How To Watch The Kung Fu Panda Movies In Order

"Kung Fu Panda" kicked its way into cineplexes in 2008, scoring rave reviews and pulling in big bucks at the box office. Since then, there have been three more feature films. But is the release order the correct way to watch the movies? Hollywood franchises have a penchant for prequels, after all. When it comes to the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, here's how you should watch the films:

• "Kung Fu Panda" (2008)

• "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)

• "Kung Fu Panda 3" (2016)

• "Kung Fu Panda 4" (2024)

That's right — in this case, the story chronology matches the release one. However, that's not the case when you factor in all the shorts and TV shows that have padded out the franchise over the years. You don't have to watch them all to enjoy the movies, but some of these projects are important to the overall arc. For the most satisfying "Kung Fu Panda" viewing experience, you should watch the various installments in order of the story, not by release date. Read on to find out how to do just that.

"Kung Fu Panda" introduces Po (Jack Black), a giant panda obsessed with kung fu, and the Furious Five. The five masters, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Mantis (Seth Rogen), all live in the Jade Palace under the watchful eye of the red panda Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), who is himself guided by Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace.

Po works for his father in his noodle shop but desires more, and he ultimately finds his way into the Jade Palace, where he's declared the Dragon Warrior through some mishaps and shenanigans. What follows is Po's journey of realization, kung fu teachings, and finally, the mastery he needs to obtain the Dragon Scroll and defeat Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a former pupil of Master Shifu desperate to obtain the coveted Dragon Scroll.

The film establishes everything a viewer needs to know to dive right into the franchise. Like most kids' movies, there's plenty for adults to notice in "Kung Fu Panda" as their children become engrossed in the film. "Kung Fu Panda" was a monumental success, earning over $630 million from a $130 million budget. Critics were also kind (the film is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 87%), so sequels were inevitable.

The home release of "Kung Fu Panda" came packaged with a short called "Secrets of the Furious Five," which brings back some of the voice cast from the film, including Seth Rogen's Mantis and a few others. The short mixes different methods of animation, beginning with Po in CGI as he tells stories of the Furious Five, which are separately animated in traditional 2D cel animation. This mirrors the opening and closing credits of "Kung Fu Panda" and blends styles seamlessly to tell the story.

The short follows Po as he teaches beginner kung fu lessons to a group of bunny children, and he frames each lesson with a story of the corresponding character. While his stories take place in the past, Po's lesson is set after the events of the first film, so "Secrets of the Furious Five" is best viewed after "Kung Fu Panda." His tales are essentially origin stories detailing how the Great Masters found their way to kung fu and how they achieved their success.

When Po is finished talking with the kids, Master Shifu is surprised to learn that Po hasn't messed up, as he often does. It closes with the kids asking how Po's first day learning kung fu was, and a series of scenes flash, reminding him how difficult it was for him. Instead of delving into the challenges he faced, he merely tells them, "It was awesome," which is entirely on brand for Po.

After watching the first movie and its relevant short, it's best to skip ahead chronologically and binge all three seasons of "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness." The series began airing on Nickelodeon in 2011, the same year "Kung Fu Panda 2" was released, and serves to bridge the gap between the first and second movies. Few from the original cast returned, but Liu as Viper and James Hong as Po's father reprised their roles.

Po and the Furious Five fight together to defeat a variety of foes who threaten the peace of their valley. Through it all, Po (played by Mick Wingert here) mucks things up like he always does. However, he also learns from his mistakes and comes out better on the other side — a theme of the franchise, to be sure. The show also provides more details about the Furious Five and the history of kung fu.

"Legends of Awesomeness" was made with children in mind, so there aren't as many jokes and innuendos to entertain adults as you'll find in the films. Because of this, the series is relatively derivative and somewhat clichéd. That's not to say it isn't entertaining, because it certainly is, but it's a kids' show that's not on the same level as the films in terms of entertainment value.

As the title implies, "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" is a Christmas special. This 25-minute short, which premiered on NBC in November 2010, sees the return of the main cast, who all reprise their roles from the film. It's centered around the Valley of Peace's annual Winter Feast that's held at the Jade Palace, and Master Shifu assigns the task of making it happen to Po. The feast is meant to be perfect, so Po is in for a challenge, and all the while, he wants nothing more than to spend the holiday with his father.

Po attempts to cater the dinner himself but is in way over his head. He manages to prepare everything, though he leaves to help his dad in the noodle shop, which is feeding the townspeople who have nowhere else to go. The Furious Five see this and follow suit, and before long, the Winter Feast is abandoned as everyone gathers together in the town. It's a lovely holiday story about family and responsibility and a perfect addition to the franchise.

"Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters" is a short that was included in the home release of "Kung Fu Panda 2," which begs the question, Why watch it before seeing the movie? The answer lies in its content: It's a prequel to the film. "Secrets of the Masters" also sees a return of most of the voice cast from previous projects, and, like "Secrets of the Furious Five," it uses 2D animation for flashbacks.

The short focuses primarily on Masters Rhino (Paul Scheer), Croc (Tony Leondis), and Ox (Dennis Haysbert). The three new characters must find purpose in their mastery of kung fu if they're to stop the Wu Sisters from destroying their village. The short is framed with Po telling a story to Tigress and Mantis about how the three masters met, which is when the 2D animation begins.

What plays out is another origin story of the masters, and it's incredibly entertaining. The short won its team of animators an Annie Award for best animated special production, so it was well received. While there's nothing to stop you from watching "Secrets of the Masters" after finishing "Kung Fu Panda 2," you'd be missing out on a lot of backstory that makes the film even better.

"Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll" is a short that was included in the re-releases of the first and second films, one that's best viewed before "Kung Fu Panda 2." It features most of the original cast, though Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan didn't return for this short, which also utilizes a clever mixture of CGI and 2D animation.

"Secrets of the Scroll" is an origin story for both Po and the Furious Five. It takes place after the second movie, but, like other shorts, it begins in the "present" and tells stories of past events that happened a decade earlier. The main focus is Po's father giving away his action figures to customers, so he goes on the hunt to get them back.

Through this narrative, the story of the Furious Five's coming together is told, but with some fun mistakes thrown into the mix. As a teen, Po sees the new teammates fight, and it turns out that this is where he developed his love of kung fu. The short closes in the present, and Po decides to let others enjoy his toys just as he did, noting that he's got the real thing now.

"Kung Fu Panda 2" picks up with Po continuing his training as the Dragon Warrior, but while his technique has advanced, Master Shifu tells him that he's yet to achieve inner peace. Meanwhile, Shen (Gary Oldman) and his wolf army rampage across China, seeking the prophesized "warrior of black and white" who will one day rise up and defeat him.

Po and the Five head out to meet the threat, but when Po sees Shen's armor, he suddenly remembers his mother. This leads to Po speaking with his father about how he came to raise him, and more parts of Po's backstory are revealed. The action moves to Gongmen City, where the fight grows as Shen deploys cannons. Po is wounded but floats downriver, where he learns more about his past from the Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh).

Eventually, Po finds inner peace and challenges Shen, leading to their final battle. The film is an excellent continuation of Po's hero journey, and it fills in a lot of blanks. The original cast returned, including Jackie Chan, who reprises the role of Monkey. Just like its predecessor, "Kung Fu Panda 2" did very well at the box office, outperforming the first film by more than $30 million and ensuring the franchise continued with more entries.

"Kung Fu Panda 3" picks up right where the second movie left off, so there aren't any shorts to watch between the two. The film focuses on Po's family: His biological father, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), is still alive in a secret Panda Village hidden from the rest of China. Before that happens, the Spirit Realm is plagued by General Kai (J.K. Simmons), who's stolen the chi from dead kung fu masters, including Master Oogway.

Kai returns to the mortal world, becoming a new threat to Po and the Furious Five as Master Shifu announces his intention to retire from teaching. He names Po as his successor, but up to this point, Po has been a student and he isn't ready to follow in his master's footsteps. Dejected, he returns home and meets his biological father, who teaches him chi while showing him how to be a panda.

"Kung Fu Panda 3" was co-directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni in his feature length directorial debut. The film marks a significant change in Po's abilities and place in the world, and serves as another fantastic addition to the franchise. The movie did well, earning over $520 million at the box office. It didn't outperform its predecessors, but was still incredibly successful, ensuring the franchise's continuation. This was partly thanks to the Chinese box office, which added over $150 million to the overall takings.

The "Kung Fu Panda 3" home release continued the trend of including a short, and this one really lived up to its name – "Panda Paws" is just 3 minutes long. The short focuses on Mei Mei (Kate Hudson) and Bao (Steele Gagnon), who were introduced in the aforementioned movie, with both competing at the Spring Festival. Mei Mei narrates, noting that Bao outperforms her. Mei Mei believes she lost because Bao is so much cuter than she is, leading to a challenge.

