Whenever a story features the "be yourself" mantra, you know it is going to look familiar.

Kung Fu Panda 3 by Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh, the latest installment in the action comedy animation franchise, would make for a stale, clichéd pastime if not for the film's first-class animation, all-star voicing crew, and a nice discussion of paternal bonds.

The film begins as the very unseemly Chosen One, the obese and hapless panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) fails to take over Shifu's (Dustin Hoffman)martial arts instruction of the Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross) - and doubts whether he is the destined Dragon Warrior after all.

Meanwhile, Po's long-lost biological father Li (Bryan Cranston) shows up and reunites with Po, which leaves his adoptive father, noodle-selling goose Mr Ping (James Hong), bitter.

A scene of the film Photos: CFP

Moreover, Po decides to follow Li back to his hometown - a secret panda village - where he is told they are masters of qi, the energy that surrounds the world.

This is because he believes it is the only way for him to stop Kai, a blade-wielding yak (J.K. Simmons) who has defeated all the masters in the spirit world to capture their qi and returned to the real world.

The real adventure starts from the village, where Po meets lazier, more gluttonous pandas who look least like the heirs to qi.

 With an intense sense of urgency along the Kai story line, the comparatively slow-paced, entertaining village scenes depicting the pandas' everyday lives appear unreasonably prolonged and extra-detailed at first glance, but in hindsight they make perfect sense.

"The son of a panda, the son of a goose … that is all me," says Po as he finally finds an answer to the question of his identity.

Paternal bonds, biological and adoptive, make for the most touching part of the film, as Po develops, refreshes and strengthens his love for and attachment to both Li and Mr Ping.

It is particularly delightful to watch Po exclaim "dads" when he speaks to and cheers for them.

But the best part comes when Mr Ping, who has been having hard feelings about Po reuniting with his blood relatives, goes to comfort and guide Li when he finds out that Po and Li have fallen apart.

The conversation, taking part in Li's room, is full of warmth, understanding and the greatest unselfishness.

It is made even better with the voice-over of James Hong, whose performance has been considered scene-stealing and one of the real cornerstones of the franchise since the first installment.

He maintains an adorable balance between a quirky, funny pal and a concerned, sometimes doting parent, with a faint Chinese accent that stands out from the predominantly American cast.

But the film's real treat has to be its gorgeous, state-of-art vision. Li, Po and Mr Ping's journey across bridges, lakes and mountains to the secret village has it all - the lifelike, changing scenery, and the clumsy or swift (in Mr Ping's case) movements.

Details, from the pandas' white-and-black fur to dancing flower petals signifying transference between the real and the spirit world, feel so real.

The film also does a good job of throwing in funny moments. The brains behind it have their go at the omnipresent photograph-taking frenzy by having the characters eagerly asking a piglet - the painter of the town - to have them sketched, even in the midst of a deadly combat.

It often turns out unsatisfying for the subjects, which will make viewers laugh knowingly.

A poster for the film

Everyone's a critic

GT: How do you like the new installment compared to the first two?

Wang Lin, 29, chemistry teacher

"I think it is a good sequel. The story of how an underachieving 'loser' eventually saves the world is nothing new, but the script is well-written and every thread unfolds at a well-controlled pace, and is eventually uplifting in a non-didactic manner."

GT: What do you think is the highlight of the film?

Zhang Fanqi, 24, advertising

"The animation is more than just beautiful - the overall scenes are dreamy, poetic, subtle, sometimes reminding me of a scroll of water ink painting, and the movements are amazingly lively. I am in awe. There has been a series of excellent Chinese animation films in the last couple of years, but this degree of fineness belongs to another league."

GT: Whose voice-over is your favorite?

Yan, 22, finance student

"I like Angelina Jolie's Tigress a lot, for it is so cool, calm and also considerate - I don't think I get to hear that side of Jolie very often in her films. Also, J.K. Simmons' voice for the 'bad guy' Kai is more like a hip-hop-loving villain than some formidable great evildoer, which is a lot of fun."