, a kung fu tournament is held for the elderly spiritual leader of the valley, Grand Master Oogway, to determine the identity of the Dragon Warrior, the one kung fu master capable of understanding the secret of the Dragon Scroll, which is said to contain the key to limitless power. Everyone in the valley expects the Dragon Warrior to be one of the Furious Five—Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane—a quintet of kung fu warriors trained by Master Shifu to protect
3081-475: The city, but the soothsayer constantly reminds him of the prophecy until he learns that Po is a panda. Arriving in Gongmen City, Po and the Five free Masters Ox and Croc, but they refuse to help, believing that kung fu died alongside Master Rhino. Po and the Five feign surrender to Shen, secretly replacing Mantis with a dummy. The real Mantis frees the others when they are inside the palace, and they destroy
3160-465: The cliff and Po gets saved by his adoptive and biological father. The Chameleon uses the staff to summon every martial arts master from the Spirit Realm, stealing their kung fu abilities and locking them in cages. Zhen decides to deflect away from Chameleon and reunites with Po. Zhen later manages to convince the Den of Thieves to help her out in saving Po. Zhen and Po defeat the Chameleon and return
3239-498: The film an "A" grade on a scale of A+ to F. Variety called the film "a worthy sequel that gets an extra kick from the addition of dynamic 3D fight sequences", while The Hollywood Reporter similarly praised the film. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, praising the sequel as superior to the original, and as an ambitious extension of the previous story. Some critics noted
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3318-476: The film set an opening-day record in the country. It earned $ 93.19 million in total, making it the highest-grossing animated film released in China, surpassing the previous record-holder, Kung Fu Panda ($ 26 million). It held the record until 2015, when it was surpassed by the Chinese film, Monkey King: Hero Is Back . The Asian-themed film scored the largest opening weekend for an animated film in Malaysia ,
3397-489: The film's worldwide gross. Worldwide, it was the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2011 , and the 28th highest-grossing animated film . During its first weekend, it earned $ 108.9 million worldwide, ranking third behind Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Hangover Part II . It was the highest-grossing film directed by a woman until Frozen two years later, as the well as
3476-477: The film. DWA partnered with House Foods America to brand its products, notably tofu, with advertising of the film. Variety reported that the partnership was the first ever between a film studio and a tofu company. The studio also enlisted the parade balloon of Po from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to tour in six cities, concluding with Los Angeles during Memorial Day weekend in late May 2011. Merchandise
3555-522: The first film, with Gary Oldman , Michelle Yeoh , Danny McBride , Dennis Haysbert , Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber voicing new characters. In the film, Po and his Furious Five allies (Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Crane and Mantis) travel to Gongmen City to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from conquering China, while also rediscovering Po's forgotten past. The film was released in theaters on May 26, 2011, to positive reviews. It grossed $ 665 million worldwide against its $ 150 million budget, becoming
3634-433: The first film. Angie Errigo of Empire called him "fabulous as the feathered fiend and his character animators do his performance proud with a stunning, balletic fighting style, the fan tail flicking with lethal fascination". The film grossed $ 165.2 million in the United States and Canada, along with $ 500.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $ 665.6 million. In total, 3D contributed approximately 53% of
3713-402: The fleet, destroying it. Po offers mercy to Shen, but he rejects it and attacks Po with a spear, accidentally severing the lines holding up one of the cannons, which falls onto the ship and kills Shen. Po is congratulated by Shifu and the Five, and while returning to the Valley, Po reaffirms his identity as Mr. Ping's son and his love for his adoptive father. Meanwhile, at a secret panda village in
3792-635: The franchise is set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals . Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny. The franchise consists mainly of four animated films: Kung Fu Panda (2008), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024), as well as three television series: Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016), The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019), and The Dragon Knight (2022–2023). The first two films were distributed by Paramount Pictures ,