Mei Mei performs a ribbon dance and other activities, and her competitor performs with a liuqin during a balancing act. Things go a bit awry, leading to a fire, which ignites some fireworks, brightening the night sky with magnificent, colorful explosions. Things settle down, and both Mei Mei and Bao are safe in the end, earning applause for how they came together.

"Panda Paws" was initially intended to be a prologue to "Kung Fu Panda 3," but it ultimately became a bonus feature on the DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD releases. This was actually for the best in terms of viewing order, as watching "Panda Paws" before sitting down to enjoy "Kung Fu Panda 3" would amount to some minor spoilers, seeing as it takes place entirely in the Panda Village.

"Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny" is a two-season series released on Amazon Prime Video. The show is the second such project for the franchise, but it takes place much later, following the events of "Kung Fu Panda 3," which introduced numerous new panda characters. One thing it has in common with "Legends of Awesomeness" is Mick Wingert's return as Po, who once again does a great job imitating Jack Black.

The series is set just after the defeat of General Kai and focuses on Po and four panda children: Nu Hai (Haley Tju), Jing (Laya Deleon Hayes), Fan Tong (Makana Say), and Bao (Gunnar Sizemore). The main storyline involves a mystical cave under the Panda Village, where the four children accidentally absorb the chi of four ancient warriors: Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Red Phoenix.

It's up to Po to train the children in the art of kung fu to stop the villainous Jindiao (Steve Blum) from stealing the ancient chi while also fighting against other threats. "The Paws of Destiny" was broken into two parts with 13 episodes each, with the first dropping in 2018 and the second coming the following year. The series is completed, and there's no indication another season will follow.

"Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight" is the third television series in the franchise, and it picks up two years after General Kai's defeat at the end of "Kung Fu Panda 3." The series was developed and released by Netflix and ran for three seasons between 2022 and 2023, with 42 episodes in total. Unlike the other two shows, Jack Black returns to voice Po. Some new characters are introduced here, including Luthera (Rita Ora), and, while he doesn't voice Po, Mick Wingert comes back to provide the voices for several characters, including Drake and Rabia's dad.

The series follows Po as he leaves the Valley of Peace to go on a quest to find himself. He travels all across China, and he's partnered by Luthera, aka the Wandering Blade, as he goes. Their quest is to locate the four elemental weapons that divided the world in ancient times. As the series progresses, new threats and enemies appear, and the two mismatched warriors must work together for a common goal.

"The Dragon Knight" features different animation styles throughout as a storytelling element. Some episodes use 2D animation, while others appear as if they are graphic art from a comic book. The varying styles mix up the franchise by throwing in techniques previously unseen in earlier projects, keeping things fresh.

Eight years after the release of its predecessor, "Kung Fu Panda 4" came along and continued the franchise's trend with a plethora of new characters. The film focuses on Po's quest to find his successor, whom he plans to train as the next Dragon Warrior. To this end, Po teams up with Zhen (Awkwafina), a bandit who has the skills needed to go up against and defeat The Chameleon (Viola Davis).

The Chameleon's plan is to steal all of the kung fu abilities held by the many masters spread throughout China, and only Po and Zhen can defeat her. Much of the magic from the previous three films is captured, and "Kung Fu Panda 4" was a success, both critically and commercially. The film was cheaper to produce than earlier outings, and it made a considerable sum, raking in just shy of $550 million.

Reviews of "Kung Fu Panda 4" were largely positive, putting to bed any thought of the franchise coming to a close with this feature. That being said, DreamWorks Animation has yet to announce another sequel. Still, the fourth film's director, Mike Mitchell, has teased the likelihood of a fifth installment, and it's been said that DreamWorks even has plans for a sixth film.

As was the case with its predecessors, the home release of "Kung Fu Panda 4" came packaged with a short. Like "Panda Paws," "Dueling Dumplings" is another very short short, clocking in at less than 3 minutes (the earlier shorts all ran between 20 and 25 minutes). Despite its length, "Dueling Dumplings" it's nonetheless hilarious and a great addition to the franchise. As the name implies, it sees Po and Zhen competing against one another to see who has the best dumplings. It's a fun little competition between the two warriors, and you know going in that Po isn't one to shy away from a food challenge.

Kung fu comes into play as they compete with one another, balancing dumplings between their chopsticks as they attempt to force each other to try their dumplings. Because it's only a few minutes long, that's pretty much all it's about, and, in the end, the two friends find that they each love the other's recipe. As Po and Zhen are already comrades at this stage, "Dueling Dumplings" is best watched after "Kung Fu Panda 4." It's a great little taster to whet the appetites of "Kung Fu Panda" fans as they await another feature length film.