Kung Fu Panda 3

What it's about:

When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. When the supernatural villain, Kai, begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!

What we thought:

Let me start off by saying that I have not seen any of the other movies in the trilogy so Po (Jack Black) and his friends were all totally new to me. While it was easy for me to follow the story and fill in the blanks, it is probably better to have seen the other films prior to seeing this one. 

Po is back for another round of doing what he does best, ass-kicking and saving his loved ones and his town. 

This time he has to fight a supernatural villian who comes back from the underworld. Kai (JK Simmons) is chi (life force) hungry and on a quest to become the greatest master ever, he steals every kung fu master's chi. 

But before Po can defeat Kai he has to discover who he truly is.

As fate would have it, Po's biological father Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) shows up and Po learns that pandas are the greatest chi masters ever. His dad then takes him home to the mountain top Panda village where Po learns the way of the pandas.

But it's not smooth sailing for Po when he learns that the other pandas have forgotten who they truly are. And so Po sets off to teach the entire village kung fu by harnessing their own strengths. 

It's really hard to find any fault in a film with so much heart. 

It has a perfect balance of light and dark moments and is filled with life lessons for both young and old such as believing in yourself and focusing on your strengths; that one thing that makes you special. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that. 

The animation is beautifully done and watching it in 3D would be a great treat for the kids.

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a charming tale that will resonate with both young and old. It is definitely worth the watch.