While Kung Fu Panda 4 just received an exciting release date announcement, it has ironically left fans craving details for a fifth Shrek film instead.
On Friday, DreamWorks Animation officially announced Kung Fu Panda 4, scheduled for a Mar. 8, 2024 release. Although fans seem to be excited about the announcement of the film, many seem more eager for a Shrek 5 announcement. The last time audiences saw their favorite animated ogre as voiced by Mike Myers was back in 2010 with the release of Shrek Forever After. The film -- marketed as The Final Chapter -- grossed a worldwide total of $752.6 million at the box office. Yet, demands for a new Shrek have become a common retort on Twitter to the company's Kung Fu Panda announcement.
The Kung Fu Panda franchise follows the titular panda Po Ping, who is chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a kung fu master after guidance from Master Shifu. The first two films in the series were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature along with several Annie Awards. Kung Fu Panda 3, the previous entry in the computer-animated family franchise arrived in 2016 and ended up grossing a total of $521.2 million at the worldwide box office.
Regardless, love for the Shrek franchise seems to have overshadowed Kung Fu Panda's big fourquel announcement. While it's been over a decade since the fourth (purportedly final) Shrek movie, the franchise continued with three animated shows, a television special, a stage play and several video games. Moreover, it quickly received a spinoff film in the form of 2011's Puss in Boots, which also happens to have a sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, scheduled to hit theaters this December. Nevertheless, for some fans, it would seem that none of those offerings compare to the prospect of a fifth film.
While there have been some developments on the Shrek 5 front over the years, things remain at a developmental standstill. However, star Mike Myers recently made a comment that could be seen as promising, stating, "The concept of going from a self-loathing ogre to a self-accepting ogre was meaningful to me. I love playing Shrek. If I had to do one Shrek a year I'd be thrilled."
Kung Fu Panda 4 will arrive in theaters on Mar. 8, 2024.
Source: Twitter