Director Mike Mitchell Discusses His Fresh Take On Kung Fu Panda 4 & Desire To Honor Fans

Kung Fu Panda 4 brings Po (Jack Black) back to the big screen after seven long years. Now it is time for him to move on from the role of Dragon Warrior and become Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, but before he can focus on finding a successor, the villainous Chameleon makes a play for his Staff of Wisdom. Joining forces with a snarky thief, Zhen (Awkwafina), the two go on a treacherous yet hilarious journey together to stop her.

Director Mike Mitchell did not work on any of the previous Kung Fu Panda movies, but he is no stranger to DreamWorks Animation. Mike directed the first Trolls film as well as Shrek Forever After. It is clear just from speaking to him how much passion he has for the art of animation, as he raves about the cast and even takes the time after every interview to thank the journalists for their role in bringing this film to the fans.

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Kung Fu Panda 4 Voice Cast & Character Guide: What The Actors Look Like In Real Life

The fourth Kung Fu Panda movie should see plenty of the existing cast reprising their roles for another exciting adventure with the Dragon Warrior.

Screen Rant sat down with Mike Mitchell on a sound stage, in a room that felt like stepping onto the Kung Fu Panda 4 set, to discuss the newest installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He confesses why it took so long to bring Po back to the big screen, as well as the importance of tying in elements from the previous three films while still delivering something new. Mike also discusses Tenacious D’s Britney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time cover, and how fans may never see anything so perfect again.

How Mike Mitchell Combined Old & New In Kung Fu Panda 4

Screen Rant: The Furious Five are not a main part of this movie, but they do get their moment to shine. How important was it to you that this story brings something new while still tying in elements from the previous three films?

Mike Mitchell: Great question, because as you know, I inherited a terrific cast already, starting right out the gate with James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, have you heard of this guy? He’s done a few films. So already we knew that it was getting crowded with a lot of people, and the Furious Five that we mentioned at the beginning.

But we really wanted people to leave the Valley of Peace and visit a whole new, Juniper city, sprawling city crowded with animals. It was like New York Times Square in ancient fantasy China. And we knew we wanted to introduce a whole bunch of new characters. So it was just a balance between the old and the new – the old and what everyone wanted to see and the new and the fresh. And the funny, funny people that wanted to be in it.

Screen Rant: Let’s talk Awkwafina and what she brought to the table.

Mike Mitchell: The best! So funny. I cheated a little bit because Nora and Jack were already friends. So they were pals. And I knew that and the way that they riff with each other and joke, it really informed us and made it a solid decision to work with Awkwafina because we’re like, this is gonna be great. And it’s not easy to be in a film with Jack Black. He is a very funny guy. And she’s just as funny as he is. So we had a good time.

Approaching Kung Fu Panda 4 With Sincerity, Great Animation & A Memorable VillainWith this being such a beloved franchise already, is there any pressure or nervousness that comes with creating the next installment? Especially after it has been so long since the last one?

Mike Mitchell: The only hesitation, that’s probably why it took so long to get to the screen, honestly, is we didn’t want to just make another one. Especially if we want people to go to the theater to see this on the big screen. We wanted it to be epic. We wanted it to be a great story. We wanted to further Po’s adventure. We wanted him to learn a lesson, to have a great theme.

So the only hesitation was making sure that we had that, and adding to that we wanted to have an incredible villain. And that’s not easy, because I think this franchise has the best villains of all time. So once we started to settle on a really great story with a really great villain and a really great adventure, the rest of it was easy, because I inherited a great cast. Everyone wants to be a part of Kung Fu Panda for the cast that I didn’t have yet. And then all the artists. DreamWorks really has the best animators and designers of any studio that I’ve ever worked at.

Let’s talk about the animation because there are different styles for certain key moments. How did that decision come about?

Mike Mitchell: It’s all about story. What doe this moment need? And if you notice, if it’s a really emotional moment, we’re not so whacky, we get a little real. The fur still looks beautiful and sometimes it rains a little bit. And then when it’s fun and silly and tavern fighting, the animators just go for it, and they can try whatever they want to.

The interesting thing was, is there are a lot of animators that worked on parts one, two, three, and now four, so they were perfect. They knew what they were doing, and they were terrific. But we also inherited a lot of young, fresh artists that grew up on Kung Fu Panda. They were little kids in the theater when Kung Fu Panda one was out. And they were like, crying, like I can’t believe I’m getting to animate Po. So we had a great time.

Jack Black Is The Heart And Soul Of The Kung Fu Panda FranchiseJack’s been voicing Po forever, I have to imagine he is very comfortable in the booth. What is it like watching him do his thing?

Mike Mitchell: It’s a party. Have you met him? I just sit back, and I laugh, and I have a great time. One thing that’s interesting about Jack is he’s so funny, and he’s so entertaining, that I’m not sure a lot of people realize or notice he’s also a tremendous actor and he’s making really specific choices. He’s digging into scenes, and he’s finding the emotional core of everything.

It was similar when I worked with Eddie Murphy, I was like, whoa, this guy’s a terrific actor. These guys are really good actors. And I think oftentimes, people that are so funny and so comedic, I think it’s a trick where you don’t realize that they are killing it. Very accomplished actor Jack Black. Is there anything he can’t do by the way?

He can sing Britney Spears.

Mike Mitchell: The song at the end! Britney Spears. Jack Black, Tenacious D, working with Britney Spears and on top of it, Hans Zimmer came in and put some violins on it. So it’s like, when is Hans Zimmer ever going to work with Britney Spears and Jack Black again? That’s ridiculous. So fun.

About Kung Fu Panda 4

After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Golden Globe nominee Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to… give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.

Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Golden Globe winner Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable.

In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

Check out our other interview with Jack Black & Awkwafina.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4 is the fourth film in the animated martial arts adventure franchise. The film will see Po leave his home and enter the city to search for his future Dragon Warrior replacement while dealing with a dangerous shapeshifting foe known as The Chameleon.

Director

Mike Mitchell , Stephanie Stine

Release Date

March 8, 2024

Studio(s)

DreamWorks Animation

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures