Kung Fu Panda
News

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. announced this week that a sequel to Kung Fu Panda is due theaters on June 3, 2011.

Moreover, Kung Fu Panda 2 will be produced in stereoscopic 3D technology and released in IMAX.

Po and company will be back for more in 2011.

The original movie has earned over $626 million in worldwide box office so far; it stands as DreamWorks Animation's most successful original film of all-time.

Reportedly, the sequel will follow Po, as he continues his journey as the chosen one who fulfills an ancient prophesy, while mastering the art of kung fu. Jack Black and Angelina Jolie will lend their voices to the sequel, as well.

According to TAG Blog, which bills itself as "The thoughts and observations of the leaders of The Animation Guild," a Kung Fu Panda sequel is being discussed.

The recent blog entry states:

A story crew has started early work in Kung Fu Panda, the Sequel, even while animators are hand-drawing new material for the DVD of Kung Fu Panda, the original.

This news comes as no surprise. Kung Fu Panda has grossed approxmately $230 million in 19 days of release worldwide.

As predicted by the staff of Reel Movie News, Kung Fu Panda took in the most money at the box office this weekend.

Take that sex! And the city!

Here's a clip from the number-one movie in the land:

Not everyone wants to deal with the pressures of sex (and the city).

Nor do they need the dizzying action of an iron man or an aging archaeologist.

Therefore, for those seeking lighter fare this summer movie season, there's Kung Fu Panda. The animated film features the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie. Here's a summary of its recent reviews...

- I'm no fan of casting big movie stars as voices in animated films, but Black and Hoffman have great fun taking their characters from exasperated adversaries to bedgrudging comrades... -- MSNBC

- This is a solid family film material, although one suspects the children will get a little more out of it than their parents... -- ReelViews

- Kung Fu Panda may be on the higher edge of the middle rank of computer-animated films, but it'll still provide your kids with a fairly respectable mix of action, amazement and amusement... -- Cinematical

- Though aimed primarily at youngsters, Kung Fu Panda embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities... -- Hollywood Reporter

John Stevenson is the co-director of Kung Fu Panda. He recently spoke to ComingSoon.net about the upcoming film...

You've been in animation long enough to know that a lot of ideas end up being recycled whether it's the penguins of "Happy Feet" and "Surf's Up" or "Antz" and "A Bug's Life." "Kung Fu Panda" is a completely new and original idea and it's surprising that no one has thought of doing some kind of kung fu movie with talking animals before.

Who came up with that?
Stevenson: Yeah, it was a big high concept idea that had been at the studio that everybody had liked the idea and the sound of, but it hadn't found its voice when I started working on it. When Mark Osborne and our producer Melissa Culp came onto the film, it had been an idea in search of an execution.

I think the way it had started was more leaning towards parody and sort of a spoof and those kinds of choices, which we didn't think were very interesting. I don't really think parody stuff plays much longer than about a ten-minute "Saturday Night Live" sketch. It doesn't emotionally involve you, it doesn't hook you in, and the other thing was that we love martial arts movies.

Continue Reading...

Sure, Carrie Bradshaw and company are expected to dominate the box office this weekend. But they better enjoy it while they can!

A Kung Fu Panda is getting ready to take this fierce foursome on in the near future. Here's a clip from that movie:

Forget iron men and dark knights for a moment.

This summer features a Kung Fu Panda named Po. Check out the trailer for this fun-loving cartoon now: