Alessandro Carloni:Yay!
JYN:Yay, we made you cry, yay!
Was there a deliberate attempt to push the emotional side this time?
JYN:Oh yeah, I think we were trying to push all of it.
But, because this feels like this big culmination of what Po envisions a Dragon Warrior to be.
So, I think if youre on the journey with him, you know who he is.
You know who hes trying to be.
When you see him achieve that, its going to feel emotional.
JYN:Oh… no.
We had to put that in there.
Was it tough to get the balance right, with having the two dads?
AC:It was very hard, that was one of the hardest things we did.
You want to ground it all into a true emotional heart and core to the story.
So in the next fight, or action scene, you care what the outcome will be.
And Im so happy that you say that it got you!
[Laughs]
It really did!
JYN:Its also interesting, because you talk about how he could have been a villain.
Because it creates conflict.
But, its just not very fun to watch.
You want to give a partner to this character, for watching them on screen together.
And what did Bryan Cranston bring to that?
JYN:A lot.
Hes an amazing actor.
But hes got such great comedy chops, too, his character has some of the funniest stuff imaginable.
He had a lot of comedy pent up in him, and we could really tell.
Like when we were doing a line that was somewhat funny, hed push it so much.
And then youve got J K Simmons, who plays the actual villain Kai.
Where there lots of potential villains floating around, or was this always going to be the one?
Four arms, with, like, axes and stuff.
He was really cool.
Nico [Sanghrajka], whos been a character designer on all three films, had done this design.
And we were like, thats so cool!
We need to put that in there!, but of course we didnt have this supernatural element.
And we had that design.
He was always there.
And how do you know where to set that?
AC:We dont really decide it, in that case, we kind of discover it.
You design it, you make it, you animate it, and look at it.
And you go, oh man, thats a little scary.
And that balance is always found along the way.
He made him, as well, hilarious.
People dont recognise his name, and he feels kinda bummed by that.
He becomes not only charming and hilarious, but also very relatable.
We just do that, because we dont want the kids to get really traumatised or anything.
Its supposed to make them go aah and then oh, its okay.
[Laughs]
And with Kai comes chi, and that supernatural side.
What was the development like, of what that would look like and what that would mean?
But we didnt dwell on it.
Its something inherent in kung fu and in martial arts movies and all that stuff.
Its all in there.
And the second one brought in technology, so thats a whole other element.
This ones about the supernatural element, and how can we push it even further?
So thats why we really pursued what chi was about.
The colours that are used: the gold versus the green.
The gold being good and the green being bad.
And all that made it feel like an organic part of this world.
I think its good, as well, that you dont spend ages explaining chi.
The first scene just jumps in and shows you what it is.
Was there ever a different version, with more exposition?
AC:Yeah, there was some of that.
In a way, we were drawn to that throughout the franchise.
For the first movie there was some sketches, like what if we use this?.
Because, the cinematic language of kung fu especially in the traditional Chinese movies has chi.
You just like [stretches both hands out in front of himself quickly] and then something explodes!
And what does chi really mean?
JYN:But, the fact that we had to explain it… it is a matter of discovery.
We would put in a scene and go oh my gosh, its too clear!
or Im so bored, take it out!
and then when we take it out: Im so confused!
Was there a worry that, by putting all these pandas in, that youd make Po less unique?
And then, how did you confirm that you didnt?
What new dynamic would it create?
And we got quite excited about exploring that side.
Maybe its his turn to be the teacher.
Maybe its his turn to step up and teach something that he himself learned.
So, actually it opened up the door for lots of narrative explanation.
JYN:And also for the design of them.
We had to check that that they didnt have the markings as Po does.
That they look like a family, but not identical.
It was actually a colour thing and a shape thing a clothing thing.
I love the ugly one.
JYN:His name is Hom-Lee [pronouned homely]!
I dont think they ever say it in the movie.
They never same his name, but his name is Hom-Lee in the script.
[Laughs] That was a character that the writers came up with.
Was any of that planned out in the first place, or is it a movie-by-movie what happens next?
JYN:None of it was planned out…
I do think, though, that we over-built the world, a lot, in that first film.
A lot, a huge amount.
The fact that we had the villain design on the first movie, should tell you.
And many of the masters were designed in the first movie.
JYN:But we didnt!
[Laughs]
AC:True…
JYN: We really didnt, unless it was some subconscious thing.
We should just say we planned it… but we didnt plan it.
[Laughs]
Jennifer, you directed the last movie on your own.
Why not this time?
JYN:Well, Alis actually been working on all of them from the beginning.
And, I really depend on the collaboration of the crew.
JYN:Its not like the directors off doing a thing.
This is a very tightknit family of a crew.
Everyone has so much to offer, and in this case this movie is so huge.
And Ali has been there.
He was there from the very creation of Po.
So, it seemed like a very very good fit, a good mesh.
So its just an evolution, really.
AC: Its also, it became a bigger movie.
A really, really big movie.
JYN:Three countries.
It was a complete co-production with China… we had two versions of everything.
AC:And even from a simple safety point of view.
What if Jen gets sick for a month?
[Laughs]
JYN:They couldnt stop the movie, theyd have to keep going.
A lot of animated films are directed by duos.
Why do you think that is?
JYN:I think theres just so much to do.
Theres so much, over such a length of time.
You need somebody like that, to bring some clarity over the four years.
Why did it take four years this time?
The first one took four and a half.
The second one took three years, or a little over three years.
And this one took four years.
Was that a relief, or was that frustrating?
JYN:Oh gosh, it was relief!
I wanna enjoy Star Wars.
I dont wanna feel stressed about it.
I wanted to watch that movie.
But we do want people to see it, so we were happy that it got moved away.
Its had quite a long process of coming out in all the different countries, hasnt it?
AC:We have zero to do with it.
JYN:We just make the movie and hope for the best!
AC:Im from Italy, for example.
And in Italy theres no such thing as summer season.
And so, theyre struggling there.
Theyre like, theres Marvel movies coming out in the summer, when no-one goes to the theatre!
I guess its to do with that.
Each country has their own rhythms.
We dont have much time left, but lets talk about the future quickly.
Someone may have
JYN: Oh we know where it came from!
AC:It might have been Jeffrey [Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO], youre right.
But the truth is, as filmmakers, we cannot approach the moviemaking that way.
JYN:No, we cant do that.
AC:So for all intents and purposes, this is it.
This is the trilogy ofKung Fu Panda, and its done.
If you guys wanna see Kung Fu Panda, go and see this movie, in the theatre.
Then well see what happens next.
But this notion that ah, you could skip this one because theres three more coming, thats ridiculous.
AC:And we have no ideas, what the next three would be.
Was there talk at all, then, of doing a tease at the end of this one?
Or a post-credits scene?
JYN:Post-credits, we normally try and do something.
A little thing like that.
But this time we didnt.
AC:Yeah, never had the opportunity.
And, again, last movie it happened.
As Jen was saying we had a hint of seeing the pandas.
JYN:Theyre okay people, theyre okay!
Thats what that was about.
AC:It became a trigger for the next movie.
It wasnt intentional to tease anything.
One final question, as I think theres a few seconds left.
So I saw the film yesterday and I still have the new version ofKung Fu Fightingin my head.
Will it ever go away?
JYN:Probably not.
Then, we kind of got excited about it again.
And weve been living with this song more than anyone else.
Oh gosh, do we really have to use it?
[laughs], but we got excited by the fact theres a fresh take on it.
Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni, thank you very much!
Were very glad that we made you cry!
Kung Fu Panda 3 is out in the UK now.
