Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Based on | Kung Fu Panda |
Developed by |
|
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer | Peter Hastings |
Composers |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 42 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 24-46 minutes |
Production company | DreamWorks Animation Television |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | July 14, 2022 – September 7, 2023 |
Related | |
|
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is an American CG-animated television series, [2] developed by Mitch Watson and Peter Hastings for Netflix. [3] It is the third TV series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, following Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny . [2] Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, the series premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022. [4] A second season was released on January 12, 2023. [5] A third and final season was released on September 7, 2023. [6] [7]
The series picks up a few years after General Kai's defeat and Shi Long's defeat where the Dragon Warrior Po the giant panda must leave his home and embark on a globe-trotting quest across China for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Luthera (a brown bear), also known as Wandering Blade, to find four elemental weapons that broke up the world a long time ago.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "A Cause for the Paws" | Shaunt Nigoghossian | Peter Hastings | Kelly Baigent, Martvin Britt, Matthew Humphreys, Kevin Wotton, Victoria Harris, Grace Liu, James Yang, Ed Raza, Calvin Tsang & Will Ruzicka | July 14, 2022 |
2 | 2 | "The Knight's Code" | Matthew Humphreys | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Victoria Harris, Grace Liu & Ed Raza | July 14, 2022 |
3 | 3 | "The Lotus" | Kevin Wotton & James Yang | Jasmine Chiong | Kelly Baigent, Peter Yong & Ian Young | July 14, 2022 |
4 | 4 | "The Legend of Master Longtooth" | David Dick & James Yang | Shane Lynch | Solomon Fong, Joey Largo, Ande Rose, Cody Shaw, Thalia Tomlinson & Mike West | July 14, 2022 |
5 | 5 | "The Gateway to the Desert" | Mike Goguen & Matthew Humphreys | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Victoria Harris, Grace Liu & Ed Raza | July 14, 2022 |
6 | 6 | "The Lost City" | Kevin Wotton & James Yang | Joy Regulland | Rachel Mackey, Marc Wasik, Peter Yong & Ian Young | July 14, 2022 |
7 | 7 | "The Last Guardian" | David Dick & Calvin Tsang | Jasmine Chiong | Solomon Fong, Matthew Humphreys, Ande Rose, Thalia Tomlinson & Calvin Tsang | July 14, 2022 |
8 | 8 | "A Thread in the Dark" | Matthew Humphreys & Mike Goguen | Shane Lynch | Victoria Harris, Grace Liu & Ed Raza | July 14, 2022 |
9 | 9 | "Slow Boat to England" | Kevin Wotton, James Yang & Michael Mullen | Joy Regulland | Rachel Mackey, Peter Yong, Ian Young & Marc Wasik | July 14, 2022 |
10 | 10 | "The Knight's Fall (Part 1)" | David Dick & Jack Kasprzak | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Solomon Fong, Ande Rose & Thalia Tomlinson | July 14, 2022 |
11 | 11 | "The Knight's Fall (Part 2)" | Kelly Baigent, Kevin Wotton & Will Ruzicka | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Rachel Mackey, Peter Yong, Ian Young, and Mark Sonntag | July 14, 2022 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 1 | "The Liar and the Thief" | David Dick & James Yang | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Solomon Fong, Ande Rose & Thalia Tomlinson | January 12, 2023 |
13 | 2 | "One Last Job" | Mike Goguen & Matthew Humphreys | Jasmine Chiong | Akiel Guzman, Grace Liu, Ifesinachi Orijekwe & Ed Raza | January 12, 2023 |
14 | 3 | "Doom and Groom" | Kelly Baigent, Kevin Wotton & Will Ruzicka | Christopher Amick | Rachel Mackey, Mark Sonntag & Peter Yong | January 12, 2023 |
15 | 4 | "The Pinging" | David Dick, Shaunt Nigoghossian & James Yang | Joy Regullano | Solomon Fong, Louie Escauriaga and Ande Rose | January 12, 2023 |
16 | 5 | "Master Mastodon" | Mike Goguen | Ellie Guzman | Akiel Guzman, Grace Liu, Ifesinaki Orijekwe & Ed Raza | January 12, 2023 |
17 | 6 | "Hide the Lightening" | Kelly Baigent & Will Ruzicka | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Rachel Mackey, Mark Sonntag & Peter Yong | January 12, 2023 |
18 | 7 | "The Beast" | David Dick & Christo Stamboliev | Jasmine Chiong | Louie Escauriaga, Solomon Fong, James Q. Nquyen, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | January 12, 2023 |
19 | 8 | "An Uphill Battle" | Mike Goguen | Shane Lynch | Grace Liu, Isefinaki Orijekwe, Ed Raza & Joshua Taback | January 12, 2023 |
20 | 9 | "The Mad Scientist" | Will Ruzicka | Joy Regullano | Jiani Cao, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | January 12, 2023 |
