Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: January 29, 2016
Starring (the voices of): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons, Kate Hudson, David Cross, James Hong
Director(s): Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh (Kung Fu Panda 2, Spawn: The Animated TV Series)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I’ve been a moderate fan of both Kung Fu Panda films. The first one I actually watched on DVD because it was gifted to me by a student. I was actually kind of floored by how good it was because I immediately wrote it off. I saw the sequel in theaters and really enjoyed it. However, I haven’t revisited either film much. As much as I enjoy these movies and the How to Train Your Dragon series, films put out by Dreamworks don’t really have a rewatchability factor. Despite this, I’m interested to see how Kung Fu Panda wraps up. The first two movies are visually stunning, funny, and have some great action sequences. I have faith in the third outing. Also, what a cast! –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I’ve never seen any of the Kung Fu Panda series, but I know it’s one of the more consistent franchises to come out of the usually shaky Dreamworks Animation. The January release date, usually a dumping ground for movies that studios have no faith in, does give me some concern though. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 2 out of 5. I’ll admit, the trailer was kind of ho-hum. However, I don’t remember any of the Kung Fu Panda trailers really grasping my attention. Maybe that’s how I just feel about animated film trailers in general. I’m never really wowed by any media or promotion for Pixar films, but their movies most often deliver, even more so. Now, I’m not comparing Pixar to Dreamworks; my respect for the former is like 200x higher. In similar fashion, though, I look at trailers for their movies similarly, and despite it not wowing me, I can’t completely write it off. Kung Fu Panda‘s previous movies have been a ton of fun even though not much was there in the trailer. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 2 out of 5. Not being a fan of the series or of the style of humor Dreamworks always seems to rely on, my biggest draws to this are Bryan Cranston and J.K. Simmons as the voices of Po’s father and the villain Kai respectively. Both have a great talent for voice work and are underrated actors who have only in the past few years gotten the recognition they deserve. It’s not exactly the most prestigious film for either of them, but it seems like they are both having fun with their parts. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. While I won’t turn down the theater for this one, finances are always in question. However, January is a pretty empty month movie wise, so maybe there is hope. If not, then it’s a #1 RedBox choice for sure. –LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? No Thanks. It would take a really great looking film to get me out of the house and into the theaters during the dregs of January’s dire movie release schedule. Kung Fu Panda 3 is not that film. – JTM
Kung Fu Panda 3 brings the pain and chow mein January 29th, 2016
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