Why Dreamworks Sequels RULE! (And Kung Fu Panda 4 Doesn't)

Not exactly a dream, but definitely a piece of work.
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/JustStopYT/
Twitter: / braxtonjs
First half edited by: ​⁠@zacquinn
Second half edited by: @PLATEZERO_
Character Stills by: / gusfreireart

[@misterzygarde6431]

I find Kung Fu Panda 4 to be sad since the co-director really did want the film to be more true to the first two but was ignored by the other director who wanted a more jokey tone and unfortunately had more creative control.

[@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967]

Though she have to respect that Shen commit genocide on pandas which is very irredeemable and therefore if she planned to bring him to the forefront with Kai, kept them evil in the end regardless of Po defeating the Chameleon since they're a lot worse and less tragic than Tai Lung.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

The fact that Zhen was chosen over Tigress as the Dragon Warrior feels really off

[@ladypool1404]

@@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375 Yeah. Zhen wasn't interrested to be a warior. He never thought about Tigress, his closest friend. That's a bit rude ☹Po picked Zhen, a person he knows for 2-3 days instead of Tigress. Poor her!

[@Picccles_hates-dbl]

Also, awkwahfina is there (idk if that's how you spell it)

[@Trefox87]

​@ladypool1404 I think that the idea of an unconventional pick would have worked of Zhen wasn't a great martial artist right of the bat and instead relied on tricks to start (whule still showing potential) and learned kung fu along their journey, as well as bringing Tigress as the one who picks Zhen for Po. Give Tigress an arc similar to Shifu, seeing the diamond on the rough, with Po wanting Tigress to take his place because he's seen how great she is over their many adventures, and her pretty much saying that Zhen should be the next because her joining their journey to take on someone impersonating Tai Long makes her rremember how only Po's unconventional style and willingness to learn and grow was the key to kung fu continuing to prosper. Also, I wish that it was something more to Chameleon, like she had faced Tai Long in the past and he was the one who had said she would never amount to anything in kung fu, possibly with Zhen having more to her connection with the Chameleon as well or even Tai Long or another kung fu master having tried to teach her in the past also seeing her potential only to leave/ lose her to the Chameleon (if it was Tai Long, it could have been that the Chameleon had raised Zhen, and sent her to steal the dragon scroll from Tai Long, only to find out he didnt have it, and leaving but starting her interest in kung fu and stealing artificacts) who should have been revealed as having taken her in as a child before the Pangolin guy and then sent to join the criminals as an informant if they ever got to uppity the same way the Chameleon hid among the crime lords during her early apperance to find out their real thoughts on her and to keep the paranoid and in check. It just feels like so many things that aren’t super unique but feel like they should have happened, just didn't.

[@cosmiccod6284]

Dreamworks has the curse of when they hit, they hit HARD, but when they fumble they FUMBLEEEEE

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@cosmiccod6284]

@@Dora-xi5ob never claimed to have any of those beliefs. But that being said, it was kinda their own fault (not because it was “woke” that’s ridiculous) They didn’t advertise it, to the point that people didn’t even know when it came out. Pixar did the same with elemental, people didn’t even know it was out because the advertisements were so minimal. Both those movies are just,,, okay. They aren’t bad, and they aren’t FUMBLES. I wouldn’t say elemental or strange world are anywhere near the quality of shark tale or shrek 3. They’re just okay. If disneys quality ranges from encanto to strange world, and dreamworks ranges from how to train your dragon to boss baby,,, then I’d argue Disney does in fact have better consistency lol

[@dulcemendoza3526]

@@cosmiccod6284don’t listen to him, he’s just spamming

[@cosmiccod6284]

@@dulcemendoza3526 oh lol oopsies

[@Dora-xi5ob]

@@dulcemendoza3526 no i actually want to hear what y’all have to say

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Kung Fu Panda 4 could've worked if they dropped Zhen and made it about Po and Tai Lung being forced to work together. The Chameleon succeeds to reviving Tai Lung prior to getting Po's staff, drains some of his power but finds she can't do more than that without the staff, Tai Lung is forced to go to Po for help and in turn they need to work together to fight the Chameleon and her army, while Tai Lung is forced to not only deal with being powerless for change but also confront his past mistakes with Tigress and Shifu, ultimately achieving Inner Peace and accepting he was never meant to be the Dragon Warrior, thus proving he can change and proving Po is a capable Teacher.

[@BigFearedBalloon]

Honestly, I do think it could work as a Trio with Zhen, Po and Tai Lung. Like with some obvious need for writing changes to improve all the characters and story, but I think it could be an interesting trio. Like Zhen still tries to steal the Spirit Wand from Po at the beginning of the movie, Po hears that Tai Lung attack the mines, then have Po and Fake Tai Lung fight until real Tai Lung comes into help and the Chameleon being outmatched decides to go into hiding to continue her plans. Zhen tells them that she knows where the Chameleon lives and the trio adventure to the city, with Tai Lung being a good deterrent from Zhen just stealing the spirit wand at anytime (especially when Po is sleeping). I feel like the concept could work well if executed properly.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it's rather interesting, though. People praise projects like the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for its cultural representation, but the only animated Asian influenced historical fantasy I've seen where the majority of the cast are actually Asian is Disney's "Mulan." Nowadays, when people think Asian voice actors, Akwafina is probably the first person that comes to mind.

[@tanner201x8]

@@Dora-xi5ob They shouldn’t have “missed” with Kung Fu Panda 4

[@tanner201x8]

@@ThePrincessCH What are you trying to say here

[@enescetiner4839]

Apparently all the budget went to Puss in Boots 2, because both the movies put after that were dissapointing.

[@dabatman5187]

That’s why Megamind had such shit animation

[@Agent_MrKrabs]

@@Toysonicandfriends2shut up

[@MysteriousGhost378]

That’s not how budget works bro kung fu panda 4 has beautiful animation

[@Toysonicandfriends2]

@@Agent_MrKrabs you jackass

[@YeeXGod]

​@@Agent_MrKrabsshut up

[@gabrielhagedorn5942]

The worst thing the Chameleon does in KFP 4 is shove a guy down the stairs…

[@wills2894]

Although the chameleon did take over a city, the movie doesn't explain how or why and only just a single sentence which is lazy

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Quoting the crab man, yes or no?

[@gabrielhagedorn5942]

@@Dora-xi5ob learned from the best

[@jamesgiles4517]

Lightly too

[@ValenArtsAnimation]

Master Shifu did it better in the first movie

[@lusaminefushiguro5332]

You know what's sad? That this movie could've been good. It's seeing the Wish concept arts all over again. Stephanie Stein was called a "nobody" and had almost no creative control but she wanted good things like Shifu getting to say a proper goodbye to Tai Lung. A villain like Chameleon actually holds great potential,shapeshifters can be actually rather terrifying when used correctly. But she ends up being bottom of the barrel when it comes to antagonists,especially DreamWorks antagonists... How the hell did Cars 3 did more of an effort into a storyline about coming to terms with change and aging to welcome the new generation

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@toastysweaters5692]

@@Dora-xi5ob Stop spamming, omg

[@HotDogGodorno]

@@Dora-xi5ob you a spam bot? just curious

[@HotDogGodorno]

@@toastysweaters5692 its a spam bot, just report it

[@cadendicky1855]

I still like Jack Black, even in this movie, he never usually misses in any of his roles, it's mostly that the movie itself wasn't well written. And yes, DreamWorks does have that "curse" where it can hit real hard sometimes, but also miss by miles away other times.

