mermazing-art
Inmius
Magical Girl since 1996. (She/her) Soy una diseñadora gráfica y ilustradora gaditana enamorada del cine y la animación. Creadora de la portada ''Lo Último de Nosotros''.
Twitter: @inmiuuus // Instagram: @mermazing.art
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Silver version or Chameleon version ? I don't know which version to choose!!
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The real name of the Furious Five
After the Kung Fu Panda 4 movie I started thinking about what Zhen's first conversations with the Furious Five would be like. I imagined her nervous about making a good impression but fitting quite well with her group dynamic given her mischievous attitude and enjoying their adventures with her, establishing a relationship of trust. Which led me to a thought "Would she, wanting to know them more, ask them what their real names are?"
This theory has been circulating in the fandom for years since it is said that their names actually refer to their fighting styles or their species (as well as Master Ox, Crocodile or Rhino) since those who retain their own name within this discipline are those who have a superior role such as Oogway, Shifu or Po and those who do not have a title such as Zhen or Tai Lung.
Well, I decided to look for a suitable name for each one, one that fit their physique or personality, that was easy to remember and that would distinguish one another, let's go!
Mantis: Xun Yu ( fast jade )
With Mantis I was clear that I didn't want to look for anything that had to do with his size but I did want to highlight his most powerful abilities such as his speed. That's where his first name, Xun, comes from. His middle name, Yu (Jade), is because of his green color although this can also mean ''insect'' depending on the kanji with which it is written. My idea is that Mantis calls himself ''the green lightning'' referring to his real name.
Crane: Zimo ( refined ink )
At first I wanted his name to be related to the sky or the air due to his avian species or his techniques, but it made me think that one of the things that catches my attention about this character is his interest in Chinese calligraphy. Therefore, I decided to name him Zimo (ink or writing) to reflect his beloved hobby in his name.
Monkey: Wong Sang ( yellow mulberry )
For Monkey, I researched his voice actor, the one and only Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-Sang. I wanted to take it as a reference by changing the name Kong since it is the name of the Monkey's brother to Wong (yellow), relating it to the color of his fur. I wanted to make a reference to his comic side but I couldn't find a suitable name for the guidelines I had assigned to it.
Viper: Jia Ling ( beautiful tinkle )
As with Monkey, I researched on her voice actress, Lucy Liu, whose full name is Lucy Alexis Liu Yu Ling. I wanted to reflect her charming and sweet personality, so I took the name Ling (tinkerbell) as a reference of the hiss' snake she produces, as well as her happy attitude. But her first name would be Jia to emphasize the beauty of this character.
Tigress: Xia ( sunrise )
For her, I thought I would delve deeper into her story and her development as a character in order to give her the appropriate name. This is her story:
When Tigress lived in the orphanage, she received the name Xian ("who lives in seclusion") from the other children perpetuating their contempt and fear of her. When Shifu finally decided to adopt her, after He heard that name many times, almost always accompanied by the word "monster", he asked her what new name she would like. She simply accepted Tigress because she didn't believe she could deserve a name. Shifu pondered and decided to call him Xia. Tigress at first didn't like this idea because it sounded similar to the previous one, but Shifu explained his choice to her. Both names, although similar, did not have the same meaning because now she would no longer be in the darkness, secluded and alone, but rather she had the opportunity for a new life, a path marked by the light that emanated from her, a new sunrise.
So yes, Zhen would ask the furious five their names, giving the situation that Po would find out right then and there about this. Everyone except Tigress would answer this question since for her it is still a very personal matter related to her past and Shifu and she still doesn't feel comfortable sharing it with everyone. Could Tigress talk to a certain panda about this?
#dreamworks#kung fu panda#kung fu panda 4#kfp#kfp 4#kfp tipo#kfp po#furious five#kfp tigress#master tigress#master mantis#master crane#master monkey#master viper
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Los nombres de los Cinco Furiosos
Tras la película de Kung Fu Panda 4 me dio por pensar como sería las primeras conversaciones de Zhen con los Cinco Furiosos. Me la imaginé nerviosa por causar una buena impresión pero encajando bastante bien con la dinámica del grupo dada a su actitud pícara y disfrutando junto a ellos de sus aventuras estableciéndose una relación de confianza. Lo que me llevo a un pensamiento ''¿ Ella al querer conocerles más les preguntaría cuales son sus auténticos nombres?'' .
