The review ban for Kung Fu Panda 4 was released two days earlier than the release date

The review embargo date for DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures' upcoming animated kung fu comedy Kung Fu Panda 4 has been announced.

Before the third film was released in 2016, directors Jennifer Yu Nelson and Alessandro Carloni discussed the possibility of launching a fourth film. In August 2018, Nelson expressed openness to the idea. DreamWorks finally officially confirmed the production of Kung Fu Panda 4 in August 2022, and announced in April 2023 that Mitchell, Mastin and Rebecca Huntley would serve as director, assistant director and producer respectively. The main voice cast was announced in December 2023, after Awkwafina had already confirmed her participation in May of the same year.

The review ban for Kung Fu Panda 4 will be lifted on March 7, 2024 at 10 a.m. in Beijing. The film will be released on March 9. At that time, the audience will be able to hear the critics' comments on the fourth film in the series. In the story, the panda Po is about to become the spiritual leader of the Peace Valley. He is looking for a new successor to the Dragon Warrior while fighting against a new enemy "Chameleon".

Director Mitchell described Kung Fu Panda 4 as an homage to the first film. He wanted the story to stand on its own while maintaining a connection to the previous works. He worked to further develop Po's character, introduce new characters, and expand the movie universe. Po is portrayed as a character with a simple worldview, who will be paired with a morally ambiguous character named Jean to create friction similar to the one between Po and Shifu. When designing the character of Chameleon, Mitchell's goal was to create an opponent who was more focused on intelligence than force. He envisioned her to be the smartest and most supernaturally gifted enemy Po has ever encountered. Mitchell sees similarities between Chameleon and Po, who were both underestimated by society because of their appearance, but eventually achieved a high status.