PO returns to his roots

Eight years after the first Kung Fu Panda movie made waves globally, Po, the title hero, makes an effort to be less American and more Chinese in the latest sequel of the franchise. Xu Fan reports.

Even foreigners who know little about China see the giant panda as a symbol of the Middle Kingdom. So what often disappoints the Chinese is that most well-known panda character in animation from the Oscar-nominated franchise Kung Fu Panda is completely American. Well, eight years after the first Kung Fu Panda movie made waves globally, the Chinese now have Po, the title hero, making an effort to be less American and more Chinese. In a Chinese version of the film tailored for the world's second-largest movie market, Po and his fellow warriors will speak in Mandarin, though an English version is also available.

The film, Kung Fu Panda 3, premieres globally on Jan 29.