Well, Panda 3 is officially released today. Everything I'm hearing so far is that it turned out to be a great movie. My old co-workers who saw an early screening have all loved it. It's currently at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes (and critics rarely give DreamWorks a pass). So it looks like a lovely end to the Panda trilogy. Of course, if it does well at the box office, I'm sure we'll see more of Po in the future. Actually, I'm positive of it - I don't think DreamWorks has their "new" franchise yet, so they will need to keep this property going for awhile. But it's really nice to see this film getting such positive reviews, and I can't wait to see the final product for myself!
It's a little bittersweet this week. It's the first release since I've left the company. So I'm seeing everyone on Facebook post pictures of the crew screening, wrap party, the release day celebrations at the studio, and the awesome crew gift maquette. Even seeing pictures of people in line waiting to get their Art of Kung Fu Panda 3 books signed - a time honored way to not work for about 2 hours in the middle of the day - brings back memories. These were always the best weeks at the studio, and everyone looks forward to the next one.
But then...this week also marks the one year anniversary of that fateful company update where Katzenberg announced the closing of the PDI office up in Redwood City. So I'm reminded of the studio mismanagement, of seeing some of the brightest and most creative co-workers being let go, and the general uncertainty that this industry breeds. As I said, a bittersweet week.
But - did I mention my names in the credits?
