Rated PG for martial arts action and some mild rude humor.
Starring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Bryan Cranston and J.K. Simmons
Directed by Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh (Kung Fu Panda)
I have to say, I was surprised the third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise was this good.
When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!
In 2008 DreamWorks took a risk on an animated film about a panda becoming a martial art master. It didn’t seem like the best idea, especially with a Crane and Mantis as sidekicks. But when Jack Black was cast as the voice of Po, things seemed to turn around. In fact, it has proven to be a winning combination of “teddy bear cuteness” and “kick-butt action.”
In Kung Fu Panda 3 , Po encounters two new characters. The first is his long-lost father, Li voiced by Bryan Cranston. And the other is Kai, a yak-like villain with the unmistakable voice of J.K. Simmons. Both Cranston and Simmons are welcomed additions to the cast and are thoroughly enjoyable. Speaking of the cast, Jolie, Liu, Hoffman and Kim are all welcomed comebacks.
I loved the themes of this film. Things like identity, family and responsibility will give parents plenty to talk about…once the kids get past all the silly jokes.
Writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger keeps the film moving with jokes that will have the kids laughing and some that will have the parents laughing. And the movie looks great. The colors are sharp and it really is enjoyable to watch.
This one is definitely worth the “Rental.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Yes, this one is fun for the whole family.
CONVERSATION STARTER:
- How does Mr. Ping react when Po and his dad are reunited?
- Why do you think he is jealous?
- Why do you get jealous?
- How can you work to get rid of jealousy in your life?
Read James 3:16
Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.