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Thread: Kung Fu Panda

  1. #76

  2. #77
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    Case dropped

    Can the Lion King sue Gordon now?
    Artist Drops 'Kung Fu Panda' Suit After 'Lion King' Find
    By Kelly Knaub

    Law360, New York (August 05, 2013, 9:54 PM ET) -- An artist accusing DreamWorks of ripping off his work in the animated film “Kung Fu Panda” is dropping his claims after defense lawyers discovered evidence of a 1996 "The Lion King" coloring book they say he used as inspiration, according to a source familiar with the case.

    In a stipulation filed July 30 in California federal court, artist Jayme Gordon, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., DreamWorks Animation LLC and Paramount Pictures Corp. said Gordon had agreed to dismiss the case after the attorneys for both parties met to discuss the evidence. The parties have not entered into any settlement agreement, according to the document.

    A source close to the case, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said "a series of twists and turns" had led the defense to discover that Gordon's 2000 and 2011 copyright registrations were based on the "Lion King" coloring book.

    U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro entered an electronic order dismissing the case Friday.

    DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures said in the stipulation that they waived their right to recover fees or other costs incurred in connection with the suit.

    Jayme Gordon brought the complaint against DreamWorks in February 2011, alleging that a pair of characters he created during the 1980s and 1990s under the moniker “Panda Power” were similar to characters that later appeared in DreamWorks' “Kung Fu Panda,” which was released in the United States in 2008. A judge denied DreamWorks’ motion for summary judgment in a March 28 ruling.

    Judge Tauro found there were “genuine issues of fact” as to whether DreamWorks had access to Gordon's work prior to the creation of “Kung Fu Panda.” The judge also rejected the company's argument that the artist couldn't prove a “substantial similarity” between his work and the characters that appeared in the studio's film.

    The plot of “Kung Fu Panda” — which featured the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie — focuses on a giant panda that becomes a kung fu warrior. The film, which grossed more than $631 million worldwide, was released by DreamWorks Animation SKG and DreamWorks Animation LLC, in collaboration with Paramount. A sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2," was released in 2011.

    Judge Tauro also previously considered DreamWorks' motion for dismissal of the suit, in which the studio argued that Gordon had improperly disposed of relevant evidence.

    That motion concerned actions Gordon took in early 2008 after seeing a movie trailer for “Kung Fu Panda.” At that time, Gordon compiled pre-existing “Panda Power” artwork and materials into a book, titled “Book of P.U.,” and submitted the work for copyright registration, according to Judge Tauro.

    Once he had completed the “Book of P.U.,” however, Gordon shredded the preexisting material, the judge said. The copyright registration took effect in June 2008, days prior to the release of “Kung Fu Panda.”

    Gordon testified in a deposition that he had a standard practice of destroying old materials once he created a new work and, in the March 28 order, Judge Tauro found fault with Gordon's actions, saying that admission “leaves little room for doubt that he intentionally destroyed the pre-existing materials.”

    The judge further found that Gordon had done the shredding while he had a duty to preserve evidence, but decided that the evidence destruction didn't warrant a full dismissal of Gordon's suit. He instead imposed a lighter sanction, excluding Gordon's 2008 copyright registration from evidence in the case.

    DreamWorks has also faced a breach of contract suit in California court concerning "Kung Fu Panda." In that suit, filed in 2010, a media producer said the company had poached the idea for the movie, but in July 2011, a jury cleared DreamWorks of the alleged contract violations.

    Gordon and representatives for the parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. A representative for DreamWorks declined to comment.

    Gordon is represented by Gregory A. Madera, Juanita R. Brooks, Michael J. Kane, Joel D. Leviton and Kristen McCallion of Fish & Richardson PC and Mark A. Fischer of Duane Morris LLP.

    DreamWorks is represented by John A. Shope, Julia Huston and David A. Kluft of Foley Hoag LLP and Jonathan Zavin, David Grossman, Eric Schwartz and Wook Hwang of Loeb & Loeb LLP.

