Continuing our coverage of Kung Fu Panda 3 we next turn our attention to co-Directors Jennifer Yuh and Alessandro Carloni.

You can check out our conversations with J. K. Simmons and Jack Black right here.

The Kung Fu Panda movies always have a very strong theme/message to them. In the storytelling process when does that come about?

Yuh: We always start, when we’re developing what the movie is trying to say or the “message of the movie”, we always start with the character and what the character needs. I think that’s how we make sure it’s real and true to the character. In Po’s case he’s this vulnerable guy who is on this journey that we can all understand, that we can all empathize with.

The thing for him is always a sense of self-empowerment, how to encourage him to keep going. We come up with the story, and we come up with the nice tidy way of saying it probably toward the end. We get to that until the end. We don’t start up the movie like “we’re going to fit into this sentence” we fit it to what this character needs, and ultimately it tells us how it needs to be said.

What is it like collaborating with Jack Black?

Carloni: Sometimes we know what the story of the scene should be, we know where the plot should go, and we know how the narrative show flow, but we might not really know what the scene is until Jack comes along. It becomes a really interactive relationship because at this point he is really, really comfortable with us. He truly discovers moments and truly discovers the comedy of the scene. At this point he knows the character as well as the filmmakers do, if not more so.

Yuh: He’s an incredible improviser, for example in the first one the “skadoosh” he came up with that. He was originally told the gesture and in the booth he just sorta came up with that.

Can you talk a little bit about bringing in JK Simmons?

Carloni: We were developing a new villain and of course after Whiplash came out we said “we gotta get this guy.” We listened to his voice, and often we look at the design of our characters and listen to our different actors without looking at their face, we just compare it to the design. [JK’s] voice is so deep and so interesting so we called him in. To our surprise he discovered a comedic, hilarious, bitter, petty, insecure side to this character. He did that for us.

Yuh: Many people ask us why it takes 4 years to make these movies, and part of that is because we allow ourselves the luxury of experimenting and playing and trying and it allows for us to build on those moments with the actors.

Kung Fu Panda 3_1

How much of part 3 was considered when making part 2, since the end of that film left the door open for another sequel?

Yuh: The reason why we put that cliffhanger in the second movie wasn’t actually intended as a cliffhanger. We originally didn’t have that ending on there. When we were in China doing our research trip for the second movie, we quickly discovered how important the Pandas were to the people in China and we thought “we can’t just leave it without letting the people know they’re okay! We have to let people know they’re okay!” so when we got back we decided to add that scene at the end so that they were not all gone and feel sad.

But that was not intended to be a cliffhanger. for a third movie everyone is asking “is [Po] going to meet that guy?” obviously you have to pay that off.  It seemed very true for Po’s character, who was raised by a goose, who has now found out about his past, to meet his panda father.

Is it difficult to come up with new creative ways of showcasing the action the third time around? All the different martial arts styles?

Yuh: it’s always challenging to find something new, but it is so much fun to do Kung Fu choreography. To make it bigger, make it crazier than last time. And we have to keep it interesting for ourselves [too] and so we tried in this movie to push it. You know there is grounded martial arts and then there’s crazy martial arts. This is crazy martial arts and push it even further. It’s fun! It’s really fun! [Especially] being a kung fu movie fan.

Carloni: In the first movie we had to prove ourselves as a kung fu movie. Research, accuracy. And of course the five! Crane, Mantis, Tigress, they had to move in a specific way. So we had to be careful not to step on anyone’s toes. Now, people like us! “okay that’s a kung fu franchise.” so let’s have some fun with it. So in the movie, when the pandas are fighting, they’re not necessarily performing specific moves they’re being pandas! Catapulting themselves, because now we have created our own “Kung Fu Panda” style. Of course we have a lot of specific moves in the movie as well, but we allow ourselves to push it further.

Our thanks to Dreamworks Animation, Jennifer Yuh and Alessandro Carloni.

Kung Fu Panda 3 arrives in cinemas 11 March.