Kung Fu Panda

[MattyO 62]

What do the people who've heard/seen it think about it?

I think it is a decent, fun score with standard MV/RC techniques kept to a refreshing minimum. I suppose Hans having John Powell there to prevent him from getting too ahead of himself helps the situation a bit. It is definitely a fun, if not grand listen.

I look forward to comparing it with David Newman's return to the PIXAR animated world with WALL*E.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

I wouldn't be so hasty to discredit Zimmer's input. I get the impression that the man's just as sick of his action scores as many listeners are. He writes very well when he's not doing a big-budget, blockbuster action movie.

[MattyO 62]

I agree. Many review sites praise his romantic comedy scores, I think a lot of the flack Hans gets is unwarranted because he is Jerry Bruckheimer's go-to guy. There were parts of At World's End I was amazed made it into the score, especially the (over)abundance of woodwinds, not common for a Bruckheimer score. I mean I will gladly admit I'm a Zimmer fan, it's just nice to see that he does vary his style for animated films. I also think John Powell is one of the greater assets to come out of Remote Control. All in all a good score, but I am yet to hear it in context.

[Maestro 147]

Wall-E is Thomas Newman.

[indy4 155]

I like KFP, it's a very fun score.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The first track is really awesome. It's a great effort by Zimmer and Powell, and I'm glad they started working together again after so many years. I think their last collaboration was with The Road To El Dorado, which is a great movie with a great score.

I still prefer Powell's solo work, he really is the animation master. His score for Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who! is just brilliant, despite the film being rather bad.

I recommend it to any Powell fans.

[ChuckM 1]

The first track is really awesome. It's a great effort by Zimmer and Powell, and I'm glad they started working together again after so many years. I think their last collaboration was with The Road To El Dorado, which is a great movie with a great score.

I still prefer Powell's solo work, he really is the animation master. His score for Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who! is just brilliant, despite the film being rather bad.

I recommend it to any Powell fans.

I haven't had a chance to hear KFP yet, but I agree that HHaW is excellent, although I thought the movie was very good as well. Might I ask why you did not like it?

[indy4 155]

About KFP--I love the variation of the theme at 0:47 of "Let The Tournament Begin."

[MattyO 62]

Wall-E is Thomas Newman.

My bad, I meant Thomas Newman. I've been listening to some David Newman stuff lately and so the name is stuck in my head.

I look forward to WALL*E by Thomas Newman.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I'll have to check out Horton Hears a Who and maybe I'll give Kung Fu Panda a spin as well.

- Marc, Powell fan.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

What's there to like about Horton Hears a Who? The really weird sound effects in the suite pretty much put me off.

[Marc 766]

Some very cool cues in that score !
Like this one
 

 

[JNHFan2000 2,957]

https://collider.com/kung-fu-panda-4-plot-details/

 

I do like the sound of this.

 

Spoiler

Kung Fu Panda 4 will feature Po leaving the Valley of Peace to go to the big city, where the unexpected personification of evil will already be waiting for him. A new villain, called The Chameleon, is in town, and the Dragon Warrior's new adversary is not someone he can mess around with. What makes this new adversary particularly dangerous is their ability to summon enemies from Po's past, which have included one of Master Shifu's (Dustin Hoffman) previous students and a crane (Gary Oldman) that wanted to get rid of pandas once and for all.

 

Besides dealing with the burden of facing his strongest enemy yet, Po will have to look for a replacement, as he knows that he can't be the Dragon Warrior forever. The way he got the role in the first place was controversial enough, and the fact that Grand Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) always vouched for him made a big difference in regard to how the kung fu community looked at him at first. Since Po knows that the process to find a successor can be messy, to say the least, he'll try to find a worthy fighter while he still can do it without any major pressure on his shoulders

 

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

Oh my this sound great!

 

Never imagined an older Po, I can't remember exactly where I've already seen this kinda of plot, but I'm excited to see it in that world.

[Edmilson 7,427]

Will Hoffman be in the movie? I thought he got MeToo-ed years ago.

[Gabriel Bezerra 300]

18 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

I can't remember exactly where I've already seen this kinda of plot, but I'm excited to see it in that world.

