"Kung Fu Panda 3" is one of the most anticipated films of 2016. (Photo : YouTube/DreamWorksTV)
Popular singer Jay Chou will lend his voice for the theme song of the highly anticipated "Kung Fu Panda 3."
The announcement was made by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg during a press conference in Shanghai on Friday.
According to Katzenberg, Chou was chosen not only for being the top musician in China but also because his style is "very suitable for the film's conception."
Apart from singing the theme song, Chou will also do the Chinese voiceover for the Monkey in The Furious Five team. He will star along with Jackie Chan, Huang Lei, Yang Mi, Jiang Wu, Zhang Guoli, Zhu Zhu and the Chopstick Brothers.
Chan, who will dub the father of panda Po in the Chinese version, will also give life to the Monkey character in the English version.
For Chou's part, he shared that he has been working hard to develop the craft of dubbing as well as song composing. He added that his stint in "Kung Fu Panda 3" gave him many firsts--a first time to dub an animation and a first time to sing an animation movie theme song.
The third installment of the popular franchise is co-produced by the U.S. and China. It is set to hit the theaters of both countries on Jan. 29, 2016.
"Kung Fu Panda 3" tells the story of Po's reunion with his long-lost father and how he grows into becoming a hero.
The film was directed by Jennifer Yuh and Alessandro Carloni.
Asked about the Chinese version of the film, Katzenberg shared that it was helmed based on Chinese-language environment and culture.
"When you look at the Chinese version of 'Kung Fu Panda 3,' you will feel the film is really made for Chinese audiences. All the characters behave in Chinese ways, it is really original. It looks nothing like a translated English version," Raman Hui ("Monster Hunt"), who has worked with DreamWorks for over two decades, shared.
