If you saw Kung Fu Panda 4 over the weekend, you might have noticed the film felt tonally different than the other films in the franchise. Gone are the Furious Five, who only show up as silent cameos. (However, see Mr. Beast voice a pig who paints himself as a panda.) Instead, we get a new character named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina) who pairs up with Po, and as a result, the film feels completely different. These decisions were supposedly helmed by Mike Mitchell, the director of the film, according to co-director Stephanie Ma Stine in a recent interview.
What Happened in Kung Fu Panda 4?
Stine participated in an interview in a Kung Fu Panda fan discord, transcribed and posted to the Kung Fu Panda subreddit. Stine spills a lot of secrets in this interview, such as the film’s early interaction as a “live-action/animation hybrid” (perhaps similar to a CGI-Roger Rabbit escapade.) Stine also states that Mitchell had “total creative freedom,” while Stine was only brought in for the film’s more sentimental and somber moments. Stine stated Mitchell was also why Kung Fu Panda 4 was significantly more comedic than the previous films, despite her wishes for the film to be closer to the first two films in tone.
Disturbingly, the worst of this list of production tribulations comes from her lack of involvement, as Stine stated her “creative opinions were constantly swept under the rug,” as she was unknown to the studio’s leadership. Fortunately, Stine stated eventually, the “entire crew trusted [her] notes” regarding ideas or solutions to issues with the film.
She also stated Jack Black referred to Mitchell as the “comedy guy,” while Stine was credited with providing the film’s heart and emotional moments. (She went on to credit Mitchell as an “amazing mentor,” however, so there’s no bad blood there!) You can view the full Discord interview, which additionally, provides tons of fascinating insight into the filmmaking process of animated films.
