Third Installment of Kung Fu Panda to Release in the US and China on Jan 29

The movie is a joint production between the two countries, and with it China reinforces its position in the world of digital animation films, according to the Chinese media.

State-owned Xinhua agency reported the movie will be directed by Italy's Alessandro Carloni and South Korea's Jennifer Yuh, who also directed the previous installments of the franchise.

The movie is jointly produced by the American DreamWorks Animation and the Chinese Oriental DreamWorks.

Yuh said the protagonist, panda Po "will continue self-improvement to become a sophisticated hero" by delving further into kung-fu.

Renowned actors such as Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu will once again lend their voices to the characters.

The China-U.S. co-production, whose second part raked in $660 million worldwide, presents a step forward towards increasing Chinese influence in the world of animation films.