    The case is Gordon v. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. et al., case number 1:11-cv-10255, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

    --Additional reporting by Scott Flaherty. Editing by Elizabeth Bowen.
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  3. #78
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    Jayme Gordon....So busted...

    Just in time for KFP3.



    Cartoonist Faces Up To 25 Years in Prison For Failed ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Lawsuit
    By Brian Gabriel | 01/04/2016 2:26 pm | 22

    A federal grand jury indicted amateur cartoonist Jayme Gordon, 51, on December 16, 2015, alleging seven counts of wire fraud and perjury relating to a lawsuit Gordon had filed in 2011 against DreamWorks Animation.

    Gordon had claimed that DreamWorks based its 2008 animated feature Kung Fu Panda on his Kung Fu Panda Power pitch, which he claimed to have submitted to DreamWorks previously. He abruptly withdrew his lawsuit in 2013 after DreamWorks attorneys confronted him with evidence he had traced his drawings from a 1996 Disney Lion King coloring book.


    Jayme Gordon’s lawsuit against DreamWorks unraveled when it was discovered that he had copied his artwork from a “Lion King” coloring book.

    In 1999 and 2000, Gordon registered hundreds of pages of material with the U.S Copyright Office, including a series of drawings and stories entitled Jamie GORDON’s Panda Power, featuring a giant panda named “Kid,” and a little red panda named “Red.” The materials submitted for copyright describe Kid as “serious,” “mature,” and a sort of “big brother” to Red, who is described as “playful,” “mischievous,” and “the more immature” of the two characters.

    PARTNER MESSAGE

    According to the indictment, Gordon saw a trailer for Kung Fu Panda in early 2008. Gordon then revised his Panda Power drawings and registered them as Kung Fu Panda Power with the Copyright Office in May 2008, prior to the June 2008 release of DreamWorks’ animated feature.

    The revisions Gordon made included removing Kid’s mask and medallion and instead depicting Kid in a rope belt and shorts, like the animated film’s lead, Po; descriptions of Kid as “the more immature of the 2 pandas;” and illustrations of Red with more white on his face, to make him look older, like the DreamWorks character Master Shifu. In Kung Fu Panda, the giant panda Po, voiced by comic star Jack Black, is the less mature, accident-prone character, whereas the red panda, Shifu, is the stern kung fu master, voiced by Hollywood elder statesman Dustin Hoffman.


    The FBI alleges that Gordon changed the personalities of his characters after he found out about the DreamWorks film.

    In February 2011, Gordon filed a copyright infringement suit against DreamWorks in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In July 2011, Gordon’s attorneys emailed DreamWorks’ counsel, offering to settle for $12 million and half a percentage royalty on all future Kung Fu Panda sales revenue. One of Gordon’s “expert” witnesses even claimed Gordon had suffered damages of more than $150 million.

    During discovery related to the lawsuit, DreamWorks’ attorneys unearthed evidence that on April 10, 2012 Gordon had deliberately erased computer files holding material related to the lawsuit. In fact, Gordon installed and used a program called Permanent Eraser to remove the files, and then deleted Permanent Eraser itself on April 13, 2012.

    An expert witness for DreamWorks then pointed out to them that illustrations of Gordon’s pandas that were ostensibly dated 1992 and 1994 were in fact copied from a Disney coloring book that was not released until 1996. DreamWorks concluded that Gordon had backdated the drawings to try to strengthen his copyright claims against DreamWorks.

    Then, in a deposition related to that lawsuit, Gordon claimed his illustrations were original and that he did not “directly take elements” from other works, that his drawings were dated 1992 because that was when he drew them, and that he had not changed his characters in any way since he had created them in the early 1990s.


    Gordon’s personal drawing style looked amateurish in comparison to the drawings that he copied from other sources.

    The Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston will now prosecute Gordon, alleging that, when his attorneys sent four emails on his behalf related to the lawsuit, including requests for discovery and a settlement proposal, Gordon “did knowingly transmit…by means of wire communication in interstate commerce, writings…for the purpose of executing” his fraudulent scheme, and that by knowingly lying under oath he committed perjury.

