After a long wait of nearly a decade Kung Fu Panda 4, the fourth instalment of the popular Kung Fu Panda franchise is confirmed with its trailer dropping a few days ago. The news has the fans of the franchise roaring with joy and excitement. With 2023 being an exciting year for animated films and series – Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse and Blue Eye Samurai stealing the show – it is reassuring that 2024 will be more of the same.

After 7 long years, our favorite squishy Dragon Warrior is back for his next big quest ahead of him. Universal Pictures recently dropped the highly anticipated Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer where it has been confirmed that Kung Fu Panda 4 will be premiered on the big screen on March 8, 2024.

Directed by Mike Mitchell, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures Kung Fu Panda 4 seems like a superhit in the making. The movie was confirmed back in 2022 and was also confirmed that the release would be in 2024. After that long gap of two years, now we have a trailer where we can see what to expect.

Why It Took 7 Years?

The first installment of Kung Fu Panda was released back in June 6, 2008. The release of this traditional Chinese-styled martial arts animated film packed with comedy and humor soon became a favorite movie for people of all ages. After that, every instalment of Kung Fu Panda was hyped up and became beloved by the fans.

But after Kung Fu Panda 3 which was released on January 29, 2016, the next project faced a huge gap in the timeline. What happened exactly? In an interview, Director Mike Mitchell answered this question which was everyone’s question too. Mike said, “Well, what took so long is that we wanted to make sure we had the story right, and we didn’t want to move forward until we had the greatest story of all time to tell. We really wanted Po to evolve. We wanted to meet new characters. We wanted to visit new worlds. We wanted to expand his world, so that took a while to get right and to design it all.”

The thing that they wanted to deliver a good story instead of milking a story with plot holes and the usual story lacking creativity and release every couple of years sure could be understandable that they wanted the best story picked for Kung Fu Panda 4. Now it’s a wait for us to see what they have packed for us.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Cast

The cast of Kung Fu Panda always has been full of special people who have taken the film to the next wholesome level. Kung Fu Panda 4 will see the return of Jack Black as the iconic voice of Po, the lovable and heroic Dragon Warrior. Alongside him, Awkwafina will be joining the cast in the role of Zhen, an intelligent and cunning thief who is taken under Po’s wing to become the latest addition to the ranks of Dragon Warriors.

But Po and Zhen won’t be alone in their fight against evil. Kung Fu Panda 4 will also feature the talents of Oscar-winning actors Viola Davis and Ke Huye Quan. Davis will be voicing the cunning and manipulative Chameleon, the newest villain of the Kung Fu Panda universe. With her shapeshifting abilities, Chameleon can embody the traits and abilities of any of Po’s former enemies, making her a formidable opponent for the Dragon Warrior and his allies.

Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Dustin Hoffman and James Hong will also be reprising their role as Furious Five and others in the upcoming animated film.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Plot

In the trailer of Kung Fu Panda 4, it is revealed that Po, the protagonist, has a new role to play. Instead of being a dragon warrior, he is now tasked with becoming the spiritual leader of The Valley of Peace. Master Shifu is pushing Po to prepare for this new challenge and also to select a new dragon warrior. However, a new villain has emerged who is the strongest villain yet. The Chameleon has the power to take on the abilities of previous villains, making it a formidable opponent.

The Chameleon aims to destroy the Dragon Warrior and disrupt the peace in the valley. To achieve this, it summons Tai Lung and takes his power. Po teams up with a new character, Zhen, to form an army of new characters and combat the new threat in order to save the world’s peace.

Won’t We See ‘The Furious Five’?

The absence of Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey and Mantis also known as Furious Five in the trailer of Kung Fu Panda 4 has created a concern among the fans that they might be missing in the next big title. But this is not true, they will appear in the film but will have smaller roles instead of having a long screen time which was seen in the previous titles.

Director Mike Mitchell says, “Well, here’s the thing. The Furious Five do make an appearance in this part—all five of them: Crane, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Tiger. But we decided to evolve our story. We incorporated a whole bunch of new characters. So, we’ve got a penguin. We’ve got a granny boar. We’ve got these three really cute bunnies that can become super evil and attack people. The list goes on and on. The movie is so jam-packed with brand-new characters. We wanted to expand our story and get Po out of the Valley of Peace.”

Many fans adore the Furious Five for their actions and great chemistry with Po. However, the news of their limited screen time is disappointing. But there’s no need to despair, as they could soon have their own spin-off title to further develop their characters, while Po battles the Chameleon. If they don’t create a spin-off title, there may be a significant gap in character development.

Who Will Be The Next Dragon Warrior?

As Po is approaching retirement from his role as the dragon warrior in Kung Fu Panda 4, the question arises as to who will be his successor. In the trailer for the upcoming film, a fox named Zhen is seen alongside Po, leading some to speculate that this new character may be the next dragon warrior.

However, there are debates about whether Tai Lung, who has returned, could be the perfect candidate to become the next dragon warrior after Po. If he regrets his past and is now committed to serving the world as a better version of himself, he could be a strong contender for the role. Master Oogway initially denied Tai Lung the title because he had darkness in his heart but he has the potential to become the next big leader. Well, everything will become clear once the film is released.