[@kingkirby1394]

While I do still respect dreamworks more than modern disney (for a variety of reasons) seeing them fumble one of their greatest strengths in an undercooked, confusing way is just depressing to see

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

I wonder why everyone hopped on DreamWorks being more respectful than Disney and not Studio Ghibli, Cartoon Saloon, or Lakia. All of whom have a much more consistent track record than DreamWorks.

[@kingkirby1394]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 Asking the real questions here (especially since ghibli just got a huge W over spiderverse 2, my current favorite film of all time)

[@ironmaster6496]

@@kingkirby1394with Ghibli i think it's just people'sn general xenophobia against asian made products in the same vein as a big majority of cartoon reviewers and fans not even considering anime as a form of animation With Laika i legit don't know, i grew up with their films and always found them vastly superior to almost anything disney has made, yet nobody sees their movies, at least ghibli is appreciated by the anime fans

[@goGothitaLOL]

Universal must’ve want DreamWorks to be more like Illumination recently In other words, “safe and predictable”

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@neilhannan7525]

Dreamworks is the example of 1 Step forward 2 Steps back 😢

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@Brian_Griffin_Gaming]

Can you see all of me

[@wildfire9280]

@@Dora-xi5ob Yeah… because Disney (and Pixar for that matter) is supposed to be consistently good. It’s almost like they have a better reputation.

[@MichealAfton1983]

@@Dora-xi5obthat’s mainly because Disney was usually consistent, dreamworks has always been like this

[@ruben4447]

@@Dora-xi5ob They made so many more movies after that which no one knows about because they were bad. Dont try to defend Disney just because everyone hates it and you wanna be different. All Disney made was Encanto which only got popularized because of the song We dont talk about Bruno. The rest that came was dogshit. What Dreamworks made is movies where the Storyline was actually good like in Puss in Boots 2 and even Bad guys was a good one. Disney destroyed a ton for example Marvel and Star Wars. One more thing which you are wrong about is saying everyone shrugs off bad Dreamworks movies. When Strange World flopped, people didnt really make a huge deal out of it because it was very obvious it was bad. But i contantly see people being mad at Dreamworks for ruining Kung fu Panda 4.

[@maurisa514]

I felt more disrespected by megamind the doom syndicate because it's not just a TV movie but the official sequel.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@Hypogean7]

​@@Dora-xi5obDisney makes a lot more content than Dreamworks.

[@cookimaus1]

No, its not. It is officially licensed, but its not the official sequel. It was made by the television division, therefore its just a tv movie.

[@miserirken]

@@Dora-xi5ob why are you spamming this?

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

@@Dora-xi5obThe reason why DreamWorks gets the victim card for always being inconsistent while Disney gets a lot of hate for being woke is because of expectations. Disney’s known for revolutionizing cinema, buying other companies, making almost people’s childhood, not to mention they’re also the biggest corporations ever existed. Despite this, their movies are usually regarded as some of the best movies of all time, and so when Disney makes a bad movie, it just feels like a huge shock especially when they assume it would be as good most Disney movies. And since Disney has been trying to be hip & cool with the kids these days by trying to be woke, while also having a rough history with diversity in recent years, it makes people feel uncomfortable as well as feeling devastated that Disney they become Anti-Woke people. DreamWorks has made some bad movies before, but the thing with DreamWorks is they usually have a 2 movie release schedule, so they typically make 2 movies that’s good or a movie that sucks. Not only that, but even some of their movies didn’t do so well, they at least came out with a banger or an enjoyable film a year after and nobody notices it for some reason. It’s why most people think DreamWorks are always inconsistent compared to Disney where they think it’s now woke.

[@TheMedicatedArtist]

One thing about Dreamworks is that they are consistently inconsistent. But that doesn’t happen unless you take *actual* risks instead of playing it safe.

[@goGothitaLOL]

Universal must’ve wanted DreamWorks to be more like Illumination In other words, “safe and predictable”

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@user-gp5yz5yz4x]

releasing a fourth movie to a successful trilogy is not taking risks

[@sirgame4595]

​​@@Dora-xi5obThats cause it is inconsistency.

[@kitieriwhite7758]

@@sirgame4595 Pretty sure its a bot cause I found it in several different comments saying the same thing, that or its a disney fan that wants a fight

[@DrAwe-fi6we]

If I'm not mistaken, Jack Black said 4 was his favorite Kung Fu Panda movie. A good reminder that sometimes you've gotta accept that people you love are capable of being wrong.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

He probably had the most fun making it. Or he was paid to say that

[@ThePrincessCH]

It's rather interesting, though. Projects like the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" get praised for cultural representation, but the only animated Asian influenced historical fantasy I've seen where most of the voice actors are actually Asian is Disney's "Mulan."

[@jamainegardner4193]

He's old and a bit goofy, so I can't really blame him for having off taste every once in a while.

[@ThePrincessCH]

@@jamainegardner4193 I don't think it's so much a question of taste, but of how much he enjoyed himself. People talk about how the fourth film is the less serious of the franchise, and Jack Black is known for being fun and wacky. Maybe he just had more fun making this one in contrast to its more serious predecessors.

[@funtimemarioman]

Heard this is the only king fu panda film with a tendacious d song in it, that could be a reason

[@Splonton]

One thing I'd like to point out: her name as far as I can tell is just "The Chameleon". All the other villains have names. Tai Lung, Lord Shen, Kai, all of them had thought out personalities, none of them were just generic bad guys with no thought, they all had NAMES. Except the Chameleon. She's just the Chameleon, she's just the bad guy because we need a bad guy

[@calebwashere]

I like to think this whole thing was just an excuse for JS to dunk on Awkwafina

[@BirthweenBoi]

Rightfully so. She’s the disgusting tumor that grew on Hollywood and must be taken down at any cost.

[@ACE_16_O_8]

I thought it was spelt Aquafina 💀💀💀

[@ThePrincessCH]

What I find interesting is that people praise the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for their cultural representation, but the only animated Asian influenced historical fantasy that I've seen where the Asian actors outnumber the non-Asian ones is Disney's "Mulan."

[@BirthweenBoi]

@@ThePrincessCH odd huh?

[@henryhere]

​@@ACE_16_O_8well that is how the water bottle brand spells it and it is more like the actual word that it comes from, so that would make sense, but no she just has to have two Ws right at the start

[@lollikabosso.w.n7153]

Ya know, Kung Fu Panda 3 felt bit strange to me, so going into 4, I knew shit will hit the fan. I wasnt prepared for the Turbine

[@baguetto563]

I think 3 just felt to childish compared to 1 and 2.

[@lollikabosso.w.n7153]

@@baguetto563 same. Still better than 4 though

[@williord3050]

While 3 was pretty bland, I guess we can consider it the precursor to what 4 would become. Kinda sucks honestly.

