Every Kung Fu Panda Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The Kung Fu Panda franchise has been going strong since 2008, and its movies are so successful that it’s difficult to rank them. The martial-arts inspired animated films have been something of a sleeper success, with a motley cast of stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, and Dustin Hoffman seeming mismatched in any other context. Yet, in Kung Fu Panda the actors play off each other just right.

The franchise has also been praised for its cultural accuracy, garnering the acclaim of audiences and critics from both the US and China. Throughout each film’s development, production teams have taken numerous visits to China in order to conduct research right at the source – a move similar to Netflix’s Over the Moon. The efforts paid off, with The Daily Telegraph reporting back in 2008 that the first film had broken major box office records in China.

However, not all Kung Fu Panda movies are made equal. The series of films is a helpful example of when elements of a franchise become unsustainable, and ultimately, the quality of subsequent movies suffers for it. Here’s every Kung Fu Panda film ranked from worst to best.

3. Kung Fu Panda 2

Sequels often serve as the make-or-break point for a franchise. A commercially successful sequel bodes well for the potential of a lucrative film series, while a flop spells out doom and often means significant losses for the production house that supported it. Kung Fu Panda 2 thankfully falls into the former category, serving as a darker continuation of the Furious Five and Po’s storyline in Kung Fu Panda. The film has a stark take on endangered status of pandas and explains two giant questions that plagued the first film: why is Po the only Panda that viewers have seen, and why is he being raised by a goose?

Kung Fu Panda 2 opens with the rulers of Gongmen City, a family of peacocks who have invented fireworks. Unfortunately, fireworks also means access to deadly gunpowder. The family’s only son, Shen, in a frenetic reaction to a prophecy that he will be defeated by a black and white warrior, uses the gunpowder to essentially commit genocide against every single giant panda that he can find. In the midst of all this, Po (voiced again by Jack Black) was saved by his late mother, who stowed him away in a shipment of radishes for Mr. Ping to eventually find. This sequel is a natural continuation of the first Kung Fu Panda and sets the stage for Kung Fu Panda 3, but it lacks the widespread character and world development that separate good sequels from great sequels. Essentially, Kung Fu Panda 2 functions as the middle child of the franchise: a welcome addition, but frankly a little forgettable.

2. Kung Fu Panda 3

Few franchises can sport a third movie like Kung Fu Panda 3. This film harkens back to all of the major plot points present in Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2, and even features Oogway’s surprise appearance in the spirit realm. The cast in Kung Fu Panda 3 also takes the star power of the franchise to the next level: Bryan Cranston and J.K. Simmons join the list of stars lending their voices to the franchise, with Cranston playing Po’s father, Li Shan, and Simmons portraying this film’s villain, Kai the spirit warrior yak.

In this movie, Po finally meets his long-lost father, Li Shan, after viewers got a quick sneak peek of him at the very end of Kung Fu Panda 2. What follows is a heartwarming journey of family, friendship, and heritage. This movie also reintroduces Kung Fu Panda’s concept of Chi, a source of power lying with in every warrior that has the potential to unleash their inner dragon. The film includes a touching moment of father-to-father advice. When Po rebukes his father for lying about pandas’ ability to still harness their Chi, adoptive dad Mr. Ping explains to Li Shan (a pleasant return to comedy for Bryan Cranston) that Po getting upset and frustrated with him is simply a part of being a parent. This leads Li Shan to promise that his clan will help in the fight against Kai and apologize to Po, who in turn starts training the pandas to turn their everyday chores as kung fu. Eventually, Po manages to defeat Kai not through his own sheer strength and will, but with the combined efforts (and Chi) of all his family and friends.

1. Kung Fu Panda

Typically, the first film in a franchise is difficult to surpass in terms of quality, originality, and heart. The original Kung Fu Panda movie is no exception. This inaugural movie of the fantasy-fueled, wuxia-inspired Kung Fu Panda series is full of hope, nuance, and originality. At first, Po’s a clumsy kung fu super fan who still lives with his dad. Frankly, he’s the last person in the Kung Fu Panda universe that Master Shifu and the Furious Five would expect to be the Dragon Warrior. Yet, as the movie progresses, Po’s inner strength, kind heart, and determination prove him worthy of the title. Po develops a new style of Kung Fu that’s unique to his strengths, adding a message of body positivity and self-love to this family film. This – and the Bruce Lee connection – is the heart and soul of Kung Fu Panda.

Ultimately, Kung Fu Panda‘s message not only encourages the tolerance of differences: it also shows how the celebration and nurturing of such differences can benefit the entire community. The Kung Fu Panda franchise revitalized the animation genre throughout the late 2000s’ and early 2010’s. Since then, the series holds true to one core ideal: believing in one’s self makes anything possible.

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