    “Our intellectual property laws are designed to protect creative artists, not defraud them,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “The misuse of civil litigation as part of a fraud scheme, and lying under oath, as alleged in this case, warp our federal judicial system and must be addressed with appropriate criminal sanctions.”

    For the charges of wire fraud and perjury, Gordon faces up to 25 years in prison, six years of supervised release, and fines up to $500,000 plus restitution to DreamWorks. The FBI pointed out in its press release that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. According to the federal indictment, DreamWorks spent approximately $1 million to defend the lawsuit, and another $2 million was spent by its insurance company.

    The Boston Cybercrime Unit is famously aggressive in prosecuting alleged violations of U.S intellectual property law, most notably its controversial prosecution of software developer, Internet activist, and Reddit pioneer Aaron Swartz for wire fraud and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Swartz committed suicide in 2013 after prosecutors rejected a plea bargain offer made by Swartz.
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  4. #79
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    25 years!?



    Fake ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Creator Convicted of Fraud, Faces Up To 25 Years in Prison
    By Amid Amidi | 11/19/2016 7:28 pm

    Jayme Gordon, the 51-year-old cartoonist who lied about creating the concept for Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Boston for wire fraud and perjury. He will be sentenced on March 30, 2017; the charges carry a maximum of 25 years in prison.

    There are countless cases where amateur creators sue a movie studio for stealing their idea, but rarely does the federal government launch a criminal investigation. In this instance, Gordon not only accused Dreamworks of stealing his idea, but he concocted an elaborate scheme that involved creating fake concept art which he claimed dated back the early 1990s. His case fell apart, however, after Dreamworks’ lawyers discovered that the artwork Gordon claimed was from 1992 was actually copied out of a Lion King coloring book from 1996.

    Jonathan Zavin, one of Dreamworks’ lead lawyers at Loeb & Loeb, testified during the U.S. government’s trial about the unprecedented fraud that Gordon attempted to commit in his lawsuit against Dreamworks. “I’ve never had a case that involved this kind of spoliation of evidence, this kind of destruction of evidence,” Zavin said on direct examination. “This was absolutely unique in my experience.”

    An article at the web site Law360 explains how Dreamworks’ lawyers were able to find the key piece of evidence that broke open the case by going on an Ebay shopping spree of Lion King merchandise. (Full disclosure: I worked on the case as the art expert for Dreamworks’ legal defense team.)

    While Gordon had actually created a concept called Panda Power, he revised the concept after seeing the trailer for Kung Fu Panda in early 2008, and re-registered it with the Copyright Office in May 2008 as Kung Fu Panda Power, immediately before the June 2008 release of DreamWorks’ animated feature.


    Gordon’s personal drawing style looked amateurish in comparison to the drawings that he copied from other sources.

    As we had covered earlier, Gordon’s ruse to bilk Dreamworks out of $12 million also involved destroying digital evidence and lying about it under oath:
    During discovery related to the lawsuit, DreamWorks’ attorneys unearthed evidence that on April 10, 2012 Gordon had deliberately erased computer files holding material related to the lawsuit. In fact, Gordon installed and used a program called Permanent Eraser to remove the files, and then deleted Permanent Eraser itself on April 13, 2012.
    By the time the case was dismissed, Dreamworks Animation, and co-defendant Paramount Pictures, had spent nearly $3 million to defend themselves, a fee that they were unable to recover due to the dismissal agreement.

    The Boston Cybercrime Unit, which prosecuted the case against Gordon, is famously aggressive in prosecuting alleged violations of U.S intellectual property law, most notably its controversial prosecution of software developer, Internet activist, and Reddit pioneer Aaron Swartz for wire fraud and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Swartz committed suicide in 2013 after prosecutors rejected a plea bargain offer made by Swartz.
    You gotta wonder what Gordon was thinking...
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  5. #80
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    2 years

    Cartoonist who claimed to be Kung Fu Panda creator jailed for two years
    Jayme Gordon also ordered to repay $3m in legal fees to DreamWorks Animation after filing spurious copyright lawsuit in 2011


    Jayme Gordon proposed that DreamWorks settle for $12m over the copyright infringement to Kung Fu Panda. Photograph: Allstar/DreamWorks Animation

    Thursday 4 May 2017 04.44 EDT

    A cartoonist who falsely claimed to be the creator of Kung Fu Panda has been sentenced to two years in prison for fraud and ordered to pay $3m (Ł2.3m) in damages.

