Kung Fu Wa! (known as Kung Fu Sock in the United Kingdom and Ireland; Chinese: 天真与功夫袜; pinyin: Tiān Zhēn Yǔ Gōng Fū Wà) is a Chinese animated children's television series produced by UYoung Media and Tencent Penguin Pictures. Aimed at children ages six to nine, the series follows a young girl who is bestowed with superpowers through the aid of a martial arts master turned into an anthropomorphic sock.[1]
| Kung Fu Wa! | |
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 Official poster | |
| Original title | ''Kung Fu Sock" |
| Genre | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Composers |
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| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 11 minutes[1] |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Tencent Video (China) CCTV-14 (China) Pop (United Kingdom) |
| Release | August 3, 2021 – present |
The first season premiered on August 3, 2021 on Tencent Video in China, and on July 25, 2022 on Pop in the United Kingdom.
Plot
editEight-year-old Tee Zeng finds an unusual sock that is actually a Kung Fu master named Kung Fu Wa from another world. Wearing the sock transforms Tee Zeng into super heroine Kung Fu Girl. She and Kung Fu Wa must complete missions and protect their home, Starry Island.[2][3]
Characters
edit- Tee Zeng (alternatively named Tea Zen or TZ (English dub) and Tee Yang (Spanish dub); voiced by Zhou Zhou (Chinese), Sofia Gomez (English) and Belén Marín (Spanish)) – an 8-year-old girl who lives above her family's laundrette, who turns into Kung Fu Girl through the aid of Master Kicko
- Master Kicko (alternatively named Kung Fu Wa (English dub); voiced by Fu Bowen (Chinese), Alex Teixeira (English) and Juan Pablo Muñoz (Spanish)) – a Kung Fu master who was transformed into a sock
- Hiro Hao/Sword Master (voiced by Jiasi Li (Chinese), Alex Machado (English) and Óscar Olivares (Spanish)) – Tee Zeng's friend from school
- Manipulens (also known as Evil Star Lord; voiced by Zhankun Zhang (Chinese), Travis Roig (English) and Cristóbal Areite (Spanish)) – Kicko's rival who was transformed into a pair of glasses
- Min (voiced by Mu Qiu (Chinese), Dariana Fustes (English) and Niksi Marín (Spanish)) – Tee Zeng's introverted, but adventurous best friend
- Tee Zeng's mom (voiced by Chenjie Xiong (Chinese), Ghia Burns (English) and Betsabé Gutiérrez (Spanish)) – the owner of a local laundromat in Starry Island
Episodes
editSeries overview
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 52 | August 3, 2021 | March 29, 2022 | |
Season 1 (2021–22)
edit| No. | Title | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date | Pop (UK) release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Sock with Kung Fu" | Unknown | TBA | August 3, 2021 | July 25, 2022 | TBA |
| 2 | "First Day at School" | Unknown | TBA | August 3, 2021 | July 25, 2022 | TBA |
| 3 | "Dragonface" | Unknown | TBA | August 3, 2021 | July 26, 2022 | TBA |
| 4 | "Home Not So Alone" | Unknown | TBA | August 3, 2021 | July 27, 2022 | TBA |
| 5 | "Rainbow Cat" | Unknown | TBA | August 10, 2021 | July 28, 2022 | TBA |
| 6 | "Fishing" | Unknown | TBA | August 10, 2021 | July 29, 2022 | TBA |
| 7 | "Bun House Mystery" | Unknown | TBA | August 17, 2021 | August1, 2022 | TBA |
| 8 | "Old Comb" | Unknown | TBA | August 17, 2021 | August2, 2022 | TBA |
| 9 | "Daddy's Gift" | Unknown | TBA | August 24, 2021 | August3, 2022 | TBA |
| 10 | "Wishing Well" | Unknown | TBA | August 24, 2021 | August4, 2022 | TBA |
| 11 | "Relaxation With Tee Zeng" | Unknown | TBA | August 31, 2021 | August5, 2022 | TBA |
| 12 | "Manipulens: Part 1" | Unknown | TBA | August 31, 2021 | August8, 2022 | TBA |
| 13 | "Manipulens: Part 2" | Unknown | TBA | September 7, 2021 | August9, 2022 | TBA |
| 14 | "Master and Student" | Unknown | TBA | September 7, 2021 | August 10, 2022 | TBA |
| 15 | "Sword Hero's Arrival" | Unknown | TBA | September 14, 2021 | August 11, 2022 | TBA |
| 16 | "New Classmate" | Unknown | TBA | September 14, 2021 | August 12, 2022 | TBA |
| 17 | "Kung Fu Girl's Show" | Unknown | TBA | September 21, 2021 | August 15, 2022 | TBA |
| 18 | "The Magician" | Unknown | TBA | September 21, 2021 | August 16, 2022 | TBA |
