THB #501: Panda 4, Animation O

This is not a review, really. Because there is no point in reviewing Kung Fu Panda 4. I still love Jack Black. The Asian imagery is still beautiful. At least this time they added 4 real-life Asians to the voice cast to James Hong - Awkwafina, her Nora From Queens granny, Oscar winner from Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the guy from The Daily Show - though the add of the supervillain went to Viola Davis, proving that Black stars can take roles from other cultures as well. For the record, this casting thing bothered me a lot more than the last time I thought about it, Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016. I guess that’s progress of a sort.

I suspect that this film will be amusing enough for pre-teen children, but the core idea that made the franchise charming from the start is worn to shreds. I almost expected Po to decide he hates dumplings, but when forced to eat them becomes super-powerful again. That’s how old this material feels, Popeye. It’s been 8 years. The franchise has long been tr…