Esta teoría lleva años rulando en el fandom pues se dice que sus nombres en realidad se refieren a sus estilos de lucha o a su especie ( así como al Maestro Buey, Cocodrilo o Rhino) pues los que conservan dentro de esta disciplina su nombre propio son aquellos que tienen un rol superior como Oogway, Shifu o Po y los que no tienen un titulo como Zhen o Tai Lung.
Bien, pues decidí que les buscaría un nombre adecuado para cada uno, que encajase con su físico o su personalidad, fáciles de recordar y que fuesen distinguibles entre ellos ¡let's go!
Mantis: Xun Yu ( veloz jade )
Con Mantis tuve claro que no quería buscar nada que tuviese que ver con su tamaño pero si quería destacar sus habilidades más potentes como su velocidad. De ahí surge su primer nombre, Xun . Su segundo nombre, Yu (Jade), es por su color verde aunque este puede significar también ''insecto'' dependiendo del kanji con el que se escriba. Mi idea es que Mantis se autodenomine como ''el rayo verde'' haciendo referencia a su nombre real.
Grulla: Zimo ( tinta refinada )
En un comienzo quise que su nombre estuviese relacionado con el cielo o el aire dada a su especie aviar o a sus técnicas pero me hizo pensar que una de las cosas que más me llama la atención de este personaje es su interés por la caligrafía china. Por ello, me decante por nombrarle Zimo (tinta o escritura) para reflejar su amada afición en su nombre.
Mono: Wong Sang ( morera amarilla )
Para Mono investigue sobre su actor de doblaje, el mismísimo Jackie Chan, cuyo nombre de nacimiento es Chan Kong-Sang. Quise tomarlo como referencia cambiando el nombre de Kong pues es el nombre del hermano de mono por Wong (amarillo) relacionándolo al color de su pelaje. Quería hacer una referencia a su faceta cómica pero me no encontré ningún nombre adecuado a las pautas que había asignado.
Víbora: Jia Ling ( bello cascabel )
Al igual que con mono, investigue sobre su actriz de doblaje, Lucy Liu, cuyo nombre completo es Lucy Alexis Liu Yu Ling. Quería reflejar su personalidad encantadora y dulce por lo que tome de referencia el nombre de Ling (tintineo) por el siseo que esta produce al ser una serpiente además de por su actitud alegre. Pero su primer nombre sería Jia para enfatizar la belleza de este personaje.
Tigresa: Xia ( amanecer )
Para ella pensé en profundizar más sobre su historia y su desarrollo como personaje para así darle el nombre adecuado. Esta es su historia:
Cuando Tigresa vivía en el orfanato recibió el nombre de Xian por parte de los demás niños ya que este significa "aquella que vive en reclusión" perpetuando su desprecio y miedo hacia a ella. Cuando Shifu finalmente decidió adoptarla, tras haber escuchado muchas veces ese nombre casi siempre acompañado de la palabra "monstruo", le pregunto que nombre nuevo deseaba para ella. Esta aceptaba simplemente el de Tigresa pues no creía que pudiese merecerse un nombre. Shifu reflexionó y decidió ponerle el nombre de Xia. Tigresa al principio le disgusto esta idea pues sonoramente era parecido al anterior pero Shifu le explico su elección. Ambos nombres aunque parecidos no poseían mismo significado pues ahora ella ya no estará más en la oscuridad recluida y sola sino que tenia la oportunidad de una nueva vida, un camino marcado por la luz desprendía de ella, un nuevo amanecer.
Así que sí, Zhen preguntaría sus nombres a los cinco furiosos dándose la situación de que Po se entere en ese mismo instante. Todos excepto Tigresa responderían a esta pregunta ya que para ella sigue siendo un tema muy personal relacionado con su pasado y con Shifu y aún no se siente cómoda como para compartirlo con todos ¿puede que sí pueda con cierto panda?