[@HeilRay]

Exactly. I'm not following the idea that 3 wasn't the black sheep of the trilogy...well until 4 becoming an even darker sheep. And basically what is to come under Universal.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@baguetto563 At least the Third movie had Kai whose appearance and final fight were the highlights, the Chameleon was lame

[@therwbyfamilton8023]

There is a reason why the saying “The rule of Threes” is used. It is good for 3… but NOT 4

[@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967]

Too bad the filmmakers planned six movies since the third.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967 Wow they will milk this franchise to death

[@theyellowmanofthehouse1350]

@@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375 It's literally going to be the new ice age

[@SCP-173peanut]

Except Shrek somehow...3 was meh yes, but 4 was definetly better

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@alextheblueman-reviewergam9655]

I haven't watched it, but here's My 2 problems with Panda 4 from the get-go: 3 should've been the last one, and Akwafina's in the movie.

[@CtrlAltBacks]

Good points! Bravo! 10/10!

[@tanishambrowne1137]

How is Awakfina keeps getting work is beyond me she can't voice act and she can't act.

[@jskywalker58]

if they wanted to make another kung fu panda film they should have just made a furious five spin off, it would make perfect sense too since one of the criticism of the kfp trilogy is that the furious five are really underutillized.

[@_sliver]

​@@tanishambrowne1137 Because Jumanji.

[@DavidRamirez-se2yt]

​@@_sliverreally?

[@SoggyWafflesXp]

Y’all feel like Tigress should’ve been the next Dragon Warrior?

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

Yes

[@ShadowKamehameha32]

Or Tai Lung, after coming to terms with his failings and redeeming himself

[@flowerbloom5782]

Yeah. That should have been a given.

[@ThePrincessCH]

There's a review of the film by Smarty Pants, and his interpretation of the Dragon Warrior is creating a legend out of nothing because if skill and wisdom were factors Po would not have been chosen in the first place. Zhen got chosen because she was a nothing thief in the same sense that Po was a nothing son of a noodlemaker.

[@drypenny3561]

It's literally supposed to be a successor type thing so Po would want someone like 10 years younger then him to be his successor and it wouldn't make sense for people that he knows that are as old as him like Tai Lung and Tigress to be the new dragon warrior. That's like saying Mater or Chick Hicks should've been Mcqueen's successor instead of Cruz.

[@pajamapantsjack5874]

Dreamworks feels like the only production company that’s insanely high highs and low lows. They always bounce back, for ever shrek 3 or sharktale there’s a megamind and last wish

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@pajamapantsjack5874]

@@Dora-xi5ob encanto was 3 years ago along with bad live action movies and burning Star Wars to the ground it’s not hypocrisy it’s reality

[@Dora-xi5ob]

@@pajamapantsjack5874 encanto isnt 3 years old yet. And I’m not talking about now, I’m talking back when it was only a year old. People still milk the heck outta Puss in Boots 2

[@ok-rn4bo]

@@Dora-xi5ob Stop commenting this garbage take everywhere. For one, Puss in Boots 2 >>>> Encanto, and another thing, Dreamworks has always been inconsistent with its quality output, so naturally it wasn't going to be very surprising that they had a miss afterwards.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

@@ok-rn4bo you’re right that I shouldn’t be calling random people hypocrites but what I said is pretty true as even if Encanto didn’t click for you, it still has a large fan base that isn’t toxic

[@monkiking778]

can we all agree that the best thing that came out of kung fu panda 4 was jack black's cover of' baby hit me one more time'

[@johnnylight0]

I agree. Awkwafina is like a humanized nails on chalkboard.

[@ArturoGonzalez-di6rd]

She literally can’t control the way her voice sounds.

[@PugBerry1]

@@ArturoGonzalez-di6rd yeah

[@johnnylight0]

@@ArturoGonzalez-di6rdso she's not an actor then. But somehow still gets roles

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@ArturoGonzalez-di6rd She plays annoying characters

[@KrodaStagg]

She's a DEI hire. Let's stop beating around the bush.

[@cardescomedioses3674]

One of the most hilarious loyalties to the puss in boots 1 is the twist "yeah, i was always there watching" but instead of just a joke they repurposed it to be treeyfingly effective, and actually true, (that egg was a liar, i rewatched it to look for him)

[@pyrohat]

Death paralleling Humpty form 2011 was a really cool detail. Humpty was alway there watching Puss go on his wild goose chase in 2011. While Death was there for every last one of Pusses previous deaths, he was even present for the fight Puss had against the giant in the beginning of the movie. What they both share is they were always there without Puss knowing, until they either present themselves or just straight up tell him they were right beside him

[@kingbash6466]

I'm definitely disappointed with how Kung Fu Panda 4 and especially Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate turned out because DreamWorks used to kill it with sequels. That was the one thing they had over just about every other animation studio. Not even Disney/Pixar could make multiple sequels that are just as in not better than the first film aside from like Toy Story.

[@Cubeytheawesome]

Megamind vs the doom syndicate is the only film that made me almost commit suicide.

[@sirgame4595]

This is completely untrue. Dreamworks was always inconsistent with all movies, sequels included

[@arianagrandii3214]

@@CubeytheawesomeI really hope you’re kidding about that.

[@commonsense5199]

Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken should’ve been a tv series. Seriously, Dreamworks made many TV shows and TV show deals with Netflix. Including Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts. I found out The original movie plans for Ruby Gillman is that Chelsea was supposed Nerissa’s daughter. Chelsea use the trident to revive her and Nerissa is evil and Terrible mom. Nerissa lead the evil mermaid. Chelsea apologized to Ruby. They team up along with Ruby’s mom and Grandmahmah to fight Nerissa. And Ruby and Chelsea go to prom. And Ruby still get the boy, Connor. So yeah, the Original plans was *”The Misguided Villain into Redemption trope”.* What do you think? If Ruby Gillian stick with original plans would the movie be better? Let me know.

[@nathanbentley1939]

I think it would've been, yeah. Everything about the predicament the krakens are in suggests that the movie was going for a "don't judge a book by its cover"/"racism-is-bad"-esque parable, but for the only mermaid character to turn out to be just as evil as Ruby's grandmother said really shoots that in the foot. I'm actually inclined to believe that this was a last-second change in order to ape on the live-action Little Mermaid, without much thought as to how it would impact the story. Seriously, you can practically feel the seams where this plot point was grafted in.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@Yipper64]

They could have swapped the budgets for Ruby Gillman and Megamind and things would have been better.

[@a.random.cat.22]

@@Dora-xi5ob shut UP

[@VampireA1056]

Kung Fu Panda 4 should've never existed considering how perfectly Kung Fu Panda 3 ended.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Kfp 3 and Httyd 2 are not good. Maybe the ending of the kfp was satisfying but still not a fan

[@VampireA1056]

@@Dora-xi5ob I really liked Kfp 3.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

@@VampireA1056 im happy for you

[@srsklab2013]

Hot take: kung Fu panda 4>>>>>>kung fu panda 3

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@srsklab2013😂

[@kingslayerkoshy]

One cool thing that I thought about for the Chameleon as a villain or how it could work was give the idea of trying to be the best kung fu master by proxy of gathering the strongest attacks carrying the philosophy of being the strongest by taking all the strongest techniques of a previous master without understanding what makes the moves work in relation to their master. Then Use Po as a seasoned kung fu fighter with the experience he has of the 3 movies under his belt to defeat the chameleon in a way only Po would know how with his techniques completely unique to him. Of course that would require more thought that Dreamworks execs would allow the creatives to use.

