Kung Fu Panda 3 at 10: why the film especially resonates with dads
According to Polygon, Kung Fu Panda 3 turns 10 on Feb. 29 and stands out in the franchise as a particularly dad-focused family film.
The article notes the movie’s central conflict is familiar — another big villain threatens China and Po and the Furious Five must stop them — but what makes the third film special is its focus on Po’s three father figures and how each reacts to the changes around him.
Master Shifu, voiced by Dustin Hoffman, has retired and anoints Po as the new teacher; Po is already a famous Dragon Warrior but woefully underprepared for the responsibilities of leading others, which creates both comedy and a chance to revisit Po’s training struggles.
Po’s biological father Li, played by Bryan Cranston, finally reunites with his son and teaches Po how to be a panda — from rolling down hills to eating dumplings by the fistful — with Cranston making what the article calls a return to comedy after Breaking Bad.
Mr. Ping, the goose who raised Po and voiced by James Hong, provides the film’s emotional throughline: he feels jealous when Po rediscovers his birth father but is ultimately reassured and even helps counsel Li about being a parent.
Polygon argues those three intertwined fatherhood throughlines, combined with the usual villain-of-the-week plot and plenty of comedy, are why Kung Fu Panda 3 still pulls at dads’ heartstrings as it marks its 10th anniversary.
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