Review Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016): Beautiful and incredible sequel. This is how it should be done!

genre: animation, action, adventure, comedy

The first Kung Fu Panda already was quite the masterpiece. Then the sequel managed to improve on that even further. How was Kung Fu Panda 3 going to top that? Well, somehow they did. And the result is phenomenal.

This is how all movies should be. Made with a lot of hard work and love. Right from the start you are taken on a journey and no matter how simple the story it never lets up until the end where you are left feeling enormously good. Again it's basically about Po (Jack Black) learning something essential in order to defeat the villain of the story and you know what if it is told like this I would never ever get tired of it. While for the most part Po has remained the same jolly and lovable character you can't deny that he has matured. It is rare to see an animated character grow like he has. Po and the other characters in this franchise have been very fortunate and that probably is because the people involved in the production care for what they make. Most sequels often rehash the same from the original but very rarely do something new or fresh with the established characters. In this franchise they have taken what you know and learned about the important characters and then build on that in a way that they remain to be interesting and compelling. This all manifests in the little interactions these characters have in between the high octane action. (Apart from the gorgeous visuals the action was awesome. You know a lot of action film makers could learn from this. Most of them have forgotten how to do those films properly.) And you would not say so at first but I absolutely loved how they handled the adopted father versus biological father issue. Or how Po finally got the chance to get in touch with his origin and his roots. And how can you possibly ignore overload of cuteness in this film. I hate to sound like a broken record but you can tell that this is made with a lot of love and care and it is shown through the characters who shine in moments that are real touching. It warmed my heart to see that like it's predecessors this film showed a respect for the material (Chinese martial arts films) it was inspired by. 

Don't get swayed by the naysayers. This is an incredible animated movie which is packed with a lot of content and substance. And above all it is easily one of the most beautiful and gorgeous animated movies in existence.