Kung Fu Panda 4 was nearly a live-action and animated hybrid film. Yes, one of the most popular animated franchises almost changed it up with its latest installment.

This rumor comes courtesy of a new interview with director Mike Mitchell. In a Reddit post, a user shared his interview transcript with the co-director. Another user broke it down into a list of main points. One of them was that Kung Fu Panda 4 was “considered” to be a live-action and animated hybrid film.

Whether or not this rumor holds any truth is a whole different situation. If it is, it's probably for best that the filmmakers opted for a traditional animated film. For what it's worth, the latest film in the franchise is visually-stunning. Having parts of it feature live-action characters could have taken away from that.

The Kung Fu Panda franchise is one of the most successful animated series currently going. The first three films in the franchise grossed over $1.8 billion cumulatively at the box office.

Kung Fu Panda 4

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Kung Fu Panda 4 follows Po (Jack Black) in a new stage of his career as Dragon Warrior. He is alerted that he needs to find a successor to the Dragon Warrior mantle. Now, Po will become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.

At the same time, his old rogues gallery is seemingly back in action. And a new shape-shifting villain, the Chameleon (Viola Davis), needs to be stopped. In turn, Po enlists the help of a new friend, Zhen (Awkwafina), to help find his new foe.