    Jayme Gordon, from Randolph, Massachusetts, filed a copyright lawsuit in 2011 alleging that DreamWorks Animation had stolen characters and story from him for the 2008 animated comedy.

    Prosecutors argued that Gordon, having seen the trailer for Kung Fu Panda, had fabricated and backdated drawings of characters similar to those seen in the film. He had previously created drawings and a story about pandas that bore little resemblance to the movie. However, after seeing the trailer he amended his drawings and renamed his story Kung Fu Panda Power.

    Gordon, 51, sued DreamWorks for copyright infringement and proposed that the company settle for $12m. DreamWorks refused to settle, and litigation continued for a further two years, costing the studio $3m in legal fees.

    Dreamworks later discovered that Gordon had traced some of his sketches from a colouring book featuring characters from Disney’s The Lion King, prosecutors said. Gordon also deleted evidence from his computer and lied under oath. He was convicted of fraud and perjury by a federal jury in November.

    Gordon’s conviction comes at a busy time for copyright claims in Hollywood. In March a Total Recall screenwriter filed a lawsuit accusing Disney of stealing his idea for the film Zootopia. Earlier this week the same studio won an appeals court victory over a Florida author who claimed they had used his work for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
    What a dumb reason to wind up in the joint. Wonder how is fellow inmates will receive him?
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  6. #81
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    On a more positive note...

    ...this looks very promising.

    JUN 5, 2017 @ 08:59 AM 97 The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets
    Universal Studios Hollywood To Bring $1.82 Billion 'Kung Fu Panda' Franchise To Life
    Simon Thompson , CONTRIBUTOR
    Simon Thompson is a freelance film & entertainment journalist in LA.


    Dreamworks/Universal Studios Hollywood
    The three 'Kung Fu Panda' movies have made over $1.8 billion at the worldwide box office to date.

    Kung Fu Panda, the film franchise that has taken $1.82 million at the worldwide box office, is coming to life in a theme park attraction. With DreamWorks Animation’s recent acquisition, Universal Studios Hollywood will soon roll out the red carpet for a unique, never before seen experience in Los Angeles.

    The attraction, which will open in 2018, will be housed in a newly designed venue will host a variety of DreamWorks Animation themed attractions beginning with the multi-sensory adventure inspired by the Kung Fu Panda films. The original films boasted impressive voice casts which included Jack Black as Po, Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper as James Hong and Mr. Ping in recurring roles. The Kung Fu Panda series is the seventh highest-grossing animated franchise and the third highest-grossing DreamWorks Animation's franchise behind Shrek and Madagascar.

    The new technologically advanced Kung Fu Panda attraction will take guests on a legendary journey that fuses captivating storytelling with state-of-the-art projection mapping and LED lighting effects to create an immersive experience.

    Kung Fu Panda isn’t the only film franchise to have been brought to life at Universal Studios Hollywood as it already plays host to rides and attractions inspired by the likes of Harry Potter ($7.72 billion worldwide unadjusted), Jurassic Park ($3.64 billion worldwide unadjusted), Transformers ($3.78 billion worldwide unadjusted), Despicable Me ($2.67 billion worldwide unadjusted) and Fast and Furious ($5.12 billion worldwide unadjusted) as well as TV shows including AMC's The Walking Dead and The Simpsons.

    This isn’t the first time that the Kung Fu Panda films have been incorporated into an attraction. In 2015, Merlin Attractions opened DreamWorks Tours: Shrek's Adventure! in London, England which ties the companies’ Shrek and Kung Fu Panda franchises.

