‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ delivers the expected

The best stuff here is in Po returning to his roots, and there’s a great sight gag catching the disbelief of the Valley’s citizens when Po and Li first meet and initially fail to recognize each other, even though they’re the only giant pandas around.

Little ones may find Kai a bit intense but that’s the only caution to offer about this panda party, which sees Po reunited with his long-lost biological dad, Li (Bryan Cranston). Based on the successful DreamWorks Animation franchise Kung Fu Panda, the game is now offered exclusively on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. That’s not to mention the physical comedy, which is spot-on. They have supplied numerous gags to keep the kids happy, but the film never panders (or should be say panda-ers – sorry) to just the small fry. It helps that Hans Zimmer returned to do the score, which at this point has become a staple of the series.

Liu had tons of praise for the actor who plays the title character in the movie, co-star Jack Black, who voices Po. That’s what makes him such an earnest, lovable hero. The only difference is that “inner peace” has been replaced with chi mastery. Since Po has acquired his own martial arts skills all too recently, his approach to training new troops not only echoes Shifu’s injunction but recalls Harold Hill’s “Think Method” in “The Music Man”. So while you will laugh out loud less, “Kung Fu Panda 3” has just as much heart as the others.

KFP3 ups the ante with the aforementioned Oscar-winner Simmons, and with Oscar-contender Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li. Although it’s a dud date in the U.S., January 29 is one of China’s most desirable opening slots of the year, covering the winter school break, Chinese New Year and Valentines Day – all massive movie-going occasions in the world’s most populous nation. The actress also admitted that she’s the type of a fan who jumps up and down and cheers wildly for the team she loves. What’s cool about his character is that he’s an old rival of Master Oogway’s (Randall Duk Kim), which sort of brings the story full circle.

Simmons is a natural as the vengeful Kai, having perfected his ominous baritone in everything from HBO’s prison drama “Oz” to his Oscar-winning performance as a tyrannical music teacher in “Whiplash”.

The first sequel, 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2, couldn’t quite compare to its predecessor but was nonetheless charming and spirited, a superior entertainment. It also lets you transform your unwanted cards to come up with more powerful ones.

The actress was in the Sichuan province last week (ends22Jan16) as part of the press tour for her new animated film Kung Fu Panda 3, in which she voices dancing panda Mei Mei, and she was granted the rare opportunity to cuddle with a baby bear during a visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.