We finally sat down to watch Kung Fu Panda 4 and it cemented the fact that this franchise is incapable of making bad sequels. Usually, I’m the kind of person that is sick and tired of sequels. I want something fresh or new. But Kung Fu Panda continues to pull me back in time after time. Part of it has to do with Jack Black of course. His portrayal of Po is timeless and is a whole mood with his love for food, hijinks, and dramatic moments. But the main reason why I think that this franchise works is that it leans into the different parts of life’s journey. Every single movie, from the first one to the third one, showed a different part of Po’s life with specific hurdles that felt earned and like it was the right step. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like the next logical step in Poe’s journey.
In many ways, the fourth movie kind of reminds me of when we were no longer teens and were entering adulthood. I personally grew up thinking that there wasn’t going to be any fun, color, or exploring the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought it was supposed to be hard work, having kids, and buying a house. And I feel this shift in life’s journey or the expectations that come from it in Po’s journey in this movie. As soon as he was asked to pick the next Dragon Warrior, he was hesitant. It was like a whole part of his life was over and he was scared at what came next. He thought this was the best part and that after he no longer was the Dragon Warrior, he wouldn’t have the fun or adventures he was part of in these last four movies. And it took him a whole journey to understand that change doesn’t mean the end. It’s the beginning.
Enter Zhen. This fox is almost a reflection of who Po would have become if his dad Mr. Ping didn’t find him and raise him. And it really says a lot about the kind of characters that they are, that they both ended up at this place. They are both super talented individuals when it comes to fighting and I think they both have kind hearts, even if Zhen is a little bit more hesitant to show that kind heart. But that’s okay because Po was there to believe in her in the same way that his dad believed in him, shifting her perspective on what the world is like but also who she could be. For adults, that might not seem like big news. But again, this is one of the reasons that the Kung Fu Panda movies do so well: they explain complex concepts to children in an easily digestible way that helps them better understand the complexities of life.
One of those complexities of life that I think this movie simplifies genius ways are the dads Mr. Ping and Li. Too often nowadays, homophobes try to act like it’s so hard to explain the concept of same-sex couples raising kids or just same-sex relationships. But Kung Fu Panda 4 has two dads raising their son in a way that could be interpreted romantically. Think of it like this, if it was a man and a woman in a movie acting like this, would you even question that they’re parents or together? You wouldn’t. So for me, I entered this movie thinking that these two men were raising their child and that’s it. And if I could accept it like nothing, I’m pretty sure a kid will accept it like nothing and keep moving on because they want to see that scary chameleon lady turn into an elephant again. Basically, I feel like the two dads’ relationship normalizes our experiences as queer people in subtle but brilliant ways.
Another strength of these movies is the concept of found family. No one does it alone. And if your blood relatives can’t be around anymore or won’t be around anymore, it’s not the end. There is always a new start around the corner and you never know what kind of people you’ll meet. You might not even know if they will one day become your family. But it could happen just like it happened to Po and Zhen in Kung Fu Panda 4. You don’t even have to come from the same walks of life to find your way to each other. And there’s such a great comfort in that and how all of these characters fit with each other. There’s even more comfort in the thought that Zhen found that with Po and hopefully the rest of the gang since they were away on their own adventures when Po was finding his new Dragon Warrior.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, I seldom like sequels. But this franchise is one that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of again. My hope is that the next movie sees Po trying out new things besides being this Zen mentor. Because one day Zhen is going to go out on her own and have her own adventures. And just like a parent has to figure out who they are when their children leave home, Po is going to have to figure that out too. As the viewership of this franchise continues to be people who first watched these movies as a kid and now share them with their little ones, it would be interesting both for adults and children. Because we all need a little reminder that change is part of life, we’re not alone in it, and that “if things stayed the same forever, sooner or later, they would lose their flavor.”
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now in theaters.
