After skadooshing its way toover half a billion at the box officeand proving thatJack Black’s battling black and white bear is as unstoppable as ever,Kung Fu Panda 4hasretired to the Valley of 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. Po’s latest adventure was one of transition, as he gave up the title of Dragon Warrior and stepped back to become the Valley of Peace’s spiritual leader like Master Oogway before him. Before he could settle down for good, though, he joined forces with the crafty corsac fox Zhen (Awkwafina) for one final battle against his most dangerous foe yet — The Chameleon. For those who have yet to see the film, Collider is excited to share a special sneak peek atViola Davis’s wicked villain and the gravitas the Oscar winner brings.
Titled “Meet the Chameleon,” the featurette lets Davis illustrate her role andwhy she wanted to be a villainin her own words. Playing “the lizard of lies with the glowing teal eyes,” she was reveling in lending her booming, authoritative voice to an insidious foe that is as despicable and power-hungry as she is small. DirectorMike Mitchelland co-directorStephanie Ma Stinegave her the freedom to really flex her vocal muscles for the role to make the shapeshifter stand outwith comedic momentsto balance out her darkest actions and most venomous barbs. Both directors and her archrival Black were in awe of the wicked authority she exuded. If there’s one reason to watch the video though, it’s to hear Viola’s intimidatingly deep “skadoosh” that shows the power she wields in the recording booth.
Davis is known for the power she brings in some of her best roles, from her gutwrenching Academy Award-winning role inFencesto her turnasSuicide Squadhandler Amanda Waller and her acclaimed 2022 performance as General Nanisca inThe Woman King. It helps tohave some talented scene partnerstoo, andKung Fu Panda 4provides plenty. In addition to Black, Davis, and Awkwafina,Dustin Hoffman,James Hong,Bryan Cranston, andIan McShanereprise their roles from the previous films whileKe Huy Quan,Ronny Chieng,Lori Tan Chinn, andHarry Shum Jr.make up the other key newcomers.
Viola Davis’s Villain Shaped ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’
The Chameleon’s ambition inKung Fu Panda 4is to conquer the world by stealing the Staff of Wisdom and absorbing the kung fu abilities of every master in China, includingPoe’s previous enemiesTai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai. Her shapeshifting abilities especially gave writersJonathan Aibel,Glenn Berger, andDarren Lemkeand directors Mitchell and Stine room to get creative with the character’s transformations. Mitchellpreviously told Collider’sSteve Weintraubthe Chameleon represents what theKung Fu Pandafranchise does best while also drawing comparisons to another classic animated shapeshifter.
“It seems like the biggest thing was just building upon our villain, for the most part. I think this is one of the best franchises ever in any animated film, and I think the reason it’s so great, one, is Jack Black, clearly, but two, are the villains. I think this franchise has created the most interesting, the best designed, the best voiced villains I’ve ever seen in any animated film. So when it came along with this, and we found the voice, and we had the design of the Chameleon, and she could shapeshift and all these things, this is something early on where, for the end, we’re like, ‘Okay, she can shift into anything. Is she gonna shift into a whole bunch of animals that Po fights,’ which should be fascinating? We always compared it toThe Sword in the Stone.”
WhileKung Fu Panda 4marks the end of a chapterin the franchise’s story, Mitchell has assured there is still more to write about Po even after his time as the Dragon Warrior has come to an end. Overwhelming box office success all but guaranteed that a fifth film will be made along with potentially even more sequels and the director has ideas. He’s previously said thatthe scale will only growwith future stories, as there’s so much that didn’t make it into the fourth installment. Most notably,the Furious Fiveare on his mind after they sat out for nearly all of Po’s latest adventure. The future could see more massive battles involving the kung fu masters, Po, and Zhen while continuing to raise the stakes for the franchise.
Kung Fu Panda 4is nowavailable for purchase on digital platforms, Blu-ray, and DVD. Check out our exclusive sneak peek at The Chameleon above.
Kung Fu Panda 4
After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.
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