#dreamworks#kung fu panda#kung fu panda 4#kfp po#kfp tipo#furious five#master tigress#master mantis#master crane#master viper#master monkey
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Just One Glance
Synopsis: Set a few months after the events of the Secrets of the Scroll, and years before the events of the first Kung Fu Panda film, The Furious Five make their official debut as the new protectors of the Valley of Peace. Po, not really knowing who they are but remembers seeing them when they fought Boar together, and having enough memory to carve their action figures out of wood, sees them presented to society for the first time as masters. He is in awe of their skills and awesomeness, but one young Tigress catches his eye.
If the events of Secrets of the Scroll was about the day Po fell in love with Kung Fu, then this is about the day he started crushing on Tigress.
Based on a short script I wrote a couple years ago (or longer, I can’t remember.) You can feel free to read the script here on FF.net.
I have been wanting to create a comic or animatic for this for a long time to get it out of my head, and I finally had some time to work on it over a weekend (emphasis on 'some'), so it’s not perfect, but enough to get the idea across lol. I can’t do voices, so had to add subtitles, but if anyone is interested in adding a voice over for these characters, let me know lol. 😂 Took some liberties, too, but I hope you KFP/TiPo fans enjoy nonetheless! 🐼 🐯 🍜
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TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON ABSOLUTAMENTE TODO!
(a ver si me animo a hacer pronto mi análisis / video sobre esta película)
An extensive KFP 4 rant (spoiler heavy)
So, Kung Fu Panda 4 was… an experience. It took about 3 glasses of whiskey to get through it.
There is so much wrong with this movie, from the pacing to lore breaking issues. However, this is an attempt at trying to formulate my opinions regarding the film, and explain why certain story decisions were detrimental.
My live reaction to the film:
The movie makes it clear right from the start that it was made for very young children. It’s filled to the brim with jokes. If there is a chance to make a joke, then there is a joke. Regardless if it's appropriate or if it hurts the story/lore/characters. In normal circumstances, this would be offset by the fact that the jokes are creative and unpredictable, but they aren’t. I would say most of them can be seen either from a mile away, or they just fall flat. I think I only managed to laugh once or twice when Po’s dads were doing something, but outside of that, the film couldn’t get a chuckle out of me. On the contrary, I found many to be cringe, and some even made me uncomfortable.
But why am I talking so much about the jokes?
In the previous Kung Fu Panda films, the jokes were used to break tension. The way the seriousness of the story and the jokes were in harmony is what made those films so memorable and impactful. The story (and films) took itself seriously, but it would sprinkle in jokes that fit the universe, the situation, and most importantly originated from the scene themselves.
Compared to this, the jokes in KFP 4 are, unoriginal, forced, and usually can be traced back to pop-culture. The last one being important as the original Kung Fu Panda films stayed away from referencing pop-culture as it would break the immersion and authenticity of the setting.
This ties into the ERA that these films depict.
Setting
Based on my limited understanding, the original films have done an excellent job at depicting a world that is supposedly set in an authentic ancient China. From the way names are handled, to symbolisms, everything was well done.
The same cannot be said about Kung Fu Panda 4.
I’m not an expert on chinese culture, but from what chinese friends have told me, „Juniper” city doesn’t sound Chinese at all, or has a meaning in Chinese. It’s essentially a Latin word for a common plant that can be found all over the globe.
The architecture of the city is also questionable. It’s trying to give off a metropolitan feel, which doesn’t fit the ERA. Additionally, the architecture of the buildings is odd. It’s like a mesh of the architecture of several Asian cultures.
Then there are some of the names. „Steve” and „Scott” to be specific. These are the names of some masters and I don’t think I need to explain why these don’t fit the setting at all.
I was constantly questioning what movie I was watching as it was hard to believe this is Kung Fu Panda.
Identity crysis
What made me question the film’s identity the most however is the story.
This 4th film felt like a 1st installment rather than a sequel. It conveniently disregards everything from the previous movies that would contradict its plot and world.
The film immediately starts with Shifu coming out of nowhere and saying Po has to choose a new Dragon Warrior at that very moment. Not only did this feel incredibly random, but it’s also thematically incorrect.
First off, why is Shifu saying this? Why would he want Po to pass on his „title” if it's destiny? Why would he want him to do it now? Why did he not even consider ANYONE FROM THE FIVE and instead got 5 randos as candidates out of the blue?
