March 4th, 2024 
Jackson Murphy 
DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by Mike Mitchell, co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine and produced by Rebecca Huntley. I first spoke with them back in December at the launch of the film’s first trailer. Now that I’ve seen the entire movie (which opens in theaters this Friday March 8th), here’s my new Animation Scoop Q&A with this trio about what fans of this long-running, nearly $2 Billion franchise should get ready “4”. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: As I was watching it, Mike, I thought, “This film embraces the idea of legacy.” What was your goal with this when it comes to legacy?
Mike Mitchell: Well, I like to call it a love letter to the first “Kung Fu Panda”. I think it’s the best franchise that this studio has ever created. It is terrific. And that’s not just because Jack Black is so amazing as this Kung Fu Panda, but it’s also because I think it’s created the best villains I’ve ever seen in any animated feature, ever. And I just love the villains. So our goal for this one was to really build on the legacy of not just Po, but all those villains to try to make the best movie ever.
JM: There’s a lot when it comes to this movie. It’s about passing the torch. It’s about facing old foes and frenemies. And there’s a new partner that Po has, Zhen the Fox. Stephanie, what layers did you want to explore with Zhen in making her this great partner for Po on this epic journey?
Stephanie Ma Stine: Well, I think we were all very inspired by Po’s relationship with Master Shifu in [the first] “Kung Fu Panda”. There was a lot of friction between those two and honestly, it was probably my favorite dynamic. We wanted to see if we could find someone who could be like Po was for Master Shifu, so who could be that for Poe? To bring that, that really fun and funny friction — but it’s not just about the comedy, of course. There’s so many layers to her and she’s actually probably one of my favorite characters because by the end of the movie, you’ll sort of understand that she was one of the sort of battlegrounds for Po versus our antagonist, The Chameleon. It was really a fight for her and just seeing… Who would she turn to? Would she turn to the bad side or would she turn to the good side? And that’s just like showcasing the power and influence that kindness and forgiveness that Po has towards everyone.
JM: I love the dimensions of these characters. The power of these voice performances. Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis voicing The Chameleon. So, Rebecca, in working with her and crafting this villain… how nasty do you want a villain character to be compared to the others? It’s a showcase character, I think, for this franchise, for DreamWorks, for the stakes that are involved in this movie.
Rebecca Huntley: Absolutely. When Viola agreed to do this character, we were beyond the moon. What she brings, the power that she brings in her performance, I think puts The Chameleon over the top. She is above all our prior villains. She is so formidable. She is so powerful. And the fact that she packs it all into this tiny pint sized chameleon. What you really see in the movie is, she could so easily be underestimated. And it’s what she’s out to prove. To see this diminutive villain who people look at and would dismiss, and then you hear the voice and the power of Viola Davis coming out of this character, she is not to be messed with. She can pack all the villains into one and really stand above the rest and really challenge Po like he’s never been challenged before. So we are so thrilled that she is our villain, and I can’t wait for everybody to see what she brings.
MM: She was underestimated, just like Po in the first film was underestimated. No one thought this portly panda could fight the great Tai Lung, and it’s the same with this villain. Do not underestimate Viola Davis.
JM: And I remember when the first “Kung Fu Panda” came out and people were thinking, “How big of a box office draw is this going to be?” And then it opens to $60 million and does $215 million and keeps going and going on. Some of my favorite moments in the movie, Mike, I have to be honest, involve Tai Lung. The dialogue specifically for him, and the deliveries from Ian McShane, and the reasons why he does what he does — as a fan of the franchise and as a fan of good storytelling, I really like the Tai Lung presence in this.
MM: That’s so great for you to say, Jackson. I’m so glad you recognize that. Ian McShane is hilarious in how evil and confident his acting is. We were laughing at some of his more serious lines because he’s so intimidating. He’s such a scary presence, and to have Tai Lung back… like I said I think this franchise really has created the best villains and Tai Lung is at the very top. And I couldn’t be more excited to know that he was coming back in this one.
JM: Stephanie, I had the chance to watch this at home. Thank you. DreamWorks and Universal for the screener link. But for everybody going to see this on the big screen: there’s an artistic focus on the fight sequences. What did you want to accomplish with how these sequences are presented? It’s going to be epic for families watching this on the big screen.
