Kung Fu Panda 2 and Madagascar 3 in talks!
DreamWorks Animation, CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg has announced that the studio is considering a sequel to their box office hit Kung Fu Panda, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“We’ve started conversations about it, and I think in the next 30 or 60 days, we’ll be able to talk completely about that,” Katzenberg told Reuters, when asked about a follow-up to a film that has raked in $560 million in global ticket sales.
Katzenberg also announced that one more Madagascar sequel is on its way. The current sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is set to open in theaters November 7.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa continues the story of a group of Central Park Zoo animals trying to make their way back to the Big Apple. The film stars the voice talents of Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith, and new cast members including late actor-comedian Bernie Mac.
Calling it the “second chapter in one story,” Katzenberg said, “there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York.” “It’s been a very hard week,” Katzenberg said. “We love Bernie. He made an amazing contribution to this movie.” Mac voices Zuba, the father of Alex the Lion (Stiller). Said Katzenberg: “There is a heart and soul that he brought to Zuba.”
So there you have it Madagascar 3 and Kung Fu Panda 2. I am not surprised in the least. Shrek got 3 movies so I am assuming these guys will get 3 as well. They are fun, entertaining films that film audiences of all ages can enjoy. I loved Kung Fu Panda and even thought it was better than Wall*E, so a sequel makes me happy. I would love for Wall*E to get a sequel, you could call it, Wall*E: Revenge of Number Johnny 5.
When I went to see ‘Wall-E’, I was assaulted by a loud hoarde of trailers for animated movies featuring unfunny singing chihuahuas, unfunny singing African animals, and mad scientists. All of these movies looked remarkably milktoasty, playing to the kids while pandering to adults. Having just seen Michael Arias’ fantastic animated film ‘Tekkonkinkreet’ (which was made in Japan), I immediately became depressed, mainly because American animation lacks a unique, visionary voice in the mainstream. Granted, animation that comes out of foreign lands isn’t always incredible, but most of the interesting animated features I see aren’t made in America. There are plenty of guys on the fringe like Lewis Klahr doing interesting stuff, but they make avant-garde shorts, not feature films. I know a lot of people feel that Pixar makes great animated films, and they do, but it’s mostly the scripts and the directing that make Pixar films fantastic, the animation itself isn’t unique. Every studio that isn’t Pixar makes animated films with talking animals that are good for kids but are horrible about trying to bring Mom and Dad in with pop culture references. The thing is, these lifeless, talking animal opuses make money. I could have a free pass to ‘Madagascar 2′ and I still wouldn’t go see it, it looks like mindless entertainment for children that won’t bother to engage them. I hear ‘Kung Fu Panda’ is alright, and I’m sure it’s worth seeing (I have the Hans Zimmmer score and it’s pretty good), but it’s sad to me that we don’t see a lot of risks taken in American animation, this story is proof that they’re going to stick to safe, boring ground.
The first Kung Fu Panda was certainly lucrative enough to inspire a sequel, even if the second makes half as much as the first that wouldn’t be too bad