    Universal Studios Hollywood also currently hosts a Shrek-themed attraction, Shrek 4D, which opened in July 2003 - the Shrek films, and the Puss in Boots spin-off, have taken $3.51 billion at the worldwide box office (unadjusted for inflation). That attraction will close this summer and be replaced by Kung Fu Panda. Confirming the closure, Audrey Eig, Universal Studios Hollywood spokeswoman, told Forbes in a statement: "We continually evaluate our entertainment options. The Shrek 4D attraction enjoyed a successful run since 2003 and we look forward offering our guests this new multi-sensory experience next year."

    The new Kung Fu Panda attraction will open at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2018, ten years after the first Kung Fu Panda movie was released in theaters, although an exact date has yet to be announced.

    Simon Thompson is a freelance film & entertainment journalist, broadcaster and producer. From the UK, but now living and working in LA, he can be found on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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  7. #82
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    Jayme Gordon - case closed

    So declares the FBI site.

    June 29, 2017
    The Case of the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Fraud
    Massachusetts Man Made Bogus Claim Film Was His Idea


    Drawing on left depicts panda from a 1996 Disney coloring book; drawing on right is one that Jayme Gordon traced and claimed was his own during his attempt to defraud the makers of the film Kung Fu Panda.

    Jayme Gordon claimed the makers of the animated film “Kung Fu Panda” stole his idea and drawings for the movie, but it was discovered that Gordon had traced some of his panda sketches from a Disney coloring book.

    A Massachusetts man is behind bars after his scheme to defraud the makers of the animated film Kung Fu Panda backfired.

    Jayme Gordon claimed that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. stole his idea for the characters and story behind the popular 2008 film, and in 2011, the Boston-area resident filed a civil suit against the studio seeking more than $12 million in damages.

    “He said DreamWorks used his ideas, and he claimed to have evidence,” said Special Agent Scott McGaunn, who investigated the case from the FBI’s Boston Division, “but it was all lies.”

    Protecting its intellectual property was a serious matter for DreamWorks, and the company spent $3 million defending itself against the charges in a case that dragged on with motions, e-mails, and depositions for more than two years.

    Gordon produced drawings that appeared to validate his claims, and his attorneys were convinced he had a strong case. “We later showed that those drawings had been falsified and backdated as part of Gordon’s elaborate ruse,” McGaunn said.

    Investigators learned that months before the release of Kung Fu Panda, Gordon saw a trailer for the movie. He had previously created drawings and a story about pandas—which he called “Panda Power”—that bore little resemblance to the movie characters. He proceeded to revise his “Panda Power” drawings and story, and renamed it “Kung Fu Panda Power.”

    Gordon later filed the copyright infringement suit against DreamWorks, and during the course of that lengthy civil litigation, he perjured himself and provided falsified documents to the court. “He was using the legal system to try and extort over $12 million from DreamWorks,” McGaunn said.

    Ultimately, in addition to fabricating and backdating sketches that supported his suit, it was discovered that Gordon intentionally deleted relevant evidence on his computer that he was required to produce, and he lied during court-ordered depositions.

    The truth came to light when DreamWorks learned that Gordon had traced some of his panda drawings from a Disney The Lion King coloring book. Those sketches, which he claimed to have drawn in 1992 and 1993, were copied from the coloring book, which was not published until 1996.

    “The coloring book discovery was the smoking gun in the civil case,” McGaunn said. Gordon dropped his copyright infringement lawsuit, but he was by no means done with the legal system—he was now the subject of a criminal case for the crimes he had committed. Gordon was ultimately charged with perjury and wire fraud.

    At his criminal trial in 2016, Gordon maintained he had not traced his drawings from the coloring book. Instead, he claimed, Disney—like DreamWorks—had copied his drawings and based characters in The Lion King on his work. He also claimed that DreamWorks and Disney had copied other characters from his work.

    “The jury didn’t buy it for a second,” McGaunn said.

    Gordon was found guilty on numerous counts of perjury and wire fraud. In May 2017, the 51-year-old was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution.

    “It’s possible that when Gordon first saw the movie he had believed that DreamWorks stole something from him—that he came up with the original idea for a kung fu fighting panda,” McGaunn said. “But even if he did initially believe that, his actions afterward were criminal: He copied and backdated others’ drawings, destroyed computer evidence he was ordered to turn over, and lied under oath—all to further his civil suit.”

