Kung Fu Panda Holiday

DreamWorks Animation media franchise This article is about the media franchise. For the first film, see Kung Fu Panda (film). For the title character, see Po (Kung Fu Panda). For other uses, see Kung Fu Panda (disambiguation). This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Kung Fu PandaCreated byEthan ReiffCyrus Voris Developed byJonathan AibelGlenn Berger Original workKung Fu PandaOwnersDreamWorks Animation (Universal Pictures)Years2008–presentFilms and televisionFilm(s)Kung Fu Panda (2008)Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)Short film(s)Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016)Panda Paws (2016)Dueling Dumplings (2024)Animated seriesLegends of Awesomeness (2011–2016)The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019)The Dragon Knight (2022–2023)Theatrical presentationsPlay(s)Kung Fu Panda: Arena SpectacularGamesVideo game(s)List of video gamesAudioSoundtrack(s)Kung Fu PandaKung Fu Panda 2Kung Fu Panda 3Kung Fu Panda 4Official websitewww.dreamworks.com/kungfupanda/ 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 (primarily voiced by Jack Black and Mick Wingert), a bumbling, gluttonous 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 and protect China from evil forces. The franchise consists mainly of four animated films: Kung Fu Panda (2008), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024), as well as three television series: Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016), The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019), and The Dragon Knight (2022–2023). The first two films were distributed by Paramount Pictures, the third film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and the fourth was distributed by Universal Pictures, while the television series respectively aired on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. Six short films: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008), Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010), Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011), Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll, Panda Paws (both 2016), and Dueling Dumplings (2024), have also been produced. The franchise's first two features were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as numerous Annie Awards, the first television series won 11 Emmy Awards and the third television series won two Emmy Awards. All four films were critical and commercial successes, grossing over $2 billion overall, making it the tenth highest-grossing animated film franchise, while the second film was the highest-grossing film worldwide directed solely by a woman (Jennifer Yuh Nelson) until Wonder Woman (2017). The series is additionally popular in China as an outstanding Western interpretation of the wuxia film genre.

[edit]

Film

U.S. release date

Director(s)

Screenwriter(s)

Story by

Producer(s)

Kung Fu Panda

June 6, 2008

John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris

Melissa Cobb

Kung Fu Panda 2

May 26, 2011

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Kung Fu Panda 3

January 29, 2016

Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni

Kung Fu Panda 4

March 8, 2024

Mike Mitchell

Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Darren Lemke

Rebecca Huntley

Kung Fu Panda story chronology

Kung Fu Panda (2008)Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016)Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)Secrets of the Masters (2011)Secrets of the Scroll (2016)Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)Panda Paws (2016)The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019)Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022–2023)Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)Dueling Dumplings (2024)

Kung Fu Panda (2008)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda (film) Po, a clumsy panda bear, is a kung fu fanatic who lives in the Valley of Peace and works in his goose father Mr. Ping's noodle shop, unable to realize his dream of learning the art of kung fu. One day, a kung fu tournament is held for the elderly spiritual leader of the valley, Grand Master Oogway, to determine the identity of the Dragon Warrior, the one kung fu master capable of understanding the secret of the Dragon Scroll, which is said to contain the key to limitless power. Everyone in the valley expects the Dragon Warrior to be one of the Furious Five—Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane—a quintet of kung fu warriors trained by Master Shifu to protect the valley. To everyone's surprise, Oogway chooses Po, who has accidentally stumbled into the tournament arena after arriving late via fireworks explosion. Refusing to believe that Po can be the Dragon Warrior, Shifu subjects Po to torturous training exercises in order to discourage him into quitting. Determined to change himself into someone he can respect, Po perseveres in his training and befriends the Furious Five, who had previously mocked Po for his lack of skill in kung fu. Po soon learns that the valley is being approached by Tai Lung, an evil kung fu warrior who has escaped from prison to take revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, and despairs he will be unable to defeat him. However, Shifu discovers that Po is capable of martial arts when motivated by food, and successfully trains him to learn kung fu. After his training is complete, Po is given the Dragon Scroll, which he discovers to be blank. However, Po realizes that the key to limitless power lies within himself, allowing him to defeat Tai Lung and restore peace to the valley.

[edit] SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedFirst releasedLast releasedNetworkKung Fu Panda HolidaySpecialNovember 24, 2010 (2010-11-24)NBC Legends of Awesomeness126September 19, 2011 (2011-09-19)April 5, 2012 (2012-04-05)Nickelodeon226April 6, 2012 (2012-04-06)June 21, 2013 (2013-06-21)32818June 24, 2013 (2013-06-24)June 22, 2014 (2014-06-22)10February 15, 2016 (2016-02-15)June 29, 2016 (2016-06-29)Nicktoons The Paws of Destiny12613November 16, 2018 (2018-11-16)Amazon Prime Video13July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04) The Dragon Knight111July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14)Netflix212January 12, 2023 (2023-01-12)319September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07) Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2014; 2016)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness is an animated television series based on the Kung Fu Panda film series, set between the first two films. The show was originally intended to premiere in 2010, but was delayed and officially launched on Nickelodeon on November 7, 2011. Of the series's voice cast, only Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, and James Hong reprise their roles from the films as Viper, Oogway, and Mr. Ping, respectively. The first season, consisting of 26 episodes, ended on April 5, 2012. The second season aired from April 6, 2012, to June 21, 2013, and also consisted of 26 episodes. A third season consisting of 28 episodes began airing June 24, 2013, going on an extended hiatus after June 22, 2014, before airing its last 10 episodes two years later, from February 15 to June 29, 2016, as a tie-in to the theatrical run of Kung Fu Panda 3.

Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny is the second Kung Fu Panda animated series, set after the events of Kung Fu Panda 3. Across 26 episodes produced by DreamWorks Animation Television with Amazon Studios and ordered, and aired by Amazon Prime Video, the series was released in its 13-episode first season's first part on November 16, 2018, and its 13-episode first season's second and final part on July 4, 2019. The series follows Po on a fresh adventure, mentoring four young pandas (Nu Hai, Jing, Bao and Fan Tong), who happen upon a mystical cave beneath the Panda Village - and accidentally absorb the chi of the ancient and powerful Kung Fu warriors known as the four constellations. The four friends realize that they now have a new destiny - to save the world from an impending evil with their new-found Kung Fu powers. They are aided along their journey by Po, who finds himself faced with his biggest challenge yet - teaching this ragtag band of kids how to wield their strange powers.

[edit] Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)[edit] Main article: Secrets of the Furious Five Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, or simply Secrets of the Furious Five, is an animated short film that serves as a semi-sequel (or spin-off) to Kung Fu Panda and appears on a companion disc of the original film's deluxe DVD release. It was later broadcast on NBC on February 26, 2009, and is available as a separate DVD as of March 24 the same year. The film has a framing story of Po (in computer animation), telling the stories of his comrades in arms, the Furious Five, which are depicted in 2D cel animation.

Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda Holiday Kung Fu Panda Holiday (also known as Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special) is a 2010 television short film that premiered on NBC on November 24, 2010. It tells a story of Po, who is assigned to host the annual Winter Feast by Master Shifu, despite his wishes to spend the holiday with Mr. Ping.

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters is an animated short film released on December 13, 2011, as a special feature attached to the Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD and Blu-ray. It tells the backgrounds of the masters of Gongmen City: Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox, and Croc.

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016)[edit] Main article: Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll is an animated short film officially released as a bonus feature in the Kung Fu Panda: Ultimate Edition of Awesomeness Blu-ray pack in January 2016. Secrets of the Scroll details the forming of the Furious Five, and their first fight together against a common enemy.

Panda Paws (2016)[edit] Panda Paws is a short film that was released with the home media of Kung Fu Panda 3. Panda Paws involves the character Mei Mei (voiced by Kate Hudson) competing with Bao at the "Spring Festival". A version of the short was previously released in theaters preceding the DreamWorks Animation film Home in 2015, with Rebel Wilson voicing Mei Mei, prior to her firing from Kung Fu Panda 3.

Dueling Dumplings (2024)[edit] Dueling Dumplings is a short film that was released with the home media of Kung Fu Panda 4, taking place after the events of the movie. It involves Po and Zhen offering each other dumplings from their respective homelands. They bicker over whose are better and try to force each other to try them. After a playful battle, they end up tasting each other's dumplings and end up liking them.

[edit] Main article: List of Kung Fu Panda characters

List indicators This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the franchise.

An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.  C indicates a cameo role.  Y indicates a younger version of the character.

Character

Films

Short films

Television special

Television series

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)

Kung Fu Panda:Secrets of the Masters (2011)

Kung Fu Panda:Secrets Of the Scroll (2016)

Panda Paws (2016)

Dueling Dumplings (2024)

Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010)

Kung Fu Panda:Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016)

Kung Fu Panda:The Paws of Destiny (2018–2019)

Kung Fu Panda:The Dragon Knight (2022–2023)

Introduced in Kung Fu Panda[edit]

Po PingLi Lotus

Jack Black

Jack BlackLiam KnightY

Jack Black

Jack Black

[edit]

Role

Film

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 4

Co-director

—N/a

Stephanie Ma Stine

Executive Producer(s)

Bill Damaschke

—N/a

Mike MitchellGuillermo del ToroLa PeikangLi Ruigang

Mike Mitchell

Composers

Hans Zimmer & John Powell

Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer & Steve Mazzaro

Editor

Clare Knight

Christopher Knights

Animation Studio

DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks AnimationOriental DreamWorks

DreamWorks Animation

Distributor

Paramount Pictures

20th Century Fox

Universal Pictures

Running time

91 min

90 min

[edit] Box office performance[edit] The film series has grossed over $2.3 billion, making it the eighth highest-grossing animated franchise and DreamWorks Animation's second highest-grossing franchise behind Shrek.

Film

Release date

Box office

Rank

Budget

Ref.

