Meet Kung Fu Panda 3’s “Mei Mei” Voiced by Kate Hudson!

Kung Fu Panda is back for its third installment, however this time there is a brand new panda in town in the form of “Mei Mei” who is voiced by Kate Hudson. Mei Mei is a confident & sassy panda that Po meets in the village.

Recently I sat down with Kate Hudson, where we discussed her thoughts on the new movie & how she balances motherhood with her professional life. When asked what does she like about Kung Fu Panda 3, Kate replied “What I love about this one is that it just feels like it’s definitely heightened, [a] grander experience. The animation is amazing. It’s beautiful. And it’s really funny. And it’s nice that Po gets to see who he is and where he comes from–and the other pandas. And it’s really fun being a panda, especially Mei Mei.”

Is Kate like Mei Mei? Well if you follow Kate Hudson on Instagram, then you know that she loves to sing & dance. So it’s no wonder that this fun dance sequence is in the movie!

Speaking of Instagram, Kate mentioned that her older son loves to take Instagram photos & that she tries to balance what gets put out there in the public eye. When asked about the challenges of raising kids, Kate talked about being both silly & strict with her boys. According to Kate “I’m pretty silly with my kids. But, I have a very, very, very low tolerance for when they’re impolite. To look people in the eye and be polite and recognize how lucky they are, all that stuff. So, I’m pretty strict. But then, on top of all the other stuff I’m really easy with, I just want them to be who they are, and I want them to make mistakes, and I want them to be okay making mistakes. I don’t want them to feel too much expectation.”

My impression of Kate is that she is very grounded, confident yet silly at times (much like her character Mei Mei!). In addition to acting, Kate is also a businesswoman. She is the co-founder of Fabletics, which is a retail & online apparel company that sells fitness clothes. I’ve shopped at the Woodland Hills store & Kate’s clothes live up to the fab name!

When it comes to traveling for work, Kate tries to bring her boys with her on location, especially the younger one who is four. So I had to ask her “how do you juggle it all – the travel, acting & now the Fabletics business?” Kate replied, “I think every working woman has the same, obviously I travel a lot for work, so that could be challenging. You just make it work, don’t you? You just try to figure it out. I don’t think there’s any answer. There’s no formula. But, the truth is I wouldn’t be able to do anything that I do if I didn’t have the means to have some people helping. I really rely on my friends who are amazing and being able to have great, great help in my life. I just truly believe that it takes a village.”

While on the subject of her friends, Kate talked about how they see a side of her that is similar to Mei Mei. “Mei Mei is fun & I like to put on a show, that’s for sure. I like to be big, I like having fun like that. But, I’ve learned how to reel it in and utilize those moments for what I do for a living.”

You can catch Mei Mei, Po & the rest of the pandas in Kung Fu Panda 3 which opens in theaters on January 29th!

Visit the official “Kung Fu Panda 3” website here for more information.
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Thanks to 20th Century Fox & DreamWorks Animation for hosting this fun event!

Guess what Real Mom of SFV readers? Want to relive the awesomeness of Kung Fu Panda & Kung Fu Panda 2? I am hosting a DVD giveaway for both Kung Fu Panda AND Kung Fu Panda 2. Click here for details!

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended a media event for this film. All images are my own unless otherwise noted. Images used with permission from DreamWorks Animation. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.