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]
| Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | |
|---|---|
 Season 1 promotional poster featuring Po and Sir Luthera / Wandering Blade | |
| 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 | |
| |
Premise
editThe 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.
Voice cast
editMain
edit- Jack Black as Po / Op[8]
- Rita Ora as Sir Luthera / Wandering Blade[9]
- Kai Zen as young Sir Luthera
- Chris Geere as Klaus Dumont[8]
- Della Saba as Veruca Dumont / Rabia's Mother[8]
- James Hong as Mr. Ping[8]
- Rahnuma Panthaky as Rukhmini / Zip / Additional Voice[8]
- Ed Weeks as Colin / Mashmeater / Basil / Rock Monster / Additional Voice[8]
- Melissa Villaseñor as Akna
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Forouzan
Recurring
edit- Omid Abtahi as Sir Alfred
- Parry Shen as Weimin / Additional Voice[10]
- Todd Haberkorn as The Emperor of China / Additional Voice
- Barbara Goodson as The Queen of England
- Mick Wingert as Sir Drake / Rabia's Father / Additional Voice
- Kinza Khan as Rabia
- Martin Aistrope as Master Mastodon
- Sean T. Krishnan as Jayesh / Additional Voice
- Anjali Bhimani as Padma
- Deepti Gupta as Diya
- Richard Ayoade as Kyle
- Harvey Guillén as Pelpel[11]
- Jorge Diaz as B'ah / Pax / Additional Voice
- Sarah-Nicole Robles as Queen Zuma
- Toks Olagundoye as Lucinda / Rosalie
Guest
edit- Amy Hill as Pei Pei[8]
- Tru Valentino as Chuntao / Edward / Additional Voice
- Stephanie Sheh as Elder Huang
- James Sie as Lao / Nian / Additional Voice
- Dayci Brookshire as Changpu
- Rolonda Watts as High Priestess
- Nolan North as Shoddy Boat Owner
- JB Blanc as Nigel
- Peter Hastings as Additional Voice
- Carlos Alazraqui as Amoch / Additional Voice
- Billy Boyd as Edgar
- Nicholas Guy Smith as Duncan
- Keith Ferguson as Benny / Augustus / Additional Voice
- Sean Astin as Master Sloth
- Kineta Kunutu as Master Longtooth / Kemanzi
- Kenna Ramsey as Master Ostrich
- Regi Davis as Barya
Episodes
editSeries overview
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | July 14, 2022 | ||
| 2 | 12 | January 12, 2023 | ||
| 3 | 19 | September 7, 2023 | ||
Season 1 (2022)
edit| 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 |
Season 2 (2023)
edit| 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.
Season 3 (2023)
edit| 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 |
Production
editDevelopment
edit
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.
Release
editThe 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.
Awards and nominations
edit| 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] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Dinsdale, Ryan (June 16, 2022). "Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Gets New Trailer and a July Release Date". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Motamayor, Rafael (March 16, 2022). "Jack Black To Reprise Role As Po For Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Netflix Series". Slash Film. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Mallory, Michael (July 12, 2022). "Exclusive: Crafting Po's Return for 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' (NEW Clip)". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "'Kung Fu Panda' Animated Series Unveils Jack Black's Return as Po, July Release Date in First Trailer". Variety. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ King, Aidan (December 13, 2022). "'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' Season 2 Trailer Brings the Action". Collider. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 3, 2023). "Trailer: Po Returns to Netflix for DreamWorks' 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' S3". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ @DreamWorksTV (August 3, 2023). "New enemies, old foes, familiar faces, and… the Queen of England? 👑 All that and more in the final season of #KungFuPanda #DragonKnight streaming on @netflix September 7th" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g Milligan, Mercedes (May 6, 2022). "Rita Ora Joins 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,' James Hong Returns as Mr. Ping". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Lindert, Hattie (June 16, 2022). "Po tries to win his fans back in the Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight trailer". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ @ParryShen (July 14, 2022). "Excited to finally share that I'll voicing WEIMIN (a Komodo Dragon) in Netflix's new show — KUNG-FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT joining Jack Black's return to voicing Po! Now Streaming!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "DreamWorks Drops 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' Season 2 Trailer".
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 16, 2022). "First Look: Jack Black Is Back as Po in 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ "'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight': Release Date, Trailer, Cast, & Everything We Know So Far". Collider. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ White, Abbey (July 31, 2022). "How 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' Expands a Nearly 15-Year Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Soundtrack Album for Netflix's 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Netflix After School (June 16, 2022). Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight 🐻🐉 Official Trailer | Netflix After School. YouTube. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Moore, Kasey (December 2, 2022). "'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix". What's on Netflix. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (December 13, 2022). "Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Travels to India Exclusive Trailer and Casting News". IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Black Heads Back to London in New 'Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight' Season 3 Trailer [Exclusive]". Collider. Diego Peralta. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Kung Fu Panda Channel (August 3, 2023). KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT Season 3 Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Dickson, Jeremy (November 29, 2022). "Streamers rule Kidscreen Awards nominations". KidScreen. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ Dickson, Jeremy (2023-02-14). "And the 2023 Kidscreen Awards winners are…". KidScreen. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 26, 2023). "'Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio' Wins Five Trophies Including the Top Prize at the 50th Annie Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Coates, Tyler (2 November 2023). "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (18 December 2023). "'Sesame Street,' 'Muppets Mayhem,' Jack Black Among Winners at Children's & Family Emmy Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Dickson, Jeremy (2023-12-20). "Disney dominates the 2024 Kidscreen Awards nominations". KidScreen. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
- ^ Dickson, Jeremy (2024-02-05). "BREAKING NEWS: Announcing 2024's Kidscreen Awards winners". KidScreen. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 11, 2024). "'Nimona' Leads Annie Awards Animated Feature Competition With Nine Noms; Snubs Include 'Wish,' Which Was Shut Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