21 | 10 | "Apok-ta-pocalypse Now (Part 1)" | David Dick & Christo Stamboliev | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Solomon Fong, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | January 12, 2023 |
22 | 11 | "Apok-ta-pocalypse Now (Part 2)" | Mike Goguen | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Akiel Guzman, Grace Liu & Ed Raza | January 12, 2023 |
23 | 12 | "Epic Lunar New Year" | Mike Goguen & Will Ruzicka | Felicia Ho | Jiani Cao, Akiel Guzman, Grace Liu, James Q. Nguyen, Ed Raza & Hideki Yumitani | January 12, 2023 |
Episode 12 (Epic Lunar New Year) is the only double length episode of the series, running at 46 minutes.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | 1 | "The Trial of Mr. Ping" | Will Ruzicka | Jasmine Chiong | Jiani Cao, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
25 | 2 | "Baddie Issues" | David Dick, Dan Forgione & Christo Stamboliev | Shane Lynch | Solomon Fong, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | September 7, 2023 |
26 | 3 | "A Family Friend" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Ellie Guzman | Solomon Fong, Antonio Soares Neto & Megan Parker | September 7, 2023 |
27 | 4 | "The English Opening" | Mike Goguen | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Akiel Guzman, Grace Liu, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
28 | 5 | "The Bog-ey Man of Festermouth" | Will Ruzicka | Jasmine Chiong | Jiani Cao, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
29 | 6 | "Tea Time Trouble" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Shane Lynch | Solomon Fong, Antonio Soares Neto & Megan Parker | September 7, 2023 |
30 | 7 | "Benny and the Jests" | Mike Goguen | Ellie Guzman | Akiel Guzman, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
31 | 8 | "Black Steel of the Equinox" | Will Ruzicka | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Jiani Cao, Shiyeon Cho, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
32 | 9 | "Luthera’s Shield" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Jasmine Chiong | Solomon Fong, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | September 7, 2023 |
33 | 10 | "The Battle of Tianshang (Part 1)" | Mike Goguen | Ellie Guzman | Akiel Guzman, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
34 | 11 | "The Battle of Tianshang (Part 2)" | Will Ruzicka | Shane Lynch | Shiyeon Cho, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
35 | 12 | "The Pangea-ing" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Solomon Fong, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | September 7, 2023 |
36 | 13 | "The Poison Ravine" | Mike Goguen | Ellie Guzman | Akiel Guzman, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
37 | 14 | "The Master Key" | Will Ruzicka | Neyah Barbee | Shiyeon Cho, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
38 | 15 | "The Last Dumont" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Jasmine Chiong | Marta Demong, Solomon Fong, Calvin Leung, Megan Parker & Antonio Soares Neto | September 7, 2023 |
39 | 16 | "A Teacup Filled with the Self" | Mike Goguen | Shane Lynch | Akiel Guzman, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
40 | 17 | "The Beginning of the End" | Will Ruzicka | Ellie Guzman | Shiyeon Cho, James Q. Nguyen & Hideki Yumitani | September 7, 2023 |
41 | 18 | "The Dragon Knights (Part 1)" | David Dick & Dan Forgione | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Marta Demong, Calvin Leung, Antonio Soares Neto & Megan Parker | September 7, 2023 |
42 | 19 | "The Dragon Knights (Part 2)" | Mike Goguen | Christopher Amick & Ben Mekler | Akiel Guzman, Sam Montes, Ed Raza & Dan Stone | September 7, 2023 |
During National Panda Day in March 2022, DreamWorks and Netflix announced a new CGI animated Kung Fu Panda series with Jack Black reprising his role as Po from the films and serving as executive producer with Peter Hastings ( Pinky and the Brain, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants ) and Shaunt Nigoghossian ( Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! ), while story edited and co-executive produced by Kipo writers Chris Amick and Ben Mekler. [12] [13]
The concept idea for the series began as a road buddy comedy that takes the viewers all over in pursuit of their goal to try and catch the bad guys. Jack Black had a cool vision for what an epic journey would be, one that fits well from the first Kung Fu Panda film while having a darker, more mature tone with the show versus past chapters also marks how the series is expanding the franchise. [14] Season 2 expands the concept further to explore Indian culture and Central American culture and deepens the characters made from the first season.