[@OnizukaAllMighty]

I'll just say There is a reason the "trilogy" is the most common and most successful way to do anything regarding media (movies, series seasons, music albums,...) In most cases the 4th, the 5th and even the 6th of anything usually underwhelm and disappoint

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@Ssosmooth69]

@@Dora-xi5obBruh I’ve seen your same comment three times already. Stop copy pasting smh

[@memescoffee3173]

​@@Ssosmooth69bros riding on disney

[@nickthebabba7767]

⁠@@Ssosmooth69He’s copy and pasting this on other videos too

[@amirgarcia547]

I’d say Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like a bad fanfiction, but that’d be an insult to fanfiction. While it’s a solid film on its own and actually has some very strong direction and well choreographed actuon scenes, in terms of its writing and themes, it’s so far removed from the rest of the franchise that it may as well be a reboot. Albeit not a very good one, and also one with one of the worst Dreamworks villains to date due to how poorly written and underdeveloped she (The Chameleon) is. Which sucks, because a kung fu fighter who can trick anyone and mimics kung fu styles could’ve been great, like a kung fu version of Chameleon and Taskmaster rolled into one, but they do basically NOTHING with it!

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it's rather interesting, though. People often praise projects like the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise or "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for its cultural representation, but the only animated Asian influenced historical fantasy that I've seen where most of the voice actors are actually Asian is Disney's "Mulan." Nowadays, when people think about Asian voice actors, Akwafina is probably the first person that comes to mind.

[@piotrfijoek1095]

This frustrates me to no end. Fanfiction writers would have come up with better and faithful story. Some fanfics I read are more nuanced and emotional than KFP2. We have waited for 8 years to get "Nothing Burger" the painfully average movie that does not understand what came before it. I read the interview with the co-director who was not allowed to make decisions and it's mindblowing what a clusterfuk of movie development it was. The main director believed the backstory was not needed for Zhen and The Chameleon and the writers had to fight tooth and nail to include it. Hence, their backstory is so paper-thin. The main director is also responsible for over-the-top comedy that leaves no space for an engaging story. Furious Five only appeared in the movie because the marketing department demanded it, otherwise, they'd not show up in the credits.

[@ThePrincessCH]

@@piotrfijoek1095 Sometimes it works. I hear a lot of people say that Disney's third animated Cinderella to be the best of the three, but the second felt more true to the original concept, to me. The third was basically an AU conspiracy theory, but the first and second films were sweet and simple stories about a girl and her friends who are just trying to live their lives.

[@thegamingkirby8696]

Kung Fu Panda 4 is now declared non-canon and is basically considered a DLC, period.

[@yep1486]

isn't DLC canon too though? it's just that as DLC it's an optional ending

[@BrandonGulliford]

Ok ghetto

[@Hadeto_AngelRust]

my belief is that Dreamworks saw the current industry and thought that failure was the norm

[@goGothitaLOL]

Universal must’ve want DreamWorks to be more like Illumination In other words, “safe and predictable”

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@adiveler]

KFP trilogy: "You too can learn Kung Fu..." KFP4: "... Unless you are too small" Mantis: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@rileyanthony]

@JustStop actually the furious five actually got really good character development in kung fu, panda legends of awesomeness as i really recommend doing a longer form mated video on as there’s a lot more there then in the fourth movie

[@Trefox87]

That show was a banger

[@drypenny3561]

I mainly really like their backstories in the secrets of the furious five short which was a bonus feature on the dvd.

[@janecklyn]

Po is so out of character in that series

[@SammyRobinson62232]

0:18 Literally the cartoon community as a whole.

[@goonking420]

ESPECIALLY Indie

[@SammyRobinson62232]

@@goonking420 Like I enjoy indie and thinks it amazing how people can create things with a very small or no existing budget. But y’all do know we can criticize the writing, right?

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@SammyRobinson62232]

@@Dora-xi5ob Are you calling us that or people in general?

[@SammyRobinson62232]

@@Dora-xi5ob Cause I though strange world is fine. I’m not an anti woke person. I believe that they’re dumb and I’m all for representation in media. The whole go woke go broke thing is just really dumb cause representation isn’t the problem it’s bad writing. Plus we been having messages in your media since media existed

[@kyogresfunchannel]

I swear if the wild robot is gonna be fantastic(which I hope it will be)I am not ready to hear the Internet glazing dreamworks again

[@capitanspoiler7393]

predictable is EXACTLY the word to describe this, you can predict the entire plot just by looking at the trailer

[@batatafrita2783]

Dreamworks is like a roller coaster, sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it

[@cookimaus1]

It always frustrates me to see people treat Megamind 2 as if it is an actual Dreamworks movie. It’s not. The same way disney direct to video sequels are usually not very good because they aren’t made by the actual disney studio. Its a lower budget, lower effort production.

[@harribo2323]

same

[@toxic_tomb1238]

3:20 Croods 2 is worse in my opinion, like its funny, and its visually pleasing, but storywise, 1 did it better, its a simple rebel daughter/strict dad story, but they did it great, and the jokes and visual gags from the first one is much more memorable to me than the sequel.

[@tsdocholiday8965]

3:32 I hate that everyone says this, saying that Croods 2 is just as good if not better than the original. That it’s a good dreamworks sequel. It’s not. I’ll never understand how anyone likes it because it’s complete trash. The first Croods is an underrated top tier dreamworks movie

[@PesadeloSonho]

I agree. I liked the first movie and felt like the second was really childish.

[@tsdocholiday8965]

@@PesadeloSonho exactly

[@flowerbloom5782]

I agree it feels like it should have been a short rather than entire film.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

I will never understand how people find Httyd 2 and kfp 3 good movies

[@tsdocholiday8965]

@@Dora-xi5ob they have there problems but they are leagues better than KFP4 or Croods 2

[@COCO-tm3gp]

With The Wild Robot coming soon, it looks like DreamWorks is coming back strong as usual, but it’s also the last movie that the studio is making entirely in-house because more and more workers are being laid off. I fear for the future of Dreamworks after this year.

[@quangamershyguyyz7166]

I have my doubts about the wild robot. They need to convince me more that they’re coming back strong, cause I don’t see it yet.

[@ShadowQuickpaw]

Seeing how flawed 4 turned out (due to lack of budget and bankrupt creative decisions as mandated by corporate) retroactively makes 3's shortcomings stand out as well. All three of the KPF sequels are very clearly only following from the first film, not from each other. There's nothing you need to know about 2 to completely get KPF 3, and only Li and the Green staff factor in from 3 to 4. Only 2 actually organically follows from the first, with Po's confidence, skill, relationships and reputation respecting the progress Po had made in the previous film. But both 3 and 4 don't want to have anything other than the silly, marketable, clumsy and underestimated status Po had at the very beginning of his journey. Lesson of movie 1: Self confidence, and finding the way that works for you instead of letting someone else's path (proscribed for you, or that you see in others) define your own. Lesson of movie 2: Closure, and knowing that what matters isn't what you've been through, but how you choose to let it influence your actions. Lesson of movie 3: Become a teacher and give up most of your active "Dragon Warrioring"... because Shifu said so. Lesson of movie 4: Become a spiritual leader and 'completely' give up your role as Dragon Warrior... because Shifu said so. The pettiest gripe I have with the movie that means nothing really but encapsulates my problems is the fact that Mr. Ping doesn't have a noodle hat anymore. His and Li's designs were simplified to save on animation cost. And Shifu's wooden staff, inherited from Oogway and broken by Tai Lung 'in the first movie' is somehow miraculously not broken anymore! No need for the fix-it wraps that both previous movies had (And no, Chi healing would not fix that. The staff is not a living tree.) I really feel bad for Zhen though. She was given a role that neither the studio nor the fanbase will let her fulfill: being the new face of the franchise. Kung Fu Panda is nothing without Po, or Jack Black. You cannot have a KPF movie without Po being the Dragon Warrior. She was expected to replace the Furious Five in 'this' movie, and to replace Po in the franchise going forward (not the least of which because Dragon Warrior was never a rank. It was a prophesied person. 'Po' is and always will be the Dragon Warrior of this setting)