The issue with the whole premise is incredibly flawed. Let me explain…
Po was chosen as the dragon warrior in the first film. There he proved his worth as such. The key to this is that he is the chosen one because it’s his destiny to deal with threats that no one else can.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that he is the best. He is the guy who is and will be in the right place at the right time, with the right tools to deal with threats that no one else can deal with.
But I digress, it's a different topic.
The point is that Po’s role as the Dragon Warrior is his destiny. The „title” merely represents that role in the world. So you can pass the title to anyone you want, but that does not change the fact that due to destiny, it’s still going to be Po’s role.
This is not just a coincidence though. Po has shown many times that he has a very open view of the world. This is then combined with his traits of being is warm, outgoing, energetic, friendly, goofy, and unorthodox. He represents the Dragon, Yang in the Yin Yang.
All of this is important to understanding why there is only 1 dragon warrior, and that is Po. End of the story.
The film however completely throws all of this out the window and goes with the new Dragon Warrior plot anyway.
That means the new Dragon Warrior is literally right there next to him. Master Tigress.
Now you might be asking why that would be the case.
This film, although throws out all the symbolisms of the previous films, still shouldn’t disregard the other characters that are around Po.
The 2 characters work like the 2 sides of the Yin-Yang, as complementary forces. They are opposite forces that need each other in order to create balance.
Her influence is extremely necessary throughout the three films, particularly the second and third. It is her companionship, her support, and her constant push against Po’s natural instincts that lead to the best outcome.
Po has achieved a lot of spiritual enlightenment and character development. A lot of it through his own means, but without Tigress he wouldn't be where he is right now.
The Yang is the strongest when it contains the Yin, and the Yin is the strongest when it contains the Yang.
But this dynamic goes both ways. Although we mostly see the effects of this relationship on Po as the films focus on him, it has also changed Tigress. This leads to her opening up more and being more expressive as the films went on, giving us glimpses into the compassionate person she truly is.
While symbolically she is not the dragon, the 4th film establishes that it doesn’t care about the symbolisms or anything that the previous films have established. So naturally a character that compliments Po this well, should be put into the spotlight and get the character development that she deserves. A character that went through serious changes, but is still left incomplete. You might as well make her the new Dragon Warrior then.
She - altough deserved the title the most even in the first film - lacked the ability to see the world from a perspective that's required to handle certain situations. The Dragon Warrior is way more than just being the perfect warrior. Po's presence was necessary for her to change her attitude. Leading to her slowly becoming her best self. Knowing all of this, it's not such a wild thought that if there has to be a new person who takes over that role, then Tigress would be a great choice for that.
But what is there for her to learn from Po? Spirituality.
Tigress has always been a grounded, by-the-book character. This can be mostly attributed to her upbringing. Her changing and becoming more open, seeing things differently would have been something interesting to explore, and this would also take care of the issue of the „new trilogy” copying the original trilogy’s main character development.
However, the film completely ignores her existence, and the new Dragon Warrior is instead a random Zootopia fox.
The (new) deuteragonist
There is so little to say about Zhen. The best thing I could compare her to is an untreated wooden board.
It’s rough, full of splinter, and there are many like it. Probably one of the most cliché characters I have seen in a very long time.
She is generic, has an overused „misunderstood fox thief” trope, and a character arc that is so predictable that we all knew what was going to happen just from reading the film’s synopsis at the beginning of 2023.
Her backstory is a copy of Tigress’ except if Shifu was evil. An orphan who is taken in by a master who emotionally neglects her. Said orphan doing what her master wants in order to be loved/accepted by said master. Except that Zhen doesn’t seem to have any attachment or loyalty to the Chameleon. So the „Sad backstory” fails to garner any sympathy towards the character.
Her dynamic with Po is non-existent, which is why their „friendship” is forced. The creators tried so hard to make the two bond, that they forgot to give them time, shared experiences, or anything that would resemble an emotional connection between them. They just quickly went over everything that they have in common in a dialogue and that’s it. There was no prerequisite completed that would make Po care about Zhen or vice versa.
Furthermore, Zhen doesn’t fit the traits that the dragon has, she is not spiritual either or has an open view of the world. So why is she the new one then?