    In the end, McGaunn said, “Gordon was using the civil court system to extort DreamWorks in the hopes that they would quickly settle. He was counting on that, but he was sadly mistaken.”
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  8. #83
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    Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest

    This looks like fun.

    THEME PARKS



    ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Attraction Set To Open At Universal Studios Hollywood
    By Amid Amidi | 02/08/2018 3:45 pm

    Following its acquisition of Dreamworks Animation, NBCUniversal is beginning to incorporate more of the DWA brand into its theme parks.

    This summer, Universal Studios Hollywood will launch the DreamWorks Theatre, where it will present its premier attraction, Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest. Created and produced by Dreamworks Animation and Universal Creative, The Emperor’s Quest tells the story of the morning of The Emperor’s Great Feast of Heroes, during which Po embarks on a mission to deliver the rare and precious Liquid of Limitless Power to the palace.

    The multi-sensory attraction will introduce, according to Universal Studios, the “first-ever integration of interior projection mapping designed to engulf guests in 180 degrees of immersive adventure.” Developed by Universal Creative, the technique will depict a series of immersive scenic designs that will transform within the interior space.

    The desired effect, which will be enhanced with fully-articulated seats that pivot and swivel in tandem with the 180-degree action, is for audiences to feel immersed in each environment as if it were an actual set and not a projection.

    The attraction will use seven Christie 4K Boxer Cinema Projectors and 360-degree surround sound audio, and features an original music score by Germaine Franco.

    The newly constructed building that houses the Dreamworks Theatre (concept image below) is inspired by Mission revival architecture, and includes a box office ticket seller booth staffed by a three-dimensional Pinocchio character asleep on the job. The interior of the theater will house a collection of 36 Dreamworks movie posters, 20 award statuettes won by the studio, and a collection of maquettes of the characters from The Emperor’s Quest.


    “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest.”
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  9. #84
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    Emperor's Quest update

    Po submits Shrek.

    High-tech Kung Fu Panda attraction to replace Universal Studios' Shrek adventure
    By HUGO MARTIN
    APR 17, 2018 | 3:50 PM


    "Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest," the newest attraction at Universal Studios, opens on June 15. It replaces the Shrek 4-D theater. (Universal Studios Hollywood)

    The newest attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood will open June 15, starring an overweight panda and cutting-edge projection-mapping that places riders in the middle of an action-adventure yarn in China.

    "Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest," is a theater experience featuring seats that gyrate and shift to bring the story to life — with water, smoke, wind and other effects to boot.

    It is based on the popular film franchise from DreamWorks Animation, the studio Comcast's NBC Universal acquired for $3.8 billion two years ago. It replaces an aging attraction from the Glendale animation studio featuring the ogre Shrek, who last starred in his own film in 2010.

    The real star of the latest attraction, however, will be the seven high-definition projectors that can project moving images on an uneven, 180-degree surface. The mapping technology has become popular at theme parks, having been adopted to portray flying owls and wizards on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood and Disney's most iconic characters on Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.

    The Kung Fu Panda attraction is among several new offerings this season from Southern California theme parks aimed at keeping visitors coming back.

    In June, Disney California Adventure Park will open its Pixar Pier, which was previously called Paradise Pier, a tribute to California boardwalk life. The area is being overhauled to include characters from Pixar Animation Studios movies, including "Up," "Monsters Inc." and "The Incredibles."

    SeaWorld San Diego plans to launch its newest attraction, a roller coaster dubbed Electric Eel on May 10.

    Meanwhile, Disneyland plans to close its popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction on Sunday to remodel the scene that shows the pirates auctioning off women to become brides. The new scene will instead show pirates selling off the possessions of the townsfolk.

    hugo.martin@latimes.com

    To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
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  10. #85
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    Open!

    Time to give Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest its own thread, independent of the Kung Fu Panda thread.

    JUN 14, 2018 @ 08:03 PM 1,745 2 Free Issues of Forbes
    Universal Studios Hollywood Brings $1.82 Billion 'Kung Fu Panda' Franchise To Life
    Simon Thompson , CONTRIBUTOR
    Simon is a producer (TV & Digital) and film & entertainment journalist
    Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.


