Kung Fu Panda 3 (DVD)

Stars: Voices: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Kate Hudson, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, Jackie Chan

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Alessandro Carloni

The continuing saga of the adventures of podgy panda Po makes excellent family entertainment, since the batty blend of action, comedy and magnificent animated spectacle keeps the franchise bubbling.

Screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger conjure up a suitably zany story to keep the franchise alive and kicking, the latter being something of Po’s combat specialty when he finds himself faced with having to save the day (and just about everything else) when supernatural villain Kai and his zombie army set out to cull every kung fu master in China and become a supreme conqueror.

Spice the familiar mixture with the return of Po’s long-lost father, lashings of animated comedy, silly slapstick including a gross dumpling-eating contest, and/or combat and Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni’s speedy direction and you have a fun film that successfully pandas to the likes of its target audience.

No masterpiece, but that rare kind of sequel, one that still satisfies.

Alan Frank

USA/China 2016. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Technicolor.
90 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: U.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 09 Jul 2016