And I wanted to avoid talking about this, but the character is a textbook Mary Sue.
per wikipedia
Zhen is more than capable in a fight to keep up with Po, even though it was not shown why she is so good at fighting. One thing is for sure, she shouldn’t know Kung Fu as she certainly didn’t learn it from her „master” the Chameleon if the film’s plot has any consistency.
She is not only able to manipulate Chi, but also to use Po’s staff without knowing anything about either of those.
A previous character’s role being retconned so that she can take it for herself (See the rant about the Dragon Warrior title above)
She always gets along with characters that matter, getting what she wants.
No real character drawbacks.
A throwaway character like this, should be a minor support character, not the new main protagonist for crying out loud.
Her inadequacies are so blatant as a character, that no wonder they didn’t even want to have at the very least Tigress in the film as Zhen would immediately become irrelevant to the audience. They put all the spotlight they could on her, at the expense of the story, and in the end achieved nothing in return.
Tell me with a straight face that a character that has an entire movie focusing on them - who still remains a generic, boring character by the end, without any story potential - should be the new main protagonist. The fact that most people don’t even refer to the character by her name, but by the actress’ name Awkwafina should tell you everything about how memorable she is.
Most new characters and animal designs don’t fit the KFP art style.
A good example of this is Zhen.
This is how a fox would look like in Nico Marlet’s KFP style:
And this is what we got:
Sorry, wrong picture.
I meant this:
Now, I’m not a character designer, or a professional artist, I only draw a couple of his characters, but I can see that this is way too far off from his work. If not from personal experience, then from the interviews that Nico Marlet himself gave.
The same issue applies to the villain of the film, the chameleon, but atleast with her they tried (somewhat).
The Villain
They say a film is as good, as its villain. This seems to be true in the case of this film too.
The Chameleon sucks.
She has no connection to anyone from the cast. She has no emotional leverage or pressure on the cast. She is not scary or powerful enough to make the audience care about the cast. Her motivation is so terrible, it might be one of the reasons why the Five was kept out of the film because their mere existence single-handedly demolishes her reason for breaking bad.
Outside of this, the character is unoriginal and uninspired. She basically can “lick” people and steal their Kung Fu? I honestly don't know how to put this into words because it doesnt make any lick of sense (I did the funny). If anything it's a budget version of Kai.
They didn’t even bother to give her a name.
What I will say though is that Viola Davis did what she could with what she was given. I found it amusing that she managed to give the chameleon those serious villainous vibes, while at the same time, the character is a joke. If that’s not a testament to the voice actor’s abilities then I don’t know what is. She was definitely wasted on this role.
As for the “returning villains”. I knew they were only there for cash-grab from the moment they said that all of them would return. Shen, is dead. He is not a Kung Fu master, he doesn’t have any connection with Chi, and he hasn’t been banished to the spirit realm. Then there is Kai, whose soul/spirit doesn’t exist anymore.
The only one that could ever return was Tai Lung. However, due to the gravity of his character, if he does return it has to be done perfectly regardless of what direction his character takes.
Now, many of us knew from the start that whatever they were gonna do with him would be bad (I mean there is a massive beef between Tigress and him, and yet she is not even in the film), but I think I speak for all of us when I say that they managed to somehow lowball it even worse than expected.
Basically, the Chameleon brings him back from the spirit realm, licks the Kung Fu out of him, he says like 3-4 lines, and returns to the spirit realm…. what the actual f*ck.
I’m sure I don’t need to go into a 10-paragraph rant on how much storytelling potential was wasted with this, because everyone knows. From reconciling with his dad, to her little sister having a crazy beef with him, to having to accept all the wrongs he did, accepting that he is not the Dragon warrior etc. etc. etc…
There was always only 1 chance of bringing him back. If he came back in a new film or show (again) it wouldn’t have anywhere near the same impact as it should, and it would also feel weird to the audience.
DreamWorks, you had 1 chance to bring this guy back, and you wasted it all on this film.
The non-existent magic system.
Or rather, how this film didn’t care about it at all.
Kung Fu Panda has a relatively grounded world. It’s animals that do Kung Fu based on their natural abilities. The closest thing we got to supernatural was Chi, but it was well handled in the 3rd film in my opinion.