CARS 3!!... Yeah, that's where. I liked that movie so my hopes remain high.

[Tallguy 3,382]

I want to see Po be like Master Oogway old. Probably not going to happen.

 

Kind of like how I wanted How to Train Your Dragon 3 be like 20 years later.

[Stark 312]

Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro are confirmed to be composing Kung Fu Panda 4 (via hans-zimmer.com). Can’t complain with these choices!

[Edmilson 7,427]

So no Powell then. 

 

I'm not complaining, I've never been a huge fan of the Panda scores (they don't have enough Powell-isms) and I prefer JP to focus on new exciting projects like Migration or the Christmas movie. 

[Stark 312]

Powell didn’t even do much on KFP2, and he was obviously absent from 3, so I’m not surprised he hasn’t returned for this either.

[Drawgoon 100]

No Lorne Balfe, I see. He was very involved with the previous two. I actually thought this was going to be a solo gig for him.

[Edmilson 7,427]

Current day Mazzaro is like late 2000s/early 2010s Lorne Balfe in terms of relationship with Zimmer.

[Thor 7,490]

I've tried to get into the KUNG FU PANDA films and scores, but it's been very difficult. I was too old when the first film came out (31 friggin' years old), and I've had no hankering to revisit them. The scores are fine, but they're up against a plethora of stupendously beautiful Zimmer scores in ethnic mode, so they fall short for me.

[Mephariel 451]

I really liked the score for Kung Fu Panda 3 and prefer over 1 and 2. I have have high hopes for this one. 

[Fargo 297]

2 has some banger cues that I absolutely love:

 

Rickshaw Chase

More Cannons!

Zen Ball Master

My Fist Hungers For Justice

 

I dont really revisit the first one that much, but 2 and 3 I enjoy quite a bit. The movies are just ok imo

[Edmilson 7,427]

The movies are clearly for kids younger than 10 but aren't that bad. Kung Fu Panda 2 in particular, kinda like How to Train Your Dragon 2 a few years later, has some unexpectedly dark/emotional moments for a kids cartoon. Also, the animated martial arts scenes are very well done.

 

The scores are... fine, I guess, even though I think they're a clear case of "too many cooks", like many RC DreamWorks scores.

[Mephariel 451]

1 hour ago, Fargo said:

2 has some banger cues that I absolutely love:

 

Rickshaw Chase

More Cannons!

Zen Ball Master

My Fist Hungers For Justice

 

I dont really revisit the first one that much, but 2 and 3 I enjoy quite a bit. The movies are just ok imo

 

"My Fist Hungers For Justice" is definitely one of my favorites in the series. Along with "Oogway Ascends" and "Jaded."

[JNHFan2000 2,957]

 

Viola Davis, Awkwafina & Ke Huy Quan added to the cast. Davis plays the villain

[Tallguy 3,382]

Hmmm. Kung Fu Panda 2 is the second greatest animated sequel of all time. It's almost The Empire Strikes Back of animated sequels. Except for How to Train Your Dragon 2 which is literally The Empire Strikes Back of animated sequels.

 

Oh, and Madagascar 3 is far superior to 1 and 2 but that's not important right now.

 

Anyway, Pandas. I'll give it a shot.

[Brónach 1,302]

as much as i like wuxia and i like KFP2 and it's score by whoever, i'll ignore this

[Nick1Ø66 4,710]

They should have gone the Aliens route and called it Kung Fu Pandas.

[Edmilson 7,427]

Panda 2 is pretty good. The first one is okay and the third is meh.

 

47 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

Oh, and Madagascar 3 is far superior to 1 and 2 but that's not important right now.

 

Madagascar 3 has one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a movie, one that made me laugh hysterically when I saw it... But otherwise is a very eschizophrenic movie, kinda like the directors were on coke or something.

[Thor 7,490]

I think I possibly saw the first one years and years ago, but not a franchise I'm particularly interested in (nor the other things, like MADAGASCAR). Shocked to hear it's up to 4 now. I was too old when these things started, I think (31 years old when the first one came out). Some good bits in the Zimmer score(s), but nothing that will ever feature on a top list of mine.