| 19 | "Hero's Defeat" | Unknown | TBA | September 28, 2021 | August 17, 2022 | TBA |
| 20 | "The Duel" | Unknown | TBA | September 28, 2021 | August 18, 2022 | TBA |
| 21 | "Cyber Battle" | Unknown | TBA | October 5, 2021 | August 19, 2022 | TBA |
| 22 | "Animal Shelter Encounter" | Unknown | TBA | October 5, 2021 | August 22, 2022 | TBA |
| 23 | "Cave Rescue" | Unknown | TBA | October 12, 2021 | August 23, 2022 | TBA |
| 24 | "Kung Fu Sock's Injury" | Unknown | TBA | October 12, 2021 | August 24, 2022 | TBA |
| 25 | "Night of the Shooting Stars" | Unknown | TBA | October 19, 2021 | August 25, 2022 | TBA |
| 26 | "Hao's Disappearance" | Unknown | TBA | October 19, 2021 | August 26, 2022 | TBA |
| 27 | "Hao's Secret" | Unknown | TBA | January 4, 2022 | December5, 2022 | TBA |
| 28 | "Hao's Memory" | Unknown | TBA | January 4, 2022 | December5, 2022 | TBA |
| 29 | "Wake Up, Hao" | Unknown | TBA | January 11, 2022 | December6, 2022 | TBA |
| 30 | "Broken Glass" | Unknown | TBA | January 11, 2022 | December6, 2022 | TBA |
| 31 | "Sweet vs. Spicy" | Unknown | TBA | January 18, 2022 | December7, 2022 | TBA |
| 32 | "Who is Kung Fu Girl?" | Unknown | TBA | January 18, 2022 | December7, 2022 | TBA |
| 33 | "A Cold Day" | Unknown | TBA | January 25, 2022 | December8, 2022 | TBA |
| 34 | "Friendship Repair" | Unknown | TBA | January 25, 2022 | December8, 2022 | TBA |
| 35 | "The Board Game" | Unknown | TBA | February 1, 2022 | December9, 2022 | TBA |
| 36 | "Hero Manipulens" | Unknown | TBA | February 1, 2022 | December9, 2022 | TBA |
| 37 | "The Lotus Pond" | Unknown | TBA | February 8, 2022 | December 12, 2022 | TBA |
| 38 | "Hao's Plan" | Unknown | TBA | February 8, 2022 | December 12, 2022 | TBA |
| 39 | "Hao's Return" | Unknown | TBA | February 15, 2022 | December 13, 2022 | TBA |
| 40 | "Student and Master" | Unknown | TBA | February 15, 2022 | December 13, 2022 | TBA |
| 41 | "Manipulens' Past" | Unknown | TBA | February 22, 2022 | December 14, 2022 | TBA |
| 42 | "Team Work" | Unknown | TBA | February 22, 2022 | December 14, 2022 | TBA |
| 43 | "Dear Diary" | Unknown | TBA | March 1, 2022 | December 15, 2022 | TBA |
| 44 | "Tee Zeng's Birthday" | Unknown | TBA | March 1, 2022 | December 15, 2022 | TBA |
| 45 | "Thunder Storm" | Unknown | TBA | March 8, 2022 | December 16, 2022 | TBA |
| 46 | "Kung Fu Girl's Defeat" | Unknown | TBA | March 8, 2022 | December 16, 2022 | TBA |
| 47 | "Escape" | Unknown | TBA | March 15, 2022 | December 19, 2022 | TBA |
| 48 | "What If" | Unknown | TBA | March 15, 2022 | December 19, 2022 | TBA |
| 49 | "Game Over" | Unknown | TBA | March 22, 2022 | December 20, 2022 | TBA |
| 50 | "Kung Fu Sock's Plan" | Unknown | TBA | March 22, 2022 | December 20, 2022 | TBA |
| 51 | "Final Battle" | Unknown | TBA | March 29, 2022 | December 21, 2022 | TBA |
| 52 | "The Most Powerful Kung Fu" | Unknown | TBA | March 29, 2022 | December 21, 2022 | TBA |
Broadcast
editThe series was first released on Tencent Video in China in August 2021. In June of that year, Federation Kids & Family, the family entertainment subsidiary of Paris-based film distributor Federation Studios, acquired the program’s distribution rights for most international markets; UYoung Media, however, would maintain foreign distribution rights for the Latin America market.[4]
In April 2022, UYoung reached a deal with Discovery Kids Latin America to distribute localized dubs of the program in Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (for other Latin American markets). The Spanish dub premiered linearly on Discovery Kids on April 11, 2022, while the Brazilian Portuguese dub debuted on the regional version of the Discovery+ streaming service eleven days later on April 22. That same month, Federation reached a deal with British/Irish children’s networks Pop (British and Irish TV channel) and Pop Max for the rights to an English-language dub of the series. The title would be different than the internationally known title, as it would be named Kung Fu Sock instead. The show debuted on Pop on July 25, 2022.[1]
A Russian dub (Russian: Волшебная девочка кунг-фу, romanized: Volshebnai͡a devochka kung-fu; English: Magical Kung Fu Girl) was released via streaming on