Fans and followers of the widely popular animated franchise, "Kung Fu Panda," will be excited to learn that the lead character, Po, is not the only one of his kind to be featured in the upcoming film, "Kung Fu Panda 3." According to USA Today, a new set of still shots released by DreamWorks Animation revealed that an entire village of cute and adorable pandas await viewers come the film's premier on January 29, 2016.
"There is great joy," says Jack Black, the actor who lends his voice to the clumsy but remarkably dependable Po, referring to the new addition to the cast. He adds, "Lo and behold, there's a secret panda village. There's intense rejoicing as I am reunited with my people." Black reveals that "there are even cute baby pandas." He shared, "Those guys are going to be the life of the party, for sure."
In "Kung Fu Panda 3," Po meets Li, voiced by Bryan Cranston. While Po initially thought that both his parents perished in the attack featured in the 2011 sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2," he was proven wrong when Li reveals himself as his real father. This new knowledge excites the warrior, leading him to go with Li to discover the secret panda village. However, this reunion with Li will further strain the relationship of Po with his adoptive father, Mr. Ping, according to Collider.
Aside from Li and the other pandas in the said village, one of the most notable characters in "Kung Fu Panda 3," is Mei Mei. Voiced by none other than "Pitch Perfect" star Rebel Wilson, this new character is described as a female panda with dreams of becoming a famous ribbon dancer. Upon meeting Po, Mei Mei attempts to initiate amorous advances only to not have her feelings reciprocated as the former becomes confused on the sudden female attention lavished upon him.
Black explains that Po's reaction comes from the fact that this is the first time he will be interacting with other pandas and the romantic advances of a relatively aggressive female of his own species understandably "freaks" him out. "Po's a little freaked out, since he's never been around a female of his own species," elucidates Black. "I don't think he has game in that realm yet," he adds.
Apart from Po, "Kung Fu Panda 3" will once again feature the Furious Five, namely, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).
