'Kung Fu Panda 3' is a fun trilogy capper

While we certainly have animated film franchises that have reached trilogy status, such as Shrek, Ice Age, and soon Despicable Me, the only one at this point that film critics generally agree was great all the way through is the Toy Story series.  Shrek and Ice Age lost a lot of goodwill with audiences due to lousy later entries, but from my point of view, Toy Story is a series that actually seemed to get better as it progressed, expanding on its characters and ideas in both funny and emotional ways.

Kung Fu Panda 3 may finally cement Dreamworks' popular series as the second animated trilogy where all three entries are genuinely good.  It still has some drawbacks that ultimately prevent it from completely reaching the standards of its predecessors, but it retains many of the series qualities in both its writing and direction, and feels like a genuine progression of the story rather than a rehash.

The titular panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) starts the film continuing to be both the heroic warrior and the excitable kid at heart audiences love him for, but is thrown for a loop when his longtime mentor Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) retires and appoints Po as the new teacher for his fellow warriors, hoping for him to learn the ins and outs of mentoring himself.

Things get even more complicated when Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), a visitor to the noodle shop of Po's longtime adoptive goose father Mr. Ping (James Hong) turns out to be Po's biological father, and he soon leaves his village to discover the hidden colony of pandas Li calls home, as well as learn more about his origins.  The fun is cut short, though, as the formidable ox warrior Kai (J.K. Simmons) has escaped from the afterlife and is bent on capturing the world's kung fu masters and creating an army from their chi, or spirit energy.  Po realizes he needs to learn more about chi if he wants to stand a chance, as well as figure out how to teach the village of clumsy pandas how to defend themselves.

The previous Kung Fu Panda films offered wonderful animation and art direction, and that tradition continues here, with smartly designed characters and environments, stylized angles and lighting at the right moments, and intricate fight scenes that take full advantage of the limitless camera opportunities 3D animation provides.  The film also does a good job of continuing to offer some witty and well-timed moments of humor (Though for some reason, the advertising for this series has always done a poor job of showcasing that aspect), especially in the first half.

However, there are some more noticeable flaws this time around.  The first two films did a great job with their villains, giving them tragic backstories that made them feel their actions were justified rather than being evil for no reason.  I was excited when I heard J.K. Simmons would be playing Kai, as anyone who saw Whiplash knows he's a great choice for intimidating villains, but the character barely registers here.  His backstory is flimsy, his personality is generic, and his screen time is limited.  The more supernatural approach he takes when fighting makes for some cool moments, but the character still feels like a missed opportunity.  The majority of the panda villagers are also mostly one-trick ponies, usually providing a recurring joke and little else.  Even ribbon dancer Mei Mei (Kate Hudson) doesn't develop or contribute much to the story, despite getting a lot of attention in promotional materials.

On the plus side, Li, the most important of the new characters, is handled great.  I went in assuming that, due to the casting of an actor best known for Walter White, he would be a no-nonsense and dull character, but he's lively, lovable, and plays off the leads wonderfully.  You can completely see Po being like him in a couple of decades, and it feels like Cranston had a ton of fun voicing the role.  I was also worried the film would make some bad decisions in terms of the relationship Po had with Mr. Ping with the discoveries here, but the growing relationship between the two fathers is handled well, and Ping actually ends up having his most prominent role in the series yet.

As far as the other big flaws go, while the first two films kept their momentum strong all the way through, I think the second half of this entry isn't as funny or clever as the first.  There's also a definite lack of hard-hitting emotional moments the prior entries were so good at (I'd cite Shifu's fight with Tai Lung in the first film and Po's flashback in the second film as the best examples of this), and the stakes don't feel as personal or important.  I will say that it's nice that the film found a way to bring back the long-departed character of Oogway in some scenes, and Shifu, my favorite character in the series, gets some more screen time here compared to the meager focus he received in the second entry.

These issues may make it sound like the film was a major disappointment for me, but I actually still ended up having a very good time.  Kids and families who don't prioritize these elements as much will have a wonderful time with Kung Fu Panda 3, those who love the effort put into animation will still have plenty to marvel at, and for all its flaws, the story feels like a genuine and natural progression rather than a retread.  I walked out of this far more satisfied than How to Train Your Dragon 2, which felt like it was just spinning its wheels for most of the story.

I will say that the series has been a case of diminishing returns for me at this point, as I loved the first, enjoyed the second slightly less, and this less than the second.  While the ending hardly does anything to wrap up the potential for more sequels, I do think it would be smart of Dreamworks to leave well enough alone at this point before things possibly get dire.  We don't need a modern-day Shrek the Third.

Final score: A high 7 out of 10