SMS: I think audiences all across the world now are so sophisticated and they’ve watched so many great fight scenes. So we were constantly asking ourselves, “How do we top that? How do we top that?” (laughs) What makes each fight very special are the characters involved. And to be able to showcase each character’s talent, we talked to our stunt choreographers and just made sure that they understood what each character’s life philosophy and background was. We tried to make sure that they knew as much as possible about the characters as we understood about them so that they could approach each character’s fighting style with a very unique sort of flavor and philosophy. So to be able to film each fight where each character is coming from a very different place I think is what will make every single fight very memorable. One of my favorite fights is actually the Po versus Evil Po fight, where we’re really leaning into the GoPro camera because we want to be in Po’s point of view where he’s really swept off his feet. He doesn’t know up from down, left from right. And the sort of GoPro look was really perfect for showing us how unbalanced he was and just how much The Chameleon really manipulated him into feeling like that.
JM: Rebecca, I like that “Kung Fu Panda 3” was big in terms of the fathers’ dynamic. And now, in this one, you give Po’s two fathers this journey of their own. They’re teaming up themselves. How important was that for you to incorporate this supporting plot line, but very important plot line to the story?
RH: Absolutely important. I’m glad you see that. It’s something about the way they were in “3”, and Li coming into the picture, and the dynamic between Mr. Ping and Li. And now really realizing that Po has his two dads and the presence that they have in support of their son — they have two very different personalities, and to see them both show their love towards Po, seemingly in different ways, but yet they come together and they really respect each other and have an understanding of how each other fathers, how each other parents. And yet, there’s no one right way. The journey that they have, much through comedy, but you really see those heartfelt moments and how much they love their son. And as a parent they will do anything to try and protect them and help them. So it was really important for us to make sure they were part of this story and part of this journey, because as much as we see Po’s journey in this, we also see the dads go through a transformation in their journey. And of course with James Hong and Bryan Cranston, you can go no wrong. They’re so fun and so fantastic, and they bring so much to the characters in the movie.
JM: Mike, has there been a Master Shifu in your life when it comes to this animation world — a mentor like that? And do you really see yourself as a mentor to the next generation of animators with your years of working on big animated films?
MM: You’ll have to ask the next generation of animators. I can’t answer for them, but I will say it’s really fun to work at DreamWorks because there’s so many excellent artists and directors on campus here, and we’re really lucky. I’m still learning from those guys, but it seems to be a symbiotic thing where we all help each other on our films. For example Tom McGrath, who directed all the “Madagascar” films and “Boss Baby” and “Megamind”, is one floor up from us. And we were lucky enough to just pull him down and show him the film and get his advice for certain sequences. Similarly, Mike Andrews, the editor of the “Spider Verse” movies, was working here for a few weeks. So we took advantage of that and we pulled him into the editing bank, and we asked his opinion. We’ve got an excess of wonderful mentors here at the studio. It’s been great.
JM: And Stephanie, I think the shape-shifting moments are going to blow people away. How challenging was it to put together a shape-shifting moment and have the team pull that off?
SMS: You know, I think that was the greatest technical challenge that we faced during this entire movie and to get it just right. It took years. (laughs) The combined minds of so many genius people working here and then Mike, of course, really leading the way. Just the right amount of creepy and scary to really highlight how great of a villain The Chameleon is. There was a lot of fine tuning with her — a lot. There were so many iterations, but I think what we came up with… she’s going to look iconic and I think she’s going to be iconic. So hoping that the world will love her just as much as we do.
MM: Stephanie and I did discuss a lot of horror films too. Not just werewolf transformation movies, but “Terminator 2” and “The Thing”. We’re always thinking that there’s a creepy quality to her changing. Jackson, I don’t know if you noticed, she can change into any form, but she retains her lizard skin.
JM: Right!
MM: That was really a huge technical challenge for our effects people. And they did a fantastic job.
JM: So cool. Rebecca, how many more of these do you want to be a part of? How do you see the “Panda” legacy continuing on?
RH: This is such an incredible franchise. I think it can continue for many, many more. I feel like it has so much to offer. And I truly believe that what we’ve been able to do with number four expands the world even larger and allows it to keep going. So let’s see what the audience is wanting, and we’d be happy to provide.
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