Assets from Paws of Destiny were used to build the sets but some episodes have 2D animation styles based on their own setting. One is rendered as comic graphic art, since an unpublished comic book is the central icon of that particular chapter of the story, and another one has a British-looking, lithograph kind of look. [3]
A score soundtrack from Kevin Lax ( The First Purge , Burning Sands ) and Robert Lydecker ( Iron Fist , Lethal Weapon , Sleepy Hollow , Designated Survivor ) was released on July 15 by Back Lot Music. [15]
Animation production services are provided by Technicolor (now known as Mikros Animation), 88 Pictures (Season 2), and Stella Creative Labs while storyboard services are provided by Dave Enterprises and Kok & Co., Pty, Ltd.
The first season of Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight was released on July 14, 2022, on Netflix. [1] [16] A second season, announced in December 2022, [17] was released on January 12, 2023. [18] A third and final season, announced in August 2023, [19] [20] was released on September 7, 2023.
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | KidScreen Awards | Best New Series in Kids Programming | Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | Won | [21] [22] |
2023 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | Grace Liu (for "The Knight's Code") | Nominated | [23] |
Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Voice Performance in a Children's or Young Teen Program | Jack Black | Won | [24] [25] | |
Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program | David Dick, Mike Goguen, Will Ruzicka, Kevin Wotton and James Yang | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for an Animated Program | Kevin Lax, Robert Lydecker, Vivian Aguiar-Buff, Alexandra Nickson and Clare Yezerski | Won | |||
Outstanding Sound Editing and Sound Mixing for an Animated Program | Rob McIntyre, DJ Lynch, Anna Adams, Evan Dockter, Marc Schmidt, Monique Reymond, Cat Gensler and Roberto Alegria | Nominated | |||
2024 | KidScreen Awards | Best Animated Series | Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | Nominated | [26] [27] |
Best Holiday or Special Episode | "Epic Lunar New Year" | Won | |||
Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | Grace Liu (for "Apok-ta-pokalypse Now, Part II") | Nominated | [28] |
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio has released a total of 49 feature films, including several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. Its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film, The Wild Robot, was released on September 27, 2024. They have an upcoming theatrical slate of films, which includes Dog Man on January 31, 2025, How to Train Your Dragon on June 13, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025, and Shrek 5 on July 1, 2026.
James Hong is an American actor, producer and director. Known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time, he has worked in numerous productions in U.S. media since the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s. In 2022, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American film and television industries.
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The first installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, it was directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, from a screenplay and story respectively written by the writing teams of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. The film stars the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong and Jackie Chan. The film, set in a version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals, centers on a bumbling giant panda named Po (Black), a kung-fu enthusiast living in the Valley of Peace. When the savage snow leopard Tai Lung (McShane) is foretold to escape imprisonment and attack the Valley, Po is unwittingly named the "Dragon Warrior", a prophesied hero worthy of reading a scroll that has been intended to grant its reader limitless power.
Mike Mitchell is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and animator. He is known for directing Sky High (2005), Shrek Forever After (2010), Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011), The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), Trolls (2016), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024).
Kung Fu Panda (Music from the Motion Picture) is the score album to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda. The album features original score composed by Hans Zimmer and John Powell, and a cover of the disco song "Kung Fu Fighting" performed by CeeLo Green and Jack Black (who also plays Po, the lead character). The album consisted of traditional and orchestral score, infused with Chinese music, where Zimmer visited China to study the traditions and culture. As a process, the score was recorded with mostly Chinese traditional instruments, and the China National Symphony Orchestra also performed the score. The 17-track album was released by Interscope Records on June 3, 2008.
