My fam had a KFP marathon last weekend and im having some late night thoughts about it
[thought one] [thought two] [thought three]
The reoccurring pattern of families through adoption and choice is so good. Shifu adopted Tai Lung, Shifu fostered Tigress, Mr. Ping adopted Po, Po choosing to make room in his heart for two fathers, Mr. Ping and Li putting aside their differences to be there for Po as his family. Just *chef's kiss*. And even with the estranged parent-child relationships its always made clear the parents still love the child so much. Shifu never stopped loving Tai Lung ("i was always proud of you. I never stopped being proud of you. It was my love that blinded me from seeing what you were becoming."), the soothsayer makes sure to remind Lord Shen exactly how much his parents loved him ("no, they loved you...sending you away broke their hearts. Its what killed them."), Li never stopped loving Po despite not knowing if Po was alive.
Im not actually sure if we see any explicitly stated in-movie (i know about the behind the scenes material) blood related families outside of Lord Shen, and he looks so unlike his parents you could probably argue that he isnt. I think thats also the only in-movie family that had two parents actively raising a child (Po's birth mom died, Mantis' dad died, Po's adoptive father seemingly never married, and Shifu raised Tai Lung and Tigress without a partner)
And the quiet friendships between Po and the Five. Its so clear and i wanna know more
Just, these movies are so aspec friendly i love it. Familial love being a secondary-focus in all three films (Shifu and Tai Lung, Po and Mr. Ping and arguably Shen and his parents, Po and Li). Platonic love being quiet but there (Oogway and Shifu, Po and Tigress). And no romance at all. Closest you get is Po's bio parents, Mantis mentioning wanting to die married, and Mei Mei's crush on Po. Thats it.