Week3_1/29/2015_Kung Fu Continues

Observing the list of newly released movies on IMDb, I came across the third in a trilogy of movies concerning fictional animal characters and their use of martial arts, Kung Fu Panda 3. As an avid viewer of the first film in this trilogy, I was interested to see how the direction of this story had progressed. Though trilogy movies tend to lack strong progression, and often lose authenticity once multiple films are made, this installment seemed to garner a lot of attention and strong reviews, perhaps due to its rhetorical approach. In this world riddled with supernatural evil, the ancient martial art of Kung fu is the greatest weapon, utilized by Po, the panda, and his powerful animal comrades. In this film, Po begins his journey from student to teacher, in order to train a group of pandas to help him defeat the powerful enemy warrior, Kai.

One of the most effective ways that this movie can appeal to its audience is by knowing and understanding them. This can be done even more effectively, because the producers had previous material to draw from in order to understand what worked and did not work with their audience. As is clearly stated in the beginning of the trailer (.02) the main audience that the film is geared towards is children and families that fall under the category of the PG rating. Further, in attempting to know their audience, the trailer uses a well known pop song, Wild Ones by Flo Rida (1:25), in an attempt to not only build a mood of up tempo energy, but to give a familiar relation to pop culture. In continuing this theme of familiarity, the director uses a number of well known actors and actresses to voice the numerous animal characters. Well known names such as Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, among others helps encourage audiences by simple association of a popular name.

The familiarity is not exclusive to the names of actors in this movie's ethical appeal towards its audience. In an effort to draw the crowd, the producers use the main character of Po as a familiar face to associate with. In an appeal to character, the focus is on Po, who is subject to themes of his own character present in the previous installments. Such characteristics as the overwhelming desire to eat often (1:47), and the assertion of Po as the underdog against a seemingly unconquerable opponent (1:27) give an appeal to his known character as an unassuming yet powerful master of Kung fu.
Although, another effort to gain the attention of the audience is apparent in the trailer's pathetic appeal. This film is stated as a children's animated comedy, and asserts that position with a range of jokes with appeal to children and adults alike. Knowing their audience as being primarily children that have seen the previous installments, there are jokes present relating to many individuals' character, such as the sternness of Tigress, the tiger (0:26), and much simpler, childish jokes (0:50, 2:28) about fatness and peeing one's pants. These are clearly in appeal to a much younger audience.
However, jokes even persist in moments that seem serious and intense, (0:20, 1:15).

Of course, this is no Oscar winning masterpiece, or film with intense meaning. However, the trailer reveals a surprisingly effective method of appeal for continuing a series of movies geared towards their audience particularly well. In a time when movies are often remade to no great effect towards their audience, this film seems to do an improved job of appealing to their audience in continuing their unique story. This is done fairly effectively through the use of multiple appeals, some powerful graphics, the familiar voices of popular actors and actresses, along with other methods. Soon we will see whether Po's story continues successfully in using the powers of Kung Fu to defeat great evil.