Li’s presence delights Po, who’s thrilled merely to discover that other pandas exist. Simmons is a natural as the vengeful Kai, having perfected his ominous baritone in everything from HBO’s prison drama “Oz” to his Oscar-winning performance as a tyrannical music teacher in “ Whiplash.”īy contrast, Bryan Cranston dials up the dulcet tones to play Po’s returned papa Li, who convinces Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he can teach Po the ancient art of chi necessary to defeat Kai. Attacking Oogway allows Kai to return to the mortal realm to continue his attempt at world domination, leaving only Po to stop him. Stuck there for centuries, Kai’s been stealing the chi, or energy, of ancient kung fu masters and turning it into amulets that transform into jade soldiers at his command. Simmons), an angry yak Oogway had exiled to the Spirit Realm. The late kung fu master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) - the tortoise who selected the unlikely Po as the legendary Dragon Warrior - is trying to enjoy his eternal rest when he’s interrupted by Kai (J.K. In a prologue, “Kung Fu Panda 3” wastes no time getting to the heart of its central conflict. That set things up for a reunion between Po - who had been living with his adoptive father, a goose - and his birth family. And this Dragon Warrior is every bit as brave as the galaxy’s favorite Resistance pilot.ĭreamWorks Animation’s “ Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) ended with a revelation: The biological father of Po (voice of Jack Black) is alive and living in a faraway panda Shangri-La.
Po remains a charming bumbler - excited to learn, for example, that other pandas don’t eat with chopsticks. In “Kung Fu Panda 3,” Po, left, reunites with his father, Li.