Chi is life force and not magic. This means if you use it, you are exhausting your own life force. This means you would only use it in certain situations, such as healing someone who is mortally wounded, or perhaps to enhance an attack in a desperate fight.
The film doesn’t care about this and handles it as just a regular, inexhaustible force of energy. This can mostly be seen with Po as he uses it whenever he feels like it.
The other type of magic is what the Chameleon is using. It’s not explained, or shown how it works. It’s just there to further progress the plot so that the character can take the Kung Fu from others. (Seriously, how does that work?)
The Kung Fu action
The fight scenes were also a downgrade compared to the previous films.
In KFP 4 they felt less energetic, less grounded, and overall too cartoonish. As an example, Po can jump ridiculously high because… I don’t know, I guess the film just ignores the fact that he is Panda who sometimes even struggles to pull himself up to a rooftop.
The previous films incorporated the strengths and weaknesses of the animals that fought. Po is not very mobile, but he is very durable, and his fighting style compliments this. However, when he really needs to get somewhere, his lack of mobility is then offset by his friends, the Furious Five.
The Furious Five
Their absence can be severely felt throughout the movie. That is because in their place was a generic character that had forced interactions with Po.
They have great synergy with him, that cannot be replicated, however minor their role might be sometimes. They serve as a great way to fill in those empty spots in the story, and to elevate the villain. Additionally, their fight scenes are entertaining and help to spice up the choreography.
Although they are great companions, if the film really doesn’t have the time to spare for them, then it's understandable if they aren’t around. However the same cannot be said about Tigress.
A Kung Fu Panda film has to have Po and Tigress interact, due to the reasons already explained above regarding her, and also because of the following:
They are direct opposites, which is why their relationship is so entertaining, regardless if you look at them as platonic best friends, or as a potential couple.
Po is warm, outgoing, brash, energetic, friendly, goofy, and unorthodox, however, he is also serious when needed. While Tigress is introverted, calm, calculated, passive, and intuitive, but deep down she is also a very compassionate and conflicted person that we rarely see. This is then in conjunction with the emotional bond that the previous films have built up between them. These are the reasons why just putting these two in a room is enough to create entertaining scenarios. They add a lot of fun, heartfelt, and emotional moments to every film.
Whenever Po is facing a problem, she is right there to help him through it, whether by talking it through or by beating some sense into him (literally).
She has always been quintessential in Po’s development and motivations.
Memberberries, Memberberries everywhere…
It was jarring to see the film disregarding the existence of the previous movies to justify its plot, but at the same time heavily relied on tropes, and scenes from said films. I’m not kidding when I say that there were moments that were ripped straight out of them.
One of those moments is the standoff between Po and Zhen before the final fight. Zhen wants to stop Po to avoid him getting hurt, but the fight ends with her hugging Po….
Yeah… it was a blatant copy of the prison scene from the 2nd film. However, I think the 2 scenes here perfectly encapsulate why the previous films worked, and why the 4th film doesn’t.
The prison scene in the 2nd film was essentially an emotionally unstable Po being held back by a caring Tigress. Po is so focused on getting to the truth that he forgets the reason they are there, and would put his and his friends’ lives in jeopardy to know what happened to him and his parents. So much so that Po was ready to get beaten to a pulp by Tigress instead of staying down there and waiting until the Five finished the task.
But instead of that happening, Tigress saw how lost Po was, and realized she needed to calm him down to help him understand their situation. And so the person who has always been portrayed as an unfeeling, hardcore, essentially perfect warrior gave Po an unexpected hug and told him he is too important for her to lose him.
This moment has gravity and weight, because of how she is perceived, because of how Po views her, and because Tigress was forced out of her comfort zone to emotionally connect with Po, to help him. It’s a moment of pure comradery and care towards each other that ascends the situation they are in. It’s a moment that in many ways defined their relationship going forward.
In comparison to this, the scene that copied this in the 4th film has none of the emotional underlinings that I discussed, and so it falls flat and feels cringe rather than heartfelt and warm. This is mainly due to Po and Zhen having no connection, bond, or reason to care about each other. But then there is the other element that I discussed when talking about the villain. Po is in no real danger, and it never felt like he was.