3871-434: The franchise. The film series has grossed over $ 2.3 billion, making it the eighth highest-grossing animated franchise and DreamWorks Animation's second highest-grossing franchise behind Shrek . Each Kung Fu Panda film has received positive reviews, with critics often praising the animation, voice acting, and character development. Directed by entertainment director Franco Dragone , Kung Fu Panda: Arena Spectacular
3950-513: The genre include Jackie Chan, Jet Li , Sammo Hung , Yuen Biao , Donnie Yen , and Hwang Jang-lee . Sonny Chiba , Etsuko Shihomi , and Hiroyuki Sanada starred in numerous karate and jidaigeki films from Japan during the 1970s and early 1980s. Hollywood has also participated in the genre with actors such as Chuck Norris , Sho Kosugi , Jean-Claude Van Damme , Steven Seagal , Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee), Wesley Snipes , Gary Daniels , Mark Dacascos and Jason Statham . According to
4029-524: The genre with actors such as Youssef Mansour who became famous in the 1990’s for his Egyptian films that relied on martial arts. Women have also played key roles in the genre, including such actresses as Michelle Yeoh , Angela Mao and Cynthia Rothrock . In addition, western animation has ventured into the genre with the most successful effort being the internationally hailed DreamWorks Animation film franchise, Kung Fu Panda , starring Jack Black and Angelina Jolie . The Matrix (1999)
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#17327646636774108-428: The highest-grossing film directed by a female director until Frozen , as well as being the highest-grossing film solely directed by a female director until Wonder Woman . It was also the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2011 , the highest-grossing animated feature film of the year, and the highest grossing film in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at
4187-429: The highest-grossing film directed solely by a woman until Wonder Woman . In North America, the film earned $ 5.8 million on its opening day (Thursday, May 26, 2011), ranking second behind The Hangover Part II . On Friday, the film earned $ 13.1 million, which was behind the first film's $ 20.3 million opening Friday. Over the three-day weekend (Friday-to-Sunday), the film earned $ 47.7 million, which
4266-412: The influences of executive producer Guillermo del Toro 's works in the film's darker themes. Jim Tudor of TwitchFilm.net said that, with del Toro on board, the film "effectively probes deeper into Po's emerging hero's journey and personal issues, evoking a truly fulfilling Campbellian archetype , but also remains fully viable as mainstream entertainment suitable for all ages". As with the first film,
4345-402: The lengthy production process. Kung Fu Panda Holiday (also known as Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special ) is a 2010 television special that premiered on NBC on November 24. It tells a story of Po, who is assigned to host the annual Winter Feast by Master Shifu, despite his wishes to spend the holiday with Mr. Ping. Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an animated television series based on
4424-463: The mountains, Po's biological father is revealed to still be alive, and he senses his son is alive. When Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008, DreamWorks Animation planned a second film with the subtitle Pandamonium , which was changed by 2010 to Kaboom of Doom before being wholly retitled to Kung Fu Panda 2 . Jennifer Yuh Nelson , who was head of story for the first film, was hired to replace John Stevenson and Mark Osborne as director for
4503-441: The next step of his own apprenticeship is to oversee the Furious Five's training. While struggling with this new responsibility, Po rejoices upon reuniting with his biological father, Li, though Mr. Ping is less enthusiastic. However, news arrives that the spirit warrior General Kai has returned to the mortal realm and is 'collecting' Kung Fu masters from all over China, both living and dead, to serve in his army of Jade Zombies. Po and
4582-563: The others discover from a scroll left by Oogway that Kai can only be defeated by the power of Chi, a technique known only by the panda colonies; thus, Po and Li set to the secret Panda Valley in order to have Po learn it. Po eventually discovers, to his horror, that Li had deceived him, because the pandas have long forgotten about how to manipulate the Chi, and he just wanted to protect his son from Kai. Once making amends with both his adoptive and biological fathers, Po joins forces with Ping, Tigress, and
