Children pose for photo with Kung Fu Panda 3 figures in the Panda Night party held at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Wednesday evening. [Photo by Chen Weihua/China Daily]

She described Kung Fu Panda 3 as very different from the previous two because it was a co-production.

The computer-animated, action-comedy martial arts film was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWork, a China-US joint venture.

"We tried very hard to make sure things were very authentic on the first and second one, but we had to do that on our own. This time we had actual Chinese staff working on the movie with us," Yuh said.

"We just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, is this design right? Is this setting authentic? Can you do something to make things better,' " Yuh said. "They would just create it. It's amazing for us."

Cobb, producer of Kung Fu Panda 3, said that the team visited villages and other sites in China for inspiration on the production.

She said the fact that the movie was made in Chinese and in English means it pleases audience in both countries.

Kung Fu Panda 3 has made $58.5 million at the Chinese box office since its release on Jan 29. The movie made roughly $41 million at the North American box office.

"Opening in January instead of the summer had some advantages since there was nothing of its type competing," said Stan Rosen, professor and director of the East Asian Studies Center at the University of Southern California.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com