“I think it might be the best”: Jack Black Gives His Verdict on Kung Fu Panda 4 After Initial Reactions Trashed Sequel for Being Inferior to Previous Movies
Jack Black has been voicing the character of Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise ever since its existence. The fourth chapter of Kung Fu Panda witnessed its theatrical release on March 8, 2024. The Kung Fu Panda franchise revolves around the adventures of the anthropomorphic giant Panda, Po. Unlike other animated franchises, it has managed to preserve its reputation with respect to popularity and box office numbers.
After being compared with the precious chapters, Jack Black gave his verdict on the fourth chapter of Kung Fu Panda.
Jack Black Believes Kung Fu Panda 4 Might Be The Best Installment In The Franchise
Fans waited for a long time for the Kung Fu Panda 4. The third chapter of Kung Fu Panda was released in 2016, and after a gap of 8 years, fans got the chance to witness the adventures of their favorite panda onscreen. The initial reaction to Kung Fu Panda 4 labeled it inferior with respect to the previous installments in the franchise. However, the Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle actor believes that Kung Fu Panda 4 might be the best chapter of the anthropomorphic Giant Panda franchise. During an interview with a media outlet, Jack Black mentioned–
I was laughing, I think it might be the best Kung Fu Panda.
The first installment of Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008. With a production budget of $130 million, it went on to amass a whopping box office collection of $631.7 million. It became the highest-grossing animated movie worldwide in 2008. The massive blockbuster went on to construct the path for the rest of the Kung Fu Panda installments. Kung Fu Panda 2 made a box office collection of $665 million and the third installment went on to collect $521 million against the production budget of $150 million and $145 million respectively.
Read Also: DreamWorks’ Original Plan Makes Kung Fu Panda the Fast and Furious of Animation
Jack Black On What He Takes Back From The Character Of Po From The Kung Fu Panda Franchise
During the promotion of Kung Fu Panda 4, Jack Black appeared for an interview with co-star Awkwafina. On being asked, what he takes back home after being the voice behind Po for years, Jack Black said-
Well, in terms of messaging, I think it is about spiritual growth and I think it’s about trust, friendship, the value and importance of it, and the power of love. It is also just about having a really great time in the cinema, like when I was watching it with the audience yesterday at the premiere, I was so excited, I was like having visions of people seeing it all over the world in theatres and just feeling like proud to be a part of it.
On appearing for an interview with Polygon back in 2022, Jack Black spoke about what led him to voice the character of Po in Netflix’s Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. He said-
“Jeffrey Katzenberg told me, You don’t have to worry about creating some new character. I want you to be you. And he got some footage, I think it was audio from School of Rock, or High Fidelity, one of my earlier movies, and he had the animators do a short animation using that audio.”
Kung Fu Panda 4 revolves around the beloved anthropomorphic giant Panda Po leaving his home in the quest for his future Dragon Warrior replacement while dealing with a shapeshifting enemy The Chameleon.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently running in the theatres.
