SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses major plot points for “Kung Fu Panda 4,” now playing in movie theaters.
Everyone’s favorite panda Po is back in “Kung Fu Panda 4,” with Jack Black returning to voice the martial arts master.
This time, he’s on a grand adventure as he sets out to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace and train a Dragon Warrior. Helping him out is his new sidekick, a fox named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina). On the quest, Po is forced to leave his comfort zone of the Valley and venture out into Juniper City, a place bustling with action, plenty of food and new characters. But Po faces an obstacle in his mission: The Chameleon, a shape-shifting lizard voiced by Viola Davis.
“Trolls” director Mike Mitchell, who worked on the previous “Kung Fu Panda” films, steps into the directing chair, sharing duties with Stephanie Ma Stine. Together, Stine and Mitchell had plenty of fun bringing Po and his friends to the big screen. They also made sure to drop in easter eggs galore that paid homage to the past films, but also Bruce Lee, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.”
Here Mitchell and Stine share the stories behind some of those nods.
Bruce Lee
At the beginning of the film, Po thumbs his nose. Mitchell says, “That’s a Bruce Lee move. It’s a very quick thing Po does before his first fight, and that is from every Bruce Lee film ever.”
Adds Stine, “Of course we had to pay homage to Bruce Lee.”
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’
Mitchell says one of his favorite easter eggs is the shot-for-shot homage of the rabbit attack in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” “I love ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ It has a rabbit in it that attacks, and it’s a very violent sequence. [Animation artist] Josh Gunther, Stephanie and I studied that. We looked at the footage and said, ‘Can we do this shot for shot?’ And we did.”
Mitchell hopes the Monty Python fans will notice it right away, but in case they miss it Mitchell says, “We have a character yelling, ‘Run away. Run away,’ so it’s really on the nose.”
Hall of Heroes
This iconic place is situated within the Jade Palace. Here, fallen heroes who upheld the ancient teachings of Kung Fu are commemorated. Mitchell noted how in previous outings, Po has had a tendency to break the Urn of Whispering Souls, so he wanted to find a way to pay homage to the franchise. “We figured that vase needed to be broken again – he just can’t win. As a fan of the franchise, I love that one because it was the funniest moments between him and Shifu from the first film.”
Tavern Fight
Mitchell and Stine’s love for film is also reflected in the tavern fight scene. “‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ has the most spectacular tavern fight that goes from the lower levels to upper levels, and Stephanie and I discussed this a lot when we were crafting the design of our tavern,” says Mitchell.
Adds Stine, “The defining thing about that fight is the multiple levels, so we thought it would be fun to have Po and Zhen do the same thing.”
That same sequence also pays homage to Stephen Chow’s 2004 film “Kung Fu Hustle.” The Landlady is a powerful and skilled fighter, with curlers in her hair. Mitchell says it’s another film he adored and wanted to recognize this character in some way. “She is the thumbprint for our Granny Boar, voiced by Lori Tan Chinn.”
The Peach Pit
The jewel and its design was something Mitchell and Stine spent plenty of time considering. In a flashback sequence, The Chameleon gifts Zhen a jewel resembling a peach pit.
Mitchell explains, “Later, in the present, Po gives Zhen a chewed-up peach pit that has a nice story and proverb with it. In the flashback, the jewel is similar in shape, and size and is even peach-colored.”
Stine adds, “It’s a symbol of how each mentor tries to influence her. There’s wealth and power — The Chameleon. Or friendship, love and growth — Po.”
Zhen’s Sly Move in Mahjong
Look closely at Zhen during the mahjong game. “The first set of tiles that fall out of Zhen’s tail when she’s cheating at mahjong; she’s hiding a bunch of tiles in her big bushy tail, and it’s a perfect hand,” teases Mitchell.
‘The Sword in the Stone’
The film ends with an epic battle between Po and shape-shifting villian The Chameleon. In this moment, The Chameleon goes through at least 12 different transformations. According to Mitchell, that was inspired by Disney’s 1963 classic, “The Sword in the Stone” and the fight between Madam Mim, an evil witch and Merlin. “They would transform from one another into another, and we found that really inspiring. We watched it several times with our animation team and board artists. It’s an homage to that old Disney film,” Mitchell says.
The Sunset
For Stine, the symbolism of the sunset is “a wonderful artistic touch.” It occurs when Shifu tells Po that he has to become the next Oogway and has to let go of the Dragon Warrior title. “Our production designer Paul Duncan said we need to have the sunset or golden hour because the sun is setting on Po’s career, or so he thinks.”