4661-479: The pandas to make a stand against Kai, all mastering the power of Chi in the process and using its power to destroy him for good. After returning to the Valley of Peace, Po spends his days spreading the teachings of Kung fu and Chi. Shifu tasks Po to retire as the Dragon Warrior and find a successor as he must advance to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Disappointed, he struggles to find
4740-505: The plan and allowing the Five to be captured. Shen lies, saying Po's parents hated him, and shoots him with a cannon. Badly wounded but alive, Po floats downriver and is rescued by the soothsayer, who tells him about the panda genocide and encourages him to embrace his past. Po, finally achieving inner peace, is able to remember his father fighting off the army while his mother hid him in a radish crate, drawing off Shen's army so he could survive. Rejuvenated, Po returns to Gongmen City, where Shen
4819-426: The present day, Shen and his wolf army raid villages for scrap metal, hoping to build cannons that Shen can use to conquer all of China. Meanwhile, Po is enjoying his new life as a kung fu master alongside the Furious Five, although Master Shifu warns him that he has not yet achieved inner peace. When the wolf army raids another village, Po and the Five intercept them, but a symbol on the leader's armor that resembles
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#17327646636774898-547: The prototype cannon, but Po sees the same familiar symbol on Shen's plumage , which distracts him long enough for Shen to escape and destroy Gongmen Palace with his cannonade. When the masters are safe, Tigress confronts Po, and he reveals that he somehow remembered Shen on the day he last saw his biological parents. Tigress sympathizes but fears that Po's lack of focus will get him killed. The Five abandon Po for his safety and proceed to Shen's cannon factory to destroy it. However, Po follows and confronts Shen, inadvertently spoiling
4977-501: The review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 81%, based on 188 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "The storyline arc may seem a tad familiar to fans of the original, but Kung Fu Panda 2 offers enough action, comedy, and visual sparkle to compensate." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
5056-461: The right candidate angering Shifu. He later spots a corsac fox and thief named Zhen entering the Jade Palace and sends her to prison but soon learns that Tai Lung has returned. Zhen reveals that it wasn't actually Tai Lung but a shapeshifting sorceress named The Chameleon. Po decides to go after her and Zhen agrees to lead him to the Chameleon in exchange for a reduction of her sentence. They both head towards Juniper City and there, Po finds that Zhen
5135-475: The sequel when it became evident that they would not be returning for the sequel. The first film's cast members reprised their voice roles. As with every DreamWorks Animation film from Monsters vs. Aliens onward, Kung Fu Panda 2 was produced in DreamWorks's stereoscopic 3D technology . Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger , screenwriters and co-producers for the first film, returned to write and co-produce
5214-400: The sequel, with Charlie Kaufman consulting on the screenplay early in the development process. In Kung Fu Panda 2 , the production crew showed increased familiarity with Chinese culture . In 2008, after the release of Kung Fu Panda , DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg , director Nelson, and other DreamWorks members, including production designer Raymond Zibach, visited Chengdu , which
5293-423: The stolen Kung fu to their masters. Po sends them back to the spirit realm with Tai Lung taking the Chameleon with him. At the Valley of Peace, Po chooses Zhen as the next Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five joins him in training her. In May 2024, following the critical and commercial success of Kung Fu Panda 4 , Mitchell suggested that a fifth film could happen, but it would likely not be until at least 2027 due to
5372-402: The stories of his comrades in arms, the Furious Five, which are depicted in 2D cel animation. Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters is an animated short film released on December 13, 2011, as a special feature attached to the Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD and Blu-ray. It tells the backgrounds of the masters of Gongmen City: Thundering Rhino , Storming Ox , and Croc . Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of
5451-657: The style of action in the film. During the 1970s and 1980s, the most visible presence of martial arts films was the hundreds of English-dubbed kung fu and ninja films produced by the Shaw Brothers , Godfrey Ho and other Hong Kong producers. These films were widely broadcast on North American television on weekend timeslots that were often colloquially known as Kung Fu Theater , Black Belt Theater or variations thereof. Inclusive in this list of films are commercial classics like The Big Boss (1971), Drunken Master (1978) and One Armed Boxer (1972). Those films had