Master Ping Xiao Po is the title character and protagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, primarily voiced by Jack Black and Mick Wingert. He is an anthropomorphic giant panda who is improbably chosen as the champion of the Valley of Peace in the first film.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, the film is the sequel to Kung Fu Panda (2008), and the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong and Jackie Chan reprising their roles from the first film, with Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber voicing new characters. In the film, Po and his Furious Five allies travel to Gongmen City to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from conquering China, while also rediscovering Po's forgotten past.
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an American animated comedy spin-off television series co-produced by DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio based on DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda films. First released in 2011, the show serves as a bridge between the first and second films, showing Po's training to becoming a successful Dragon Warrior, whereas the second film is, according to the series' developer Peter Hastings, "not unlike a very long, super-deluxe 3-D version of one of our episodes."
Kung Fu Panda is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film Kung Fu Panda produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping, a giant panda who is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master of kung fu, the franchise is set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals. Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny.
Kung Fu Panda Holiday, also known as Kung Fu Panda: Po's Winter Wonderland, is a 2010 American animated Christmas comedy drama television special produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Tim Johnson. A spinoff of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, the special stars the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, James Hong and Jack McBrayer. The special premiered on NBC November 24, 2010, and its premiere broadcast drew 5.9 million viewers.
Mick Wingert is an American voice actor and voice-over coach known for his role as the voice of Master Po and Zeng in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, taking over the roles from actors Jack Black and Dan Fogler, respectively; as well as Iron Man in various Marvel productions. He was the voice of Heimerdinger in the Netflix TV Series Arcane, and he has done additional voice-over work in Kung Fu Panda, Mass Effect 2, Murdered: Soul Suspect, The Technomancer, The Princess and the Frog and The NoSleep Podcast.
Jonathan Robert Aibel and Glenn Todd Berger are American screenwriters and producers, who are best known for writing the Kung Fu Panda movies, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Trolls, and its sequel Trolls World Tour.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is a 2016 animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, China Film Group Corporation, Oriental DreamWorks and Zhong Ming You Ying Film, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). The film was directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.
James Hong is an American character actor, producer and director who has appeared in more than 600 films, TV shows and video games. His career began in the 1950s when he redubbed soundtracks of several Asian films. Notable roles include Hannibal Chew in Blade Runner (1982), David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Jeff Wong in Wayne's World 2 (1993), and Chi-Fu in Mulan (1998). Hong is also best known for playing Daolon Wong on the television series Jackie Chan Adventures, and Mr. Ping in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is an American animated sitcom produced by DreamWorks Animation Television which is a reboot of the 1959–64 animated television series of the same name. It debuted on May 11, 2018, on Amazon Prime Video, being DreamWorks Animation Television's first series to air on a streaming service other than Netflix. Like its preceding spin-off The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, animation was outsourced by DHX Media's 2D animation studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The second and final "part" of the series was released on January 11, 2019.
Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny is an American animated television limited series produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and premiered its first "part" on Amazon Prime Video on November 16, 2018. The second and final part was released on July 5, 2019. It is the second television series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise following Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. In 2018, Mitch Watson, the show's producer, confirmed that Mick Wingert would reprise his role from Legends of Awesomeness as Po.
Dog Man is an upcoming American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's graphic novel series Dog Man, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. A spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and the second film in the Captain Underpants franchise, it is being directed by Peter Hastings. The film stars the voices of Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd and Ricky Gervais with Hastings providing vocal effects for the titular character.
The Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performer in an Animated Program honors performances in both television series and made-for-television/streaming films. The category was established at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2022, and is open to lead, supporting and guest performers of all genders. Its sister category Outstanding Voice Performance in a Preschool Animated Program honors voice-over performers in shows aimed at a younger audience. A similar category also exists to recognize younger voice performers.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine, written by Darren Lemke and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and produced by Rebecca Huntley. It features Jack Black, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, and Bryan Cranston reprising their roles from the previous films, with Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis joining the cast as new characters. In the film, Po (Black), who must find and train his successor as the new Dragon Warrior, teams up with fox bandit Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat evil sorceress The Chameleon (Davis), before she steals the kung-fu abilities of all deceaceds masters in China.