Production
From the early leaks, it was blatantly obvious that the production of this film was rushed. Between the artificially forced plot, the generic character designs, the non-existence of the Five, the lack of time, money, commitment, and care was apparent.
However, due to an interview that the Co-director did with some folks on the subreddit discord, light was shed on the nightmare that was the production. I won’t go into details, as everyone should read the Q&A for themselves, but I’ll touch upon a point that was brought up as an excuse for this film turning out the way it did.
(this is a real concept art from the production btw)
Some are saying the reason the film turned like this was due to the budget restriction. That they simply didn’t have the money to have characters like Tigress return due to Angelina Jolie costing a ridiculous amount of money.
But then I have to ask: They had the budget for characters like Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Po’s dads (James Hong & Bryan Cranston), Tai Lung (Ian McShane), who in the end turned out to be completely irrelevant to the story, but not at the very least for Tigress (Angelina Jolie)?
I’m not saying that you cannot make a story with these characters, because you obviously could make a great one. What I’m trying to point out is if you have such a limited budget, are you really going to blow it all on actors who play characters that essentially add nothing to the story? This is why I call bullshit on them not getting at least Angelina Jolie back to play Tigress.
Let’s not even mention how you could always recast these characters anyway (although it's clear that the execs are the ones forcing the use of A-list actors).
So for the sake of the argument, let’s come up with a story, that has a reason to exist, has characters that you can do something with, and fits the budget that you are given.
For me - considering that this film was essentially a buddy adventure film - it's an easy task. Just have Po help Tigress explore her origins. I know it's cheesy and basic, but at the very least you have what’s needed for a decent story that would be able to expand on a beloved character, and even help develop Po into a spiritual leader as he has to aid her best friend.
Another idea is what my friend and I had come up with. Have Po bring Lei Lei (now much older, and is a student under him and Tigress) on an adventure. You wouldn’t even need Tigress to appear in the film, because these characters would reference her many times. Lei Lei is a copy of Po in the sense that she wanted to do Kung Fu because she puts Tigress on a pedestal. Because of how influential she was in her life, Lei Lei’s personality is a copy of Tigress’.
I’m just shooting ideas here, but at least these wouldn’t ruin the continuity of the franchise and would be able to navigate the studio limitations that the creators had to face. (from the ones we know of).
"Limitation is the mother of creativity"
KFP 4 was a shallow, artificial story that didn't add anything to the franchise, only degraded it and stripped it of it's remaining value. It's missing the foundations of a KFP film, such as the heart, artistry, and warmth. It's not unexpected as none of the original brains worked on this film.
So what can be expected from this franchise going forward?
Well, not much honestly. It was a weak attempt by DreamWorks to continue the main storyline, not for the sake of the story, but to milk as much money out of it as they can. Even though with a little bit of effort they really could have at least made a good film in the end. However, between the incompetence of the decision makers, the rushed production, and the new people not knowing much about the franchise, that was never going to happen.
The only thing that we can hope for is a spinoff (which is about a decade late at this point), that focuses on Tigress. It’s the only way I see anything for this franchise going forward and hopefully, this film served as a wakeup call for the executives.
Thank you to those who had the patience to read through my inessential rant. Let me know what you guys think about the film.
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Kung Fu Family : Tigress, Po, Lei Lei and Tao (oc)
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Gran Maestra y Líder Espiritual del Palacio de Jade 🏯🐉🐯🐼
Tenía ganas de bocetear un rediseño
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Ahora mismo solo me apetece dibujarles 🐼❤️🐯
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My babys enjoying an afternoon on the palace gardens.~
This one is available in high res on my ko-fi!~ https://ko-fi.com/lennenart
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Aquí os dejo a mi OC de Kung Fu Panda , Tao, en su diferentes versiones según su edad. Espero que os mole mi pequeña guerrera 🍑🌸
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Esto es lo que pasa cuando una acaba de terminarse el live-action de Avatar pero la semana que viene ve Kung fu Panda ¡Que hace memes!
#kung fu panda#avatar the last airbender#live action avatar#atla live action#atla meme#avatar memes#zutara#avatar netflix
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peaches peaches peaches peaches peaches I LOOOOVE YOUUUU
🍑👑🌸
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Time to relax 🍑🌸🍂
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Está persona me comprende a la perfección
Let’s talk about Kung Fu Panda 4
Okay, so we finally got some updates on KFP4, the plot, the director and what to expect to see in the film. My reaction to this is….mix.