[@Trefox87]

I think it really wouldn't even make sense to try and move away from Po and Jack Black to Zhen, because the movies are literally called "kungfu panda". Like not having a panda as the lead is not going to work, and if he only shows up at the start and end or something like the 5 and master shifu, thatll get them maybe 1 good influx of people before any new movies are dissmissed for losing the soul of the old ones. And changing the name likely wont help much either, since I doubt making the series title the "dragon warrior" or something is going to sell nearly as well since its significantly more genaric and conflicts even more with having a fox on the poster, while making it something like "kungfu fox" while flowing, doesn’t connect to the previous movies anymore and sounds genaric still. There doesn’t look to be any clear path the franchise could take from here, other than sidelining Zhen and making this movie even more unimportant, or trying to continue using Po and Zhen, which just doesnt seem like an interesting dynamic

[@ThePrincessCH]

Fun fact: Dragon iconography in Chinese culture was primarily reserved for the emperor. Anyone else caught using one likely would have been executed.

[@ThePrincessCH]

Fun fact: Dragon iconography in Chinese culture was primarily reserved for the emperor. Anyone else caught using one likely would have been executed.

[@ajh22895]

Kitty shaving Puss's beard is a great callback to the first movie. Because the arc of the first one is Kitty struggling because she was declawed and unable to get a blade. Puss has a stick sword and needs a blade to shave.

[@gooeydude574]

Which is why we need a Captain Underpants sequel

[@zacgriffin8247]

Dog Man

[@gooeydude574]

@@zacgriffin8247 Dog Man is it’s own thing

[@PeterBoggs]

There's one thing I'm happy about in regards to KFP4. KFP3 is finally getting some of the respect it deserves. Don't get me wrong, I don't think 3 is on the same level as 1 and 2, but the sheer amount of disrespect it's gotten over the years is off the charts, if you had asked most people prior to the release of 4, how bad 4 actually is is how bad people seemed to THINK 3 was.

[@xProErax]

Well I decided to watch the movie right before watching this video and I've got to say there's so many good elements of the movie but man there's so many problems overall. What I really think bogs it down the most is just how much this movie was on the budget for voice actors. I'm not expecting for their to be all the furious five and even better if it made a tighter story, but then they have the gall to then say that they are bringing back villains and not even properly show them on screen. I'm glad Tai lung got to have as much time as he did but still it really would have been cool for Tigress to have interactions with him to the point where they would be possibly escaping from the chameleon and have it to where they can have very good interactions. To have Po's dads be essential to the plot really irritates me thinking about how it would have been so cool to have Tigress and Tai Lung to work together and help out Po in the end. There's also so many things wrong with the staff and how it is just a McGuffin and not really useful until the plot demands it to be. Overall I'm just sad about the potential of this movie and how so much of it got burnt out due to budgets and other factors in the story development overall. Hopefully the next movie will be good but I cannot really imagine things going up from 4.

[@piotrfijoek1095]

It's frustrating that we, fans can come up with better ideas than the same writers who have worked on the KFP franchise since the first movie. So this makes it extra baffling. It is said the director had such extreme creative freedom choice, that he denied the writers' ideas who wanted it to make close to KFP1 and KFP2. I'd love to see Po and Tigress on a duo mission to deal with Chameleon. Imagine Tigress taking Tai Lung to the side and saying with a stoic voice "If you betrayed us and harmed Po, you'd have wished you stayed in the Spirit Realm". It'd be a tighter story as you said. Furthermore, Shifu could have had the last reunion with Tai Lung who would be fully redeemed by the movie's end. The potential of storytelling by having Po, Tigress, Tai Lung, and Shifu together is mindblowing. Even Zhen could have been included as that side character who was used by the Chameleon and needs help. I hope the director for KFP5 and 6 won't be Mike Mitchel as he'd run this franchise to the ground. I hope Dreamworks will learn its lesson and stop appealing to the kid audience only. It's the adults who watched the first KFP that keeps this franchise alive after so many years.

[@ThePrincessCH]

@piotrfijoek1095 I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's the adults keeping the franchise running. I find that the real money for most children's media comes from merchandising rather than the screen. "Young Justice" and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" were shows that were both well-received for its narrative but got canceled because of toy sales. "Young Justice" got canceled on its own, and when they brought it back, they changed the age range, and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series" got canceled because of its live action film counterpart. Ratings and finances don't always go hand in hand. Maybe film works differently than television, but businesses thrive on profit, not likability.

[@piotrfijoek1095]

@@ThePrincessCH Adults have money to spend on merchandise, cinema tickets, or action figures. They make forums, artworks, and fan-made content to keep the franchise in society's memory even if there is a large break between new franchise installments (i.e Star Wars in the past). The merchandise is not bought by kids but rather by parents doing it. Granted the commercial success has a big role if the studio will continue the franchise but there are still fans who would keep it alive. So if studios make particular crappy stuff *ekhm Disney and new Star Wars ekhm* then even hardcore fans may turn their back on it.

[@ThePrincessCH]

@piotrfijoek1095 I don't think fan made content lines a company's pockets as much as you think ("Young Justice" and "GreenLantern: The Animated Series" are part of a popular superhero franchise and their merchandise lines failed). Kids are generally the ones asking their parents if they want a toy, and you don't necessarily need to be familiar with the source material to find something commercially appealing. I think the merchandising aspect is part of the reason the "Trolls" franchise is so big, in spite of its critical reception. The characters have a very toyetic nature, which makes it ideal for merchandising, and the film was based on an old toy line with no entertaining backstory, so I don't think it's legacy has as much narrative weight as the likes of "Star Wars" and DC superheroes.