5530-404: The third film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and the fourth was distributed by Universal Pictures , while the television series respectively aired on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons , Amazon Prime , and Netflix . Five short films , Secrets of the Furious Five (2008), Secrets of the Masters (2011), Secrets of the Scroll , Panda Paws (both 2016), and Dueling Dumplings (2024), and
5609-414: The use of martial arts was the 1955 film Bad Day at Black Rock , though the scenes of Spencer Tracy performed barely any realistic fight sequences, but composed mostly of soft knifehand strikes . Martial arts films contain many characters who are martial artists and these roles are often played by actors who are real martial artists. If not, actors frequently train in preparation for their roles or
5688-406: The valley. To everyone's surprise, Oogway chooses Po, who has accidentally stumbled into the tournament arena after arriving late via fireworks explosion. Refusing to believe that Po can be the Dragon Warrior, Shifu subjects Po to torturous training exercises in order to discourage him into quitting. Determined to change himself into someone he can respect, Po perseveres in his training and befriends
5767-893: The wuxia novels of Jin Yong and Gu Long directly led to the prevalence of wuxia period films. Outside of the Chinese speaking world the most famous wuxia film made was the Ang Lee film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which was based on the Wang Dulu series of wuxia novels: it earned four Academy Awards , including one for Best Foreign Film. Martial arts westerns are usually American films inexpensively filmed in Southwestern United States locations, transposing martial arts themes into an "old west" setting; e.g., Red Sun with Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune . Kung Fu Panda 2 Kung Fu Panda 2
5846-556: Was a Chinese film released in 1928, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (also translated as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery"), a silent film directed by Chinese film director Zhang Shichuan and produced by the Mingxing Film Company . The film pioneered the martial arts film genre, and was the first kung fu action film ever created. The film is based on the popular Chinese novel "The Romance of
5925-487: Was adopted as an infant. Shortly after, Po and the Five are sent on a mission to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from using a newly developed weapon, the cannon, to conquer all of China and destroy kung fu tradition. Po remains tormented by thoughts of being abandoned by his real parents until he is guided by a wise old soothsayer to embrace his past, and remembers that his parents risked their lives to save him from Shen, who had set out to exterminate all pandas after learning of
6004-521: Was also produced for the film: Fisher-Price , THQ , Hallmark and Jem Sportswear. Publishers VTech , Penguin Books , Dalmatian Press and Ape Entertainment released books tied to the film. Kung Fu Panda 2 is the soundtrack of the film, collaboratively scored by Hans Zimmer and John Powell , and originally released May 24, 2011. A video-game adaptation of the film was developed by Griptonite Games and published by THQ May 23, 2011. The game
6083-418: Was behind the first film's $ 60.2 million debut; it also finished second at the box office, behind The Hangover Part II . The film made $ 13.2 million on Memorial Day , bringing its four-day weekend total to $ 60.9 million. Outside North America, the film debuted with $ 55.5 million on the same weekend as its North American debut, topping the box office in nine of eleven countries in which it
6162-487: Was released for the PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. The plot takes place after the events of the film, and features Po and the rest of the Furious Five troubled by an evil group of Komodo dragon mercenaries. With the help of the other kung fu masters, Po has to uncover the plot behind this siege and put a stop to it. Kung Fu Panda 2 was followed by Kung Fu Panda 3 . It became one of
6241-419: Was released. It ranked third overall, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Hangover Part II . The film topped the box office outside North America on two consecutive weekends (its third and fourth weekend). In China, its highest-grossing market after North America, two different grosses were reported: a $ 19.3 million two-day weekend and a $ 16.7 million two-day weekend. Either way,
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