    Universal Studios Hollywood
    Dreamworks Theatre featuring 'Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest' officially opened its doors at Universal Studios Hollywood on June 14, 2018.

    A state-of-the-art attraction inspired by Kung Fu Panda, the film franchise that has taken $1.82 billion at the worldwide box office, has opened at Universal Studios Hollywood.

    Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest takes guests on an immersive journey that fuses captivating storytelling with groundbreaking visual effects. It also has the honor of being the first attraction to open at the theme park since Universal’s $3.8 billion acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.

    Karen Irwin, President and COO, Universal Studios, told invited guests at a lavish launch event: “As our portfolio expands, we are thrilled to bring exciting new entertainment options to our guests.”

    With new technology at the forefront of the multi-sensory attraction, Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest introduces the first-ever integration of interior projection mapping designed to engulf guests in 180 degrees of immersive adventure and no expense has been spared.

    “Every project has its unique challenges. Financially speaking, we don't really comment on numbers. This was certainly a large investment but it's really not so much about that,” Universal Creative Senior Director/Executive Producer Jon Corfino told me at the opening. “What it's really about is how you take what we try to do here which was to create a place, the first DreamWorks attraction, to establish a theater environment and then help bring it to life as the new home of DreamWorks here at Universal.”

    He added: "I want to do a shout out to our partners at DreamWorks because right around that time the whole transaction took place, we became immediately involved with them.”

    “What's very important in dealing with any brand is integrity and this is the DreamWorks brand. Dealing with their team and using their expertise to bring these characters to life and then kind of morphing them into what we do well was really a rewarding experience and it worked really, really well in a very compressed time frame.”
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  11. #86
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    Wth qt?

    Quentin Tarantino says 'Kung Fu Panda' is just a 'straight-up parody' of 'Kill Bill'
    Tom Murray 2h


    Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, star of "Kill Bill." Ian Gavan/Getty Images

    Quentin Tarantino thinks "Kung Fu Panda" is a rip off of the "Kill Bill" films, which he directed.

    The director told BBC Radio 1 that "Kung Fu Panda" was "a straight-up parody" of "Kill Bill" — "in every way."

    The Dreamworks animated film does bear a number of similarities with the Uma Thurman action flick, thematically, in the soundtrack, and even in some characters.

    Tarantino isn't losing sleep over the comparison, though: "They're keeping me pop-culturally relevant," he said.

    The influence of Quentin Tarantino is felt across the entertainment industry.

    The iconic director is often referenced in major film and TV franchises, like "The Simpsons," and even the Marvel Comic Universe.

    Sometimes, this means Tarantino's unmistakable mark is seen in unexpected places.

    According to Quentin Tarantino, "Kung Fu Panda" — the Dreamworks animated film franchise starring Jack Black — is one of them.

    "Frankly," Tarantino recently told BBC Radio 1's Film Critic Ali Plumb, "'Kung Fu Panda' is just a straight-up parody of 'Kill Bill.' In every way!"

    "Obviously they saw the script," he added.

    "Cut to Kung Fu Panda 5 and a TV show."

    There do indeed seem to be a number of parallels between the two franchises.

    The training montage in "Kung Fu Panda," released in 2008, bears a remarkable similarity to that in "Kill Bill: Volume 2," released in 2004.

    In "Kill Bill," the training sequence ends with Pai Mei telling Beatrix (Uma Thurman) that she can't eat unless she uses her chopsticks.


    A scene from "Kill Bill: Volume 2." Miramax

    Meanwhile, in "Kung Fu Panda," Master Shifu ends Po's training session with a chopstick fight over a bowl of dumplings.


    A scene from "Kung Fu Panda." 20th Century Fox

    In the trailer version of the same sequence, "Kung Fu Panda" uses the song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" by Japanese rock musician Tomoyasu Hotei — a song made famous by "Kill Bill" as O-Ren Ishii's entrance music.



    Furthermore, in the Nickelodeon cartoon series that followed the films, "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness," a kung fu master by the name Pai Mei— a name obtained from the Kill Bill character — makes a brief appearance.