[@TLtheDude]

Idk, I think Megamind "2" heavily started that slowdown

[@-OAK-]

It’s not a official sequel

[@toxic_tomb1238]

0:58 kfp 4 is worse than ruby gillman, like objectively, ruby gillman isnt great, pretty alright, but kung fu panda 4 is just boring, as a movie, but its bad because 1. the villain is boring 2. awkwafina(while inoffensive in this) was in it 3. The furious five wasnt in it until the last 2 seconds And 4. They really flopped on the whole "past villains return" idea, like so many ways they couldve made it good, like maybe shifu tagged along and got to make amends with tai lung, maybe lee has to work with shen and/or kai to help po, despite shen being the reason he lost po in the first place and the reason his wife is gone, and kai being the reason he almost lost him again right after he just got him back, he has to work through his anger/sadness for his son, like those are so obvious plot points that its actually a miracle neither of them were in the movie, meanwhile ruby gillman is just a simple movie, its ok, its a good watch when babysitting, fun supernatural antics, and great visuals, and the villain makes more sense than being a lizard that was mad that people wouldnt teach her kung fu because shes small, which is dumb since mantis and viper exist, also shes a powerful sorceress, that can turn into a 50ft monster, why does she need kung fu? They say "i can turn into people but i cant fight like them" but you dont need to know how to fight when you are a literal 50ft tall abomination, also that brings uo another point, why doesnt she learn more offensive magic? Or just transform into a bigger animal and go learn kung fu, like so many plot holes around this one character.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@a.random.cat.22]

@@Dora-xi5ob im sick of seeing ur stupid ctrl c ctrl v reply everywhere no one cares especially not when you reply to every freaking comment this is like the 15th one ive seen

[@mupty]

The under-use of the Furious Five has always been one of the franchise's weaker points.

[@shadow7574WR]

The bad guys 2 is DreamWorks last chance to prove that they still have it, if they fail they are done for, at least this one has the original writers, so there is hope, we will see in a year

[@Yipper64]

8:44 oooohhh I think I can put together what went wrong here. So I can tell that the idea behind the movie was "change" that was just... the word they came up with. Then went with the most obvious next step from there "ok so we want to make a film about change who should be the villain? A Chameleon. That makes sense. Now... how does Poe change. Maybe he changes from being the dragon warrior to being a mentor? Oh that means he needs a successor. We can have it be someone who's a twist villain but changes their ways by the end" And then sort of made that concept work in most of the most obvious ways even if it doesnt really work cohesively. Which of course doesnt fit the first three, its just sort of "well what comes after body mind and spirit? Retirement?" 16:30 I also suspect ESG might have something to do with it... I tend to bring that up a lot and blame it for just about everything, but what does this sound like to me? Some femenists who think lowly of men came to write a male panda, and a female fox, and did what they always do. Make the man a bumbling idiot and not realize how annoying they make the woman, while they step on the man to prop up the woman. Oh yeah and part of the reason I think this is because of the subplot with poe's *ahem* 2 dads.... Yeah I know its adoptive father and biological father but we all know what the subtext was. 17:14 which is something that I feel the first three films even from the start made very clear. The title *does not mean anything.* That is why the scroll is blank.

[@animosutheanonymous]

Me and my family was hoping Kung Fu Panda 4 was good, but I was skeptical because of how Kung Fu Panda 3 wasn’t really that good (compared to the other 2). And when I told my mom how people were saying it wasn’t good my mom said “I know :(“ I’m hoping (if it indeed is in the works) Shrek 5 is their comeback

[@thequeenjess]

I feel like every time I watch a new Just Stop video, he has a new character art style.

[@laurencarlson1235]

I really appreciate you talking about how The Last Wish acts as a sequel since most people don’t address that. As an avid fan of the film and watcher of video essays, it was really cool to see that take

[@zakuraiyadesu]

The Love the videos, man. Keep it up!!!

[@hitbyatank]

also 4 made ALOT of money soooo prepare for an even worse fifth one

[@MS-co2ss]

GOD DAMN IT!

[@BrandonGulliford]

Idk, man, I think the 5th villain is gonna be better than the chameleon

[@MS-co2ss]

@@BrandonGulliford I hate most of Dreamworks's cgi movies. Their 2d ones are better in my opinion.

[@unofficialmeme5972]

With a title like that, you're making it sound like Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate has redeeming qualities.

[@walkerphillips2818]

There is no Easter Bunny There is no Tooth Fairy And there is no Megamind 2

[@jasperwilliams1055]

How to train your dragon 2 still makes me violently sob. EVERYTIME and I got this movie on DVD for my 11th birthday 😭

[@bighand1530]

I wish Monsters vs Aliens got a second movie.

[@ladypool1404]

Or Rise of the guardians. There's a lot to create for thoses movies; new monsters the heroes can meet, maybe instead of 1 alien they have to fight a family of 6 who where chased from their planet because they are muted; they decide to make everyone on earth muted with a machine. There can be a nice essage about respecting others and friendship. With the guardians; there's fun villains to create like one based on the headless horseman and one like the Befana witch. Maybe there's guardians of seasons; one for each except Winter since Jack represent it.

[@t59112]

Or even the Bee Movie (i consider that movie to be so bad it's good).

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@ThePrincessCH]

@ladypool1404 I think "Rise of the Guardians" got written off as a tax loss since the project was such a financial loss that the studio was forced to lay people off.

[@a.random.cat.22]

@@Dora-xi5ob spammer

[@Tekkenandgaming]

Dreamworks has always been better the Disney/pixar. Sad to see them change so much in such a short time. But puss i. Boots 2 will still be better than anything that came out in the last decade. Hopefully they can get their groove back lol

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

Considering that the wild robot is going to be DreamWorks' last in house movie, I heavily doubt that.

[@Tekkenandgaming]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 oh seriously?! Oh man that sucks, well I guess it was great while it lasted. Maybe some of the original dudes can continue the legacy elsewhere.

[@quangamershyguyyz7166]

Nah, Disney and Pixar were always better than Dreamworks. The only thing that Dreamworks does better is sequels and even that they have been slipping on recently.

[@BellaFalk95]

I am still hoping and begging for Rise of the Guardians to get a sequel.

[@themiddleman5763]

I am glad to be hear witnessing the aging of your avatar. Hope to make it until I'm getting Shrek 12 takes from this guy as an old man

[@Yipper64]

6:30 my freaking goodness this film never stops surprising me with how well written it is. The character square that dynamically continues to balance itself throughout the film, the narrative messaging, the cinematography, the art style... My goodness this movie can not be praised enough.

[@wildwest4767]

Yeah, well praising it has gotten old and annoying as all hell. So stop doing it, because I’m sick of hearing the same freaking thing every single freaking video.

[@Yipper64]

@@wildwest4767 who shit in your cereal this morning?

[@TheDigitalApple]

I’m probably the only guy who actually liked Shrek 3 before it became cool.

[@pugpartyproductions8805]

I thought that people hated that movie still lol

[@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967]

I like Shrek 3 as well.

[@huynguyen3953]

Do you mean Shrek 4

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@jamainegardner4193]

@@Dora-xi5ob Except noone actually remembers Strange World and few even knew it came out. Encanto on the other hand just faded from public discourse.

[@aaronhazelwood8388]

Had the perfect opportunity to say "And Kung Fu Panda 4 DROOLS"

[@user-to4zl8wf2n]

HTTYD 2 had MASSIVE BALLS to kill off stoic, they even had him killed by toothless, an alpha dragon that took down the og

[@user-to4zl8wf2n]

Also the film HEAVILY relies on the previous film as the whole advertisement of the film was nostalgia bait and using the villains (ignoring their fates) just to bring people to the film

[@user-to4zl8wf2n]

And juniper city is literally a copy and paste of gongman city

[@randomreviews4278]

3:40 actually Joseph king of dreams was straight to vhs/dvd

[@flowerbloom5782]

That movie was good watch.

