Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American computer-animated comedy adventure movie. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures. It is the fourth movie in DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda series. It is the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016).

Plot

One night, at the top of the mountain near the quarry, Tai Lung somehow returns. The villain declares that he will not stop until all of China, including the Dragon Warrior, falls to his knees before him.

Sometime later, Po stops an angry stingray from swallowing three piglets before helping his fathers, Mr. Ping and Lee, open their new restaurant. There, he is found by Master Shifu, who wants to talk to Po. In the Jade Palace, he tells Po that he must advance to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, meaning that he will no longer be a Dragon Warrior, much to Po's dismay.

The next day, Po struggles to choose candidates, but much to Shifu's anger, he fails to make a choice, as the panda believes that he is not yet ready to take the place of Master Oogway. Later, he notices a thief, a fox named Zhen, trying to steal some ancient weapon from the past of kung fu. He easily defeats her and sends her to prison, but soon hears about Tai Lung's return. Thanks to Zhen, he learns that Tai Lung did not actually return, someone was pretending to be him. The thief tells Po that the one who turned into Tai Lunga is a powerful werewolf sorceress Chameleon who rules Juniper City, and if he wants to stop her, he will need her help. Reluctant at first, but wanting to embark on one last adventure as a Dragon Warrior, Po travels to Juniper City with Zhen. Meanwhile, Mr. Ping and Lee, frightened by what might happen to their son, follow them.

Upon arriving at the scene, they are arrested when Po learns that Zhen is a wanted criminal. They escape to the Den of Thieves, where Zhen is reunited with Han, his longtime friend and patron, who allows them to stay in the Lair for a while, but wants them to leave the next day. Soon, Po and Zhen go to the Chameleon's lair to destroy her. However, it is revealed that Zhen is actually working for her, betraying Po's trust. The sorceress imprisoned the panda in an impenetrable cage, but he manages to escape, however, without the Staff of Wisdom. When he asks the returning Zhen to bring him back, it is revealed to be the Chameleon who is throwing him off a cliff. Using her staff, Chameleon creates a portal to the Spirit World to summon each martial artist, steal their kung fu, and imprison them in cages, including Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai. Zhen, seeing her mistake, decides to run away from the Chameleon.

Meanwhile, Poe talks to his fathers, telling them that he is afraid of change. Mr. Ping tells him that he was afraid of change too, but also says that if things hadn't changed, he wouldn't have been a father. This gives Po an incentive to stop the Chameleon once and for all. Po and Zhen face each other. She tries to stop him, which leads to a duel between the two. Realizing that she can't change his mind, she tearfully hugs him before he comes face-to-face with Chameleon.

Zhen manages to convince the Den of Thieves to help her rescue Po. Meanwhile, Tai Lung learns that Po has lost the Staff of Wisdom, causing him to lose faith in Po even more than he originally did. Po tries to fight the Chameleon by retrieving his staff. Just as the Chameleon is trying to deliver the final blow, Zhen intervenes. The chameleon transforms into a hybrid of several creatures, and the three of them fight all over the room. Zhen falls due to the rubble while the Chameleon transforms into Po, who is confronted by the real Po. However, Chameleon locks him in a cage.

Trusting Zhen, he gives her the Staff of Wisdom, which she uses to fight the Chameleon, and she manages to stop the villainess for a while thanks to one trick Po used earlier. Unable to accept defeat, the sorceress tries to kill Po again, but is quickly defeated, receiving a deafening knockout on the head from him. The Dragon Warrior returns all the villains to their kung fu and frees them.

Tai Lung, realizing that he was wrong about Po, expresses his respect and acknowledges him as a Dragon Warrior. Po uses the Staff of Wisdom to open a portal to the Spirit Realm, and all the masters return there, with Tai Lung taking the Chameleon with him as punishment.

Back in the Valley of Peace, Zhen is ready to return to the prison, but Po decides to choose her as the next Dragon Warrior, shocking both Shifu and herself. Though she believes she doesn't deserve to be a Dragon Warrior, Poe gives her some advice. In the post-credits scene, Po, along with the Raging Five, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane, helps Zhen train to become the next Dragon Warrior.