Peacock Just Added One of the Best Animated Trilogies of the 21st Century

In the years since its 2020 launch, Peacock has established itself as a major animation hub. The NBCUniversal streamer has leveraged Universal, DreamWorks, and Illumination libraries to curate a deep library of animated movies and series that few others can match, ranging from recent hits like The Wild Robot and The Super Mario Bros. Movie to beloved classics such as the Shrek series. That lineup just grew in April with the arrival of one of the best animated trilogies of the 21st century.

When it comes to great 21st century animation, the original Kung Fu Panda trilogy is hard to beat. Released between 2008 and 2016, the three DreamWorks Animation movies earned high critical acclaim, massive box office numbers, and won numerous awards. The movies center around a clumsy, noodle-loving panda named Po, voiced by Jack Black, who embraces his destiny as the Dragon Warrior, mastering kung fu to defeat dark forces, reconciling with his tragic past, and ultimately achieving spiritual enlightenment to protect the Valley of Peace. The first three movies in the iconic franchise, which returned to screens in 2024 with Kung Fu Panda 4, joined Peacock on April 1st.

The Kung Fu Panda Franchise Is One of DreamWorks’ Strongest

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DreamWorks is an animation powerhouse and has no shortage of great franchises in its roster of content, but Kung Fu Panda is one of the studio’s strongest, most consistent franchises to date. The franchise as a whole has grossed over $2.3 billion globally, and the series has managed to maintain a high-quality of animation and storytelling across all four installments. Its critical consensus has never dipped below 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, earned for Kung Fu Panda 4, and the original trilogy all earned scores above 80%. The franchise has constantly evolved its story, characters, and animation while maintaining a continuous focus on Po’s journey and the core theme of personal growth and accepting change, making the franchise a highly rewarding and fun watch for those who stick around.

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Now nearly two decades into its run, the Kung Fu Panda franchise is showing no signs of slowing down and seems poised to bring its perfect balance of humor and heart back to the screen. Following the success of Kung Fu Panda 4, Mike Mitchell, the film’s director, teased a possible fifth installment and potentially more sequels after that. Speaking with ComicBook, Mitchell said he believes Po “could last forever” and “there’s so much story to tell,” adding that any future sequels will “keep going bigger” in terms of action and scale.

Other Kid-Friendly Movies Now on Peacock

April is a pretty solid month for family content at Peacock. While the streamer has stocked dozens of titles aimed at older viewers, it’s also made a few additions that subscribers of every age can enjoy. In addition to the Kung Fu Panda movies, Peacock has added films including Captain Underpants, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, The Prince of Egypt, and Space Jam, all of which joined an existing library of family-friendly content that features movies like the Despicable Me franchise and several The Croods films.

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