DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3now playing in theaters, finds Po (Jack Black) stumbling upon his father Li (Bryan Cranston), who reveals to him the existence of a community of pandas living in secret. Directed by Jennifer Yuh and Alessandro Carloni, Kung Fu Panda 3 also features the voices of Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, David Cross as Crane and Lucy Liu as Viper, with Dustin Hoffman reprising his role as Warrior trainer Master Shifu, and J.K. Simmons as the villainous Kai. Kate Hudson, James Hong and Randall Duk Kim also star.

At a recent Los Angeles press day, I was able to sit down with screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. They talked about how the film compares to the original story ideas, how to navigate clichés and keep the story fresh, the benefits of previewing a movie, Easter eggs, and more. In addition, with the duo involved in Trolls, Monster Truck and Spongebob 3, we discussed those projects along with their take on Freddy vs. Jason (they wrote a script for the film years ago). Check out what they had to say below.


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Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger:

  • 0:00 - Their Freddy vs. Jason script.
  • 2:18 - Feddy vs. Jason: Who wins?
  • 3:39 - In writing Kung Fu Panda 3, how does the final version compare to the original story idea?
  • 5:41 - How to navigate cliches and keep the story fresh.
  • 7:21 - Writing animated stories vs. writing live action stories.
  • 9:10 - Benefits of previewing a movie.
  • 9:55 - Did they include any easter eggs in the script? (A love letter to Collider, perhaps?)
  • 10:44 - Upcoming animated projects: Trolls.
  • 12:53 - The universe of Trolls - A '70s inspired aesthetic.
  • 13:28 - Working with Justin Timberlake on Trolls.
  • 14:52 - Collaborating with Justin Timberlake on songwriting for the film.
  • 16:10 - Details of their other animated film, Monster Truck.
  • 17:23 - Other upcoming projects: Spongebob 3, Trolls, and... a Marvel Movie!?

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