[@hitbyatank]

4 felt like a 20 min bonus spin off that you’d get when you buy the disc version of a movie, that was stretched to be a full movie

[@tanishambrowne1137]

Kung fu 4 is toy story 4 unnecessary it should have remained a trilogy. Thank you for praising third film it gets sleep on alot i enjoyed that one. Its almost like they reset Po character development from all 3 movies back square one and the chameleon is one of worst villians. Its shame 😔 I'm annoyed the fact they are planning two more movies the film ended on 3rd in my opinion Dreamworks gonna milk it like Shrek.

[@lastmonarchistproduction_253]

Blame katzenburg, he wanted to make more king fu panda sequels

[@SeifTiam-kj2rx]

They could save the 4th Kung Fu Panda movie if they continue the message onto the 5th film if the co-director of the 4th is total control over the next movies (There is probably gonna be 6 to 8 movies on the side note, Katzenberg said that)

[@andyzhang7890]

Damn video was simultaneously so uplifting and yet so depressing. It made me realize just how powerful dreamworks can be at its best, just to juxtapose how miserably bad it can be at its worst 😔

[@doomarang3208]

What!? No Shrek 2/Fairy Godmother representation!?

[@xcellentcreations3312]

Ok, I respect your opinon on why you didn't like KFP4. Counterpoint: Compared to Megamind Vs the doom syndicate, KFP4 is freaking Citizen Kane in comparison to that ISS crash of a film

[@ShadowKamehameha32]

Just because another film is objectively worse, doesn't make this one any better.

[@xcellentcreations3312]

@@ShadowKamehameha32 Perhaps but look, it's his opinion if he dosent like the new KFP4 film where as I enjoyed it for the most part, I'm just saying how surprise I am that no one is realizing how good the film is after the disastrous Megamnind pilot movie is all.

[@ryancarson6962]

@@xcellentcreations3312Because being better than a piece of garbage isn't an accomplishment, saying that something is good in comparison to something awful isn't a real compliment, it's faint praise.

[@xcellentcreations3312]

@@ryancarson6962 still a w in my eyes tho

[@zacharymccoy7091]

It really is unfortunate that DreamWorks hasn't had a good movie in theaters since The Last wish. We can only hope that Wild Robot movie turns out spectacular for them.

[@adekunletaiwo1342]

gota agree with everything despite how much it pains me because I really wanted this to be good. the dads were cute though.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency.

[@Dora-xi5ob]

I also disagree cause Httyd 2 and kfp 3 are not good

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@Dora-xi5obSpammer

[@adekunletaiwo1342]

@@Dora-xi5ob what are you on. I mean sure they are Both the weakest in there respective trilogy’s but the are still really good movies. Just because kung fu panda 1 and 2 are better than 3 does not make three bad. And just because how to train your dragon 1 and 3 are better than 2 doesn’t mean two is bad.

[@adekunletaiwo1342]

@@Dora-xi5ob I was mostly just talking about the king fu pans 4 takes but I don’t see haw this is relevant.

[@tuvyamaeir4684]

Here's something I'm surprised you didn't highlight as soon as you started talking about the movie. Every single time any idea or theme or even joke is set up, it is immediately explained, as if it is presuming that this sequel is only being watched by an audience younger than the people who watched the first movie. Ignoring the possibility that those who watched the first film probably are also watching the sequels because they are sequels to begin with.

[@bumberquest3031]

please tell me that throwaway line about Weird Al was just a small gag and there isn't anything unsavory about his character

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

It’s a Close Enough reference

[@editorsanimationVlogs]

how cool would it had been if po had to team up with his former foes in order to help them regain their skills and allowing him to learn a valuable lession as well

[@jamainegardner4193]

Kai felt easily the most disrespected as most of Tai Lung's dialogue sounds like it was built for Kai, while Chameleon tried to steal his whole flow. I watched 3 again the day before I watched 4, and there is a MASSIVE difference in quality. Shen was thrown in there as a pointless callback.

[@Emmypinklasagna]

something happened to DreamWorks in between the most recent trolls movie and teenage Kraken whatever happened in between that time frame is why they're the way they are now and why people don't like them anymore

[@ChappyMonster]

love the new avatar!

[@BlueBoltVA]

Even if you hate Kung fu Panda 3 (I don't and as a matter of fact, i think it's simply an 8-9) You can't deny it felt like it belong in the same story rather than a random surprise attached to a franchise unlike KFP4. Because the fourth movie feels like a Frankenstein of all 3 Movies That lacks the sauce and overall heart

[@joelbarraclough6689]

Awkwafina is just doing her job in her acting and I'm not saying I'm not some fanboy but keep in mind there just doing there job

[@skategoats5266]

It's still bad acting

[@joelbarraclough6689]

@@skategoats5266 a job is a job no matter how bad or good it is there just a job and the hate feels undeserving

[@zombies5100]

I have an idea for the 5th movie Po meets a villain who is TRULY his match, in a rivaling city there exists a fabeled warrior known as the Ichneumon warrior, who is the polar opposite of the dragon warrior, while the dragon warrior is a title of those who fights for peace, prosperity and to protect the innocent, the Icheumon warrior is a title taken only by those strong enough to claim it, anyone could hold this title, and to be the bearer of the title meant you were considered the dragon warriors equal, the current Icheumon warrior would discover that there is a new dragon warrior and sets off on a quest to find po and defeat(kill) him in battle, if Po won then the threat is gone and china is saved, but if he loses then all of china will be ruled by the Icheumon warrior who takes the city by force, even thought that at the end Po realizes he alone cannot defeat this foe, and thus requires the aid of the furious five and friends to put an end to the threat at hand.

[@r.a.l_junk]

Something I thought of recently is the fact that Dreamworks can't really be put into phases. Think about it. You can easily put Disney into eras like the Renaissance era of the 90s, the weird experimental era of the 2000s, the current slump of the 2020s, ect. With other studios like Illumination or Blue Sky (Rip), people generally know what their getting into: harmless but completely disposable kids' movies. Now, can you homestly divide Dreamworks movies into golden ages or dark ages that last more than a year? Is there any point in time when they made nothing but good or bad movies for several years straight? Kinda hard, isn't it? The 2000s had things like Shrek, Shark Tale, Kung Fu Panda, and Bee Movie, movies of completely different quality released only a few years apart. The same can be said for the 2010s with How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls, Rise of the Guardians, and Boss Baby. Dreamworks is inherently a hit and miss studio. I'd argue it's what sets them apart from every other animation studio. You truly never know what you're gonna het with them. So they may be in a rut right now, but I bet they'll pick right back up in a few years... only to fall back down after that, and the cycle continues.

[@ThePrincessCH]

DreamWorks is also a lot newer than Disney. In this day and age, censorship is probably less strict than the Hays code.

[@popatsot1]

I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ner ah fear of drownin🎵

[@rickyronny4019]

Dreamworks has always been hit or miss, even their best movie franchises have at least one dud. I’ve come to expect it now

[@goldenyoshistar1]

Honestly, even if KFP4 hadn't been as mid, it would have been slightly better without Aquafina. She honestly is someone who lowers any movie she is in.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

That's only really a problem if you speak English tough?

[@user-tw3rh9po4t]

Madagascar 2 is the best of the trilogy and you can’t convince me otherwise. Edit: I would’ve preferred it if the movie basically was about how “change IS nature” regardless of whether it’s good, neutral, or bad, and Po was learning to as a teacher rather than (just) a student.

