DreamWorks Animation, via EW, released five enchanting concept art from ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ revealing the panda village. 

The design of the panda village was largely inspired by a 10-day trip to Sichuan, where the filmmakers got to see real-life panda’s and Mount Qingcheng, which was, according to the production designer Raymond Zibach, at the time covered in mist with beautiful, rustic architecture.

“We used that as a jumping off point for what you saw at the very end of the second film, and then we kind of kept drawing on that experience,” says Zibach, who also goes on to say that the village was inspired by the idea of a Shangri La where the pandas are hidden from the rest of the world.

The village has an organic and earthy feel to it. “We try to experience this through Po’s eyes, so we want to make it really special for him,” Zibach says. “The fact that he comes back to other pandas and is going to learn their way of life was kind of magical to him because he thought none of this ever existed.”

In the movie, we will see Po interact with other panda’s for the first time ever. “It’s a really great opportunity because you get to see what makes Po, Po, what makes him different, what makes him the same, and [we get to] really explore this entire world of pandas,” said co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

“From a cinematic point of view, it was interesting because we used to cut from a panda to a duck to a tigress to a snake, and now we’re cutting from panda to panda,” says co-director Alessandro Carloni. The design of each panda had to be clearly define, making them look and act differently. The filmmakers designed nearly 30 variants of pandas between the kids and adults in the film. 

Synopsis:

When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!

The film features the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons.

The film is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni.

‘Kung Fu Panda 3′ opens in theaters on January 29, 2016.

[Via Entertainment Weekly | Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation]