‘Kung Fu Panda 4’s’ Chameleon Was One of Dreamworks’ Most Complex Creations: ‘Every Little Spike on Her Hand…Was Completely Animatable’
variety.comCarolyn Giardina “Kung Fu Panda 4” director Mike Mitchell gravitates toward villains that can “reflect the hero.” And that’s something that he leaned into with the Chameleon, a threatening two-and-a half foot shape shifter voiced by Oscar winner Viola Davis, who is the nemesis of Jack Black’s titular panda Po in the latest installment of the DreamWorks Animation franchise.
In the movie, which Universal opens in theaters this weekend, “Dragon Warrior” Po is instructed to find a successor as he moves to a new role as spiritual leader in the Valley of Peace when a formidable foe appears, threatening the village. “The Chameleon is a little character who has been underestimated and that’s similar to Po, who has been underestimated,” says Mitchell, whose directing credits include DWA’s “Trolls” and “Shrek Forever After.” “Who would think that a roly poly panda could ever become a Kung Fu master?” The petite Chameleon comes to life with Davis’ performance.
Mitchell notes that she gave the character a commanding presence as well as an elegance, dressed in a robe which took some inspiration from Taotie.
For head of character animation Sean Sexton, the villain was among the studio’s most complex from a technical standpoint. “It’s really difficult for the rigging department and for the animation team to move around because there’s so much detail,” he explains. “We had 8,130 individual controls.
Read more on variety.com