'Kung Fu Panda 4': MPAA Reveals Guidance to Parents Ahead of Movie Premiere

Kung Fu Panda 4 is headed to movie theaters on Friday, and loads of family will be in attendance. But what should parents know before taking their kids? The MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration wants to help out with that. The organization has given the Dreamworks Animation film a PG rating, which means "Parental Guidance Suggested" because "some material may not be suitable for children."

The official reasoning for Kung Fu Panda 4's PG rating is that it features "martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor." All three previous Kung Fu Panda movies also received PG ratings, due to a mix of action, violence and rude humor. This fourth installment doesn't appear to be too different, though the "scary images" are something not present in the previous movies.

If you're heading to a theater next weekend, please note CARA's guidance on taking children to PG-rated movies: "A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. ... But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture."

Kung Fu Panda 4 Official Synopsis

"After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he's tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.

"Even worse, there's been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po's Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

"So, Po's going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po's fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon's reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places."