3 ways to fix Kung Fu Panda 3

Don't get me wrong. I liked KFP 3 despite having been 8 years since it's release. It still has some heart and emotion and the characters still have charm. I just wish that had it went the same route as the first two films, it would've been another masterful installment. And here are 3 ways to fix it.

1) Tone down the goofy comedy: Now, I don't mind having certain kinds of silly comedy but only if they're done right especially in terms of animation. There were some moments in this movie that gave me a chuckle here and there. However, when you make Po's father and the other pandas more goofy, it takes away from the dramatic weight. Which is why it would've been nice if saved the comedic moments for Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey since those guys have great dynamics when it comes to their interactions. And as for Po's goofiness, I wouldn't mind keeping that but only if they balanced it with his own serious nature having come to terms with trauma and loss regarding the events of the 2nd movie. Also, Li Shang would also be serious, but not to the point of being unlikeable as they can keep some bits of goofy moments intact. Then, have a certain moment where Li Shang regrets the way he acted towards Po and Mr. Ping would give him a heartfelt speech about being a parent. All the while, Shifu would stay and protect the Valley of Peace and have the citizens of the Valley of Peace evacuate before his arrival. Then, an epic battle would ensue as Shifu does struggle in fighting Kai only for him to succeed in overpowering him and then destroy the Jade Palace before turning him into a Jade zombie. Also, in the final battle, the Furious Five would take risks in protecting the pandas from the Jade zombies only for Kai to overpower them and then take their chi, turning them into Jade zombie as well. Only then would Tigress avoid Kai after landing some hits on him as a distraction so Po can get closer to Kai. That would lead to the moment where Po uses his Wuxi Finger Hold on himself and Kai as a sacrifice, saving their lives. Which would convince Li Shang and the other pandas to try using their Chi power to save Po as a favor. Thus resulting in Po finally mastering his own Chi to make a dragon, using it to beat up Kai brutally, but not painfully to the point of death before using all the power he needs on Kai, defeating him and releasing all the KFP masters. Oogway would appear and tells Po the reason why he chose him as the Dragon Warrior due to his sacrifice and fighting spirit, resulting in Oogway giving the staff of Wisdom to Po, giving him the title of the teacher. Then, you can keep the happy ending.

2) Flesh out the villain/supporting side characters: While General Kai is still a fun villain, I wished he could've had more depth to him other than his connection to Master Oogway and his desire for stealing chi. You can still keep some funny moments with Kai, but like I said, if they balanced it with his serious nature, which would result in him being as chilling and intense as Tai Lung and Lord Shen. Then, he would have certain emotional moments in which he does regret what he did, but still determined to achieve his goals. Yes, it could've been a tad too similar to Lord Shen, but it would enhance the darker tone of the movie. As for the Furious Five, give them more to do. Have them go with Po to the panda village and interact with the other pandas while Po tries to learn from his panda father while also showing him the same Kung Fu techniques he learned from the previous two movies which includes the Wuxi Finger Hold and the Inner Peace technique. Also, have Tigress interact with Po more and show how far she has progressed as a character who's still hardcore, but isn't afraid to soften up and think of what's best for Po in spite of Li Shang's serious attitude.

3) Have better pacing: The 95 minute length isn't bad. I only wished that had it been like say over 100 minutes, it would've made the film so compelling with the plot points that I already mentioned. Heck, the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy wasn't afraid to last over 100 minutes due to the concepts and certain plot points that connect the movies together. Here, it was pretty rushed especially near the ending and climax. I know this movie was in development back in 2013, but maybe the producers could've considered tweaking the pacing like say 11 or 12 minutes, thus resulting in the first KFP installment to be longer than the previous two. Had they done that, like I said, it would've been a masterful movie.

I still like Kung Fu Panda 3 as a movie. I was trying to explain what would've happened if it was as strong as the first two films. Leave some comments if you either agree or disagree.