    You could even argue that the "Furious Five" of "Kung Fu Panda" align with the "Fox Force Five" mentioned by Thurman's Mia Wallace in "Pulp Fiction," who are then realized by the characters in the "Kill Bill" films.

    The list goes on.

    Plumb joked that Tarantino must be wondering where his royalties are, but it doesn't seem like the director is losing sleep over it.

    "They're doing me a favor, they're keeping me pop-culturally relevant. Priceless," he said.
    The master-trains-student chopstick scene was done by Jackie Chan in The Fearless Hyena (1979).

    Don't even get me started on Pai Mei.


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  12. #87
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    Kung Fu Panda Reebok Collection

    There are more pix from different angles if you follow the link.
    Reebok Releasing Special Kung Fu Panda Collection

    by Mario Briguglio
    Dec 28, 2020
    Kung Fu Panda Reebok Collection

    To celebrate the fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise releasing in 2021, Reebok will be offering a special collection similar to what they did with the Minions back in October 2020.

    The collection includes the Reebok Instapump Fury and two Reebok Club C color options. The Instapump Fury sports a Panda-like Black and White upper paired with Tan overlays, dual pull tabs, Gum rubber soles completed with Kung Fu Panda graphics on the Pump and insoles.

    Both Club Cs are completed different from each other, with one featuring a Sail upper with special details, graphic lining and insoles atop a Gum sole, while the other is constructed in a mix of materials. Those include suede, canvas, corduroy, and burlap, completed with co-branded tongues and graphic insoles.

    Kung Fu Panda Reebok Release Date
    Look for the Kung Fu Panda x Reebok Collection to release on January 15th at select retailers and Reebok.com.

    Kung Fu Panda x Reebok Instapump Fury
    Style Code: GZ8632
    Release Date: January 15, 2021


    Kung Fu Panda x Reebok Club C 85
    Style Code: GZ8633
    Release Date: January 15, 2021


    Kung Fu Panda x Reebok Club C 85
    Style Code: GZ8634
    Release Date: January 15, 2021
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  13. #88
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    Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight

    Happy National Panda Day!

    ‘Kung Fu Panda’: Jack Black to Reprise Role in New Netflix Animated Series
    Martin Holmes
    29 MINS AGO

    Netflix
    Netflix is celebrating National Panda Day with the announcement that Jack Black is returning as the Kung Fu Panda, Po, for a new animated series, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.

    Black confirmed the news on his social media pages on Wednesday (March 16), preparing fans for another globe-trotting adventure with the heroic yet accident-prone giant panda Po. Helmed by DreamWorks Animation, the new series is executive produced by Shaunt Nigoghossian (Bunnicula) and Peter Hastings, who previously developed the 2011 Nickelodeon spinoff series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

    The story of the new series revolves around a mysterious pair of weasels who set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons. It’s up to Po to leave his home and head out on a quest for redemption and justice. On his journey, Po finds himself partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. These two mismatched warriors embark on an epic adventure to save the world — and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way.

    Kung Fu Panda was first released in 2008 and was directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne. It starred the voices of Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Liu. It became the third highest-grossing film of 2008, launching a multimedia franchise along with two movie sequels and two TV series, the previously mentioned Legends of Awesomeness and Prime Video’s Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.

    The Dragon Knight marks the first time Black has reprised his role for a TV spinoff — only Liu and James Hong reprised their film roles for the Legends of Awesomeness. Chris Geere also stars as Klaus, alongside Della Saba as Veruca.

    Check out the first look images from the new series below.


    Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. Jack Black as Po in Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. Cr. NETFLIX © 2022


    Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. (L-R) Chris Geere as Klaus, Della Saba as Veruca, and Jack Black as Po in Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. Cr. NETFLIX © 2022


    Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. (L-R) Jack Black as Po and Della Saba as Veruca in Kung Fu Panda: Dragon Knight: Season 1. Cr. NETFLIX © 2022
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  14. #89
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Happy National Panda Day!
    That's awesome that they are keeping the legend of awesomeness going...

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