On one hand, I’m so happy we got something! But on the other hand, I’m just really nervous and I don’t like this deflated feeling. So I’m writing this out to share my thoughts and wanting to hear what the fandom thinks. I’ll try not to make this too long or sound like a rant, I’m going straight to the point and talk about the good and bad about KFP4.
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So first let’s talk about the director: Mike Mitchell
……Oh boy.
Ok I’m not gonna give the guy any crap, I’m willing enough to give him a chance. Yes I know he directed Trolls, but he also directed Shrek Forever After. I looked back at that movie after The Last Wish and it’s not really that bad. It was actually sweet and serious in some parts. And that’s what I hope this director will do, have the 4th film at least serious in some parts and don’t make it too goofy or jokey where it feels awkward.
Now on to the story and this is the best way I can summarize this from a few articles I’ve read:
“ Po is getting promoted to be the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, but he has to choose someone to take his place as the new Dragon Warrior. He catches a theft fox who he could see potential in their skills but they don’t get along. But Then a Chinese sorcerer known as ‘The Chameleon’, has summon Po’s past villains from the dead. Now Po and his (student?) must journey together and stop this new villain. ”
So judging by the information that we got, it sounds like many years have passed since the third movie. Po becoming leader actually worries me because it’s probably hinting that Master Shifu may pass away and now Po has to take his responsibilities (This is just a guess so sorry Shifu fans!).
There is also this fox character they have mention in the articles which they can’t seem to get the name right and they keep flipping their gender. First it was misspelled as Shen, then it was Chen and Zhen so I’m just gonna call them Fox for now on.
I wonder what kind of story arc will they give Fox. What’s their backstory? What kind of lessons they must learn? Does Po see himself in them or are they both different with different views? These are some questions I hope they answer. Giving Po a student to teach was a direction I theorized DreamWorks will go down and I’m glad they did. The trilogy had Po as a student, now taking the role of masterful teacher, it make sense to passed down those experiences to someone. I can really image the funny shenanigans they can get in to, along with the Furious Five. I think it would have been awesome if they each had a student too and they all come together fighting the villains with the skills they were taught. If there’s one thing I’m really worried about is the Five getting pushed aside for this new character or Fox ending up being a perfect character. Have Fox be flawed, have them be a kid we can relate and root for and something that the kids will like too.
Now let’s talk about my most favorite thing of all: THE VILLAINS!!!
OH MY GOD MY FANGIRL IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER! TAI LUNG, SHEN AND KAI ARE COMING BACK!! AND I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS A GOOD OR BAD THING!!??
I am shock, like I never expected they go down this route. Story wise, I understand why the three shouldn’t come back as they served their purpose as villains, but no, they are bringing them all back. A actual animation studio is listening and giving the fans what they wanted??
DreamWorks must be watching their fandoms, that’s the only explanation I can think of. They must have saw all of our fanarts and fanfics and went like “Oh damn, they really love are villains…you know what, let’s bring them back.”
So how will this affect the story? I honestly don’t know, maybe Fox has to learn all body, mind, and spirit in order to help Po and the Five.
Now what I’m really surprised is they choose a chameleon to be the forth villain. I did some research this morning, and there’s not that many species that look intimidating. But if they could make a peacock threatening, I’m sure they can make a chameleon threatening too. I even looked up about sorcerers in China and I think they meant shamans. Chinese shamans are known to be wizards or spirit mediums, this could mean the Chameleon may have some connection to the spirit realm, which I hope they explored more on. I read some of this under Wikipedia, its very interesting.
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And that’s all I have to say for Kung Fu Panda 4. I am a little worry for this film but I’m not gonna get worked up about it, I’m gonna stay positive that it will work and I’m sure it will. The only thing that could save this film is the animation. I think KFP is perfect for that hybrid spiderverse animation.
But what do you guys think and are you still excited for the sequel?? If you wanna discuss anything about this I’m all ears.
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Peaches, peaches, peaches, peaches, peaches 🍑🔥
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