Opening weekend North America

North America

Other territories

Worldwide

All time North America

All time worldwide

Kung Fu Panda

June 6, 2008

$60,239,130

$215,771,591

$416,311,606

$632,083,197

#201

#167

$130 million

Kung Fu Panda 2

May 26, 2011

$47,656,302

$165,249,063

$500,443,218

$665,692,281

#352

#154

$150 million

Kung Fu Panda 3

[edit] Kung Fu Panda is a video game loosely based on the first film. It was published released by Activision on June 3, 2008, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS, and on March 18, 2009, for Mac OS X. Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors is a sequel to the video game Kung Fu Panda. It was published by Activision on November 5 and December 5, 2008, for the Nintendo DS and Wii, respectively. Kung Fu Panda World was a browser game released on April 12, 2010. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a video game that takes place after the events of the second film. It was published by THQ on May 23, 2011, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Kung Fu Panda: Dojo Mojo is an arcade ticket redemption game developed by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE) and Play Mechanix and distributed by Sega Amusements internationally. The machine was revealed at IAAPA trade show in 2014[citation needed] and was officially released for shipping in early 2015 (January 1, 2015). The design features 6 illuminated pads surrounding the player, instructing them to hit the pads in accordance to the targets on screen with 3 difficulty levels. Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends is a video game developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Little Orbit. The game was released on December 1, 2015, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. A crossover event between Brawlhalla and Kung Fu Panda was released as downloadable content on March 24, 2021, adding Po, Tigress, and Tai Lung to the game as playable characters. A crossover between Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Kung Fu Panda was released as skins for Akai (Po), Ling (Lord Shen), and Thamuz (General Kai) on August 20, 2022. DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is a racing video game that was published by GameMill Entertainment, and includes Po, Tigress, Shifu, and Oogway (the latter being a DLC character from the Rally Pack) as playable racers. The video game was released on November 3, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Xbox One.

[edit] Directed by entertainment director Franco Dragone, Kung Fu Panda: Arena Spectacular is an in-progress live arena show, featuring characters from the Kung Fu Panda. Combining circus and Chinese acrobatics as well as arena show effects, the production was supposed to be released around the same time of Kung Fu Panda 2. After a multi city casting tour in 2010, the production went behind closed doors until late 2011 when a new set of audition dates were announced for the following year. However, shortly before the announced January 2012 auditions, both Franco Dragone and DreamWorks decided to postpone the live show's opening date, canceling all auditions. No further announcements have been made since.

[edit] A themed area Po's Kung Fu Garden was opened in 2012 at DreamWorks Experience, one of the themed lands at the Australian theme park Dreamworld. At opening Po's Kung Fu Garden consisted only of a small area featuring a Po photo opportunity. In late 2012, additional rides and attractions were added to the area. All of the rides were moved to Ocean Parade since DreamWorks Experience was rethemed as Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland in 2023. A multi-sensory attraction, based on Kung Fu Panda, opened at the DreamWorks Theatre on June 15, 2018, at Universal Studios Hollywood. A Kung Fu Panda-themed children's play area opened at DreamWorks Water Park on October 1, 2020. Universal Studios Beijing also has a Kung Fu Panda themed area titled Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, which opened alongside the park in September 2021. Universal Studios Florida's DreamWorks Land will include the play area "Po's Kung Fu Training Camp" and the digital meet-and-greet titled "Po Live!".

Po’s Christmas short is one of the few animated features that actually pulls a Chinese New Year vibe into a Western holiday slot. The story uses familiar festive tropes – gift‑giving, a communal feast and an over‑ambitious Santa‑clone – but frames them through the lens of the Valley of Peace’s own traditions. This cultural mash‑up gives families a fresh alternative to the usual re‑runs of holly‑jolly classics, and its 7‑minute runtime fits neatly between the evening news and the bedtime story. Because the characters are already beloved from the feature films, kids feel instantly invested, while adults appreciate the gentle nod to Chinese folklore that subtly broadens the definition of a Christmas celebration.

Treat the short as a mini‑intermission rather than a full‑blown programme. Start it after dinner, when the kids are still buzzing but not too hyper, and have a small bowl of popcorn or traditional Chinese sweets on hand – it adds a tactile element to the viewing experience. Pause after Po’s “gift‑giving” mishap to let the little ones guess what will happen next; this encourages engagement and deepens comprehension of the moral about generosity. Finally, follow the short with a quick, family‑run craft – a simple paper lantern or a DIY fortune cookie – to extend the festive spirit and tie the viewing into a broader, hands‑on celebration.

Many assume the holiday special is merely a condensed version of the main movies, but it actually introduces original plot points that don’t appear elsewhere in the franchise. The misadventure with the “Great Winter Feast” is a unique subplot that explores Po’s leadership in a way the longer features never do. This isn’t a filler; it’s a purposeful vignette that highlights themes of teamwork and cultural exchange, making it an authentic addition to the canon. Recognising these exclusive moments helps parents appreciate the short as a standalone story worth revisiting each festive season.