[@wantedasylum1091]

If I had to make a food themed metaphor, imagine a BLT, but take away the B and L, and you just have tomatoes between 2 slices of bread. That's how stripped down DreamWorks became in such a short time, I'm more impressed than disappointed.

[@DanielKariuki-er5gi]

OH MY GOD! Is this going to happen every year he makes a new animated Avatar?

[@Mankey619]

Last Wish and The Bad Guys became huge box office animated films in 2022, but after they lost that momentum after Kung Fu Panda 4 and Megamind The Doom Syndicate shown up this year. Hopefully their upcoming movie The Wild Robot, will regain that lost momentum this year.

[@Anthony-co4wz]

Dreamworks knows how to make a good sequel. Heck my favorite installments in their franchises are the second movies. Madagascar 2, Shrek 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Kung Fung Panda 2, and Puss in Boots The Last Wish are my favorite movies in those franchises (Shrek 2, Puss in Boots The Last Wish, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and Kung Fung Panda 2 are not only my favorite Dreamworks movies but also my favorite movies of all time).

[@Dora-xi5ob]

Y’all hypocrites. Disney hit with Encanto, but when they missed with Strange World everyone lost their minds over it, calling them woke and broke and forgetting Encanto’s existence. But when DreamWorks hits with Puss in Boots 2 then misses, everyone just shrugs it off as inconsistency

[@Dora-xi5ob]

I disagree with Httyd 2. I also don’t like kfp 3

[@Cdxu22121]

@@Dora-xi5ob Bro he didn’t talk about kfp 3

[@amanul_2474]

Had to call them Dreamorks starting this year, since they haven't had a W in a while 😔

[@calebpribyl5152]

Here’s all of the movies I’ve seen from worst to best in 2024! 6.this 5.ghostbusters frozen empire 4deadpool 3.deadpool 2 2octo( 🐱) 1.monkey man!

[@karlrainierlebajan6888]

I just wish the trailer didn't spoil everything, the premise is great, and I hope they hid the chameleon as it builds up in the third act. A plot where the previous villains terrorize other villages without the Kung Fu stats in the chameleon, with their old motives just to defeat Po, bringing back (Tai lung, Lord Shen, General Kai) which is cool to see why this villains came back that will give the mystery in the movie, with a twist that it is the chameleon all along, dragging Po and easy getting the staff. It's a fun movie and It's probably the shallow one in the franchise, I would say this will really kick off with the twist, but same motive of getting Kung fu's by opening the shadow realm.

[@Funware.mp3]

Aquafina is an good actor, but that's where it ends. Listen, I still like aquafina, but the animated movies, she's in probably just give her bad direction. Given that she was a good and respected actor.

[@ForrestFox626]

I kind of liked her in Renfield

[@goldenyoshistar1]

Best case scenario... the next KFP that releases removes all aspect of Aquafina, and dreamworks does this whole (forgetting about all of it.) Honestly... what they could have done and would have made sense is have the Furious 5 captured by the Chameleon. and use the fear of the previous villains alive as part of the Chameleon's charm. Get rid of Aquafina all together, she lowers movie scores by 10 points. (at least) If they want KFP5 to be a massive hit. they need to basically make the 4th one not matter at all, and treat it as one of those "what if scenarios"

[@ThePrincessCH]

I think it's rather interesting, though. Projects like the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" get praised for its cultural representation, but the only animated Asian influenced historical fantasy that I've seen where most of the voice actors are actually Asian is Disney's "Mulan." Nowadays, when people think of Asian voice actors, Akwafina is probably the first person that comes to mind.

[@fluffcake]

I remember on Twitter someone saying Tai Lung and Po’s relationship would have been like a reflection of Oogway and Shifu’s if he had been a more active member of the movie. But no. Would have loved to see that movie.

[@DanielKariuki-er5gi]

0:47 She was pretty good in The Bad Guys.

[@feralravage2774]

This movie honestly left me feeling nothing, Po and Zhen's friendshipnwas quite undercooked. I just had a blank expression on my face the whole time I was in that theater auditorium, with the occasional chuckle. It wasn't maddening, just rather disappointing. It wasn't worthy of the title "Kung Fu Panda 4" the best way I could describe this is that it felt like a television special with a higher budget. I was bothered enough by the lack of substance that I bothered to write my own cut version based off the missed potential of this film. Like how Chameleon could have been dealt with. Also, this film is what people think Kung Fu Panda 3 is, which is absurd. Kung Fu Panda was actually a satisfying continuation and you felt as if this series was moving forward.

[@piotrfijoek1095]

I felt nothing watching this movie except for a chuckle here and there. I call this movie "Nothing Burger." The comedy was so overdone in this movie it left no place for character development or serious scenes to sink in. Almost every scene is about some quip or gag and when we finally get a serious scene we don't treat it seriously as the tone shift is so drastic and the scene is not earned. The tonal shift was absurd which highlighted the sudden appearance of "inner voices heads" which felt out of place in this movie. The neck-breaking pacing was godawful. I saw no true friendship between Zhen and Po nor saw the saving qualities of Zhen to be the next dragon warrior. Li and Ping sidequest was pointless, redundant and only to fill the hole of lack of Furious Five, and do Deus Ex Machina at the end of the movie. The movie acted like the journey Po took in 3 movies didn't happen so he regressed to his old self before KFP1 which was frustrating to watch. Shifu also regressed as a character. He used to be more chill about Po's antics in KFP2 and 3 and now he's visibly annoyed and forced the change that should be natural. Shifu also repeats the same mistake of forcing the choice of the dragon warrior with the whole competition. it is clear to me that the director did not understand KFP 1,2,3 at all and writers were forced to shove comedy everywhere. I wasn't a fan of KFP3 but it gave a satisfying wrap-up of Po's journey to become a complete dragon warrior and his true self. It could be better as I read it was supposed to be a darker movie similar to KFP2 but still. It respected the characters and story, but KFP4 didn't. I agree. This felt like a long episode of an expensive Tv Show due to its visuals, music, and bad writing - a meaningless sidequest.

[@Slothmanpetergriffin]

Your forgetting on there on dreamworks animation series that never got a movie or a the future is wild they literally own the the future is wild and the rest of Doug Dixon book series, which is lineup with the future future is wild but marks never did anything with it. It’s been sitting in their library for years. Non tucked or even recognized

[@koichidignitythief7429]

I think Po’s conflict should’ve been more like Shifu’s conflict in the first movie where he’s resistant to the idea of who the new Dragon Warrior is gonna be and not that he has to give it up. Like say the staff makes it clear to Po that Zhen is supposed to be the successor but since he like “she can’t be the dragon warrior she’s not heroic she’s a thief etc.” “yeah Shifu doubted me, but that’s because I was fat and lazy. I use kung fu for righteousness.” And then let Zhen’s character development prove Po wrong that what’s considered heroic isn’t as straightforward as he’s made it out to be. Here the movie tried to do a bit of that, but Po’s motivation was more because he wanted to childishly hold onto the title, and Zhen barely goes through much development. I did not buy the relationship the way the movie presented it. There was more chemistry in that short meant to homage the original dumpling fight than the entire movie.

[@alisonsouter8788]

That would’ve felt more like Po. He was Dragon Warrior but he never let that stroke his ego, he was still humble. It’s more believable that he’d be worried if the new one would use it for bad.