"Kung Fu Panda" fans have two fewer months to wait for the third film in the animated franchise.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film's release has been moved up to Jan. 29, 2016, from March 18, 2016. That marks the second calendar shift, after it was pushed from its original Dec. 23, 2015, premiere to clear a path for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

DreamWorks Animation announced in February that director Jennifer Yuh requested assistance from Alessandro Carloni to complete the film on time. Apparently that worked out well enough that the studio is comfortable with this earlier release date.

In addition to star Jack Black, the film also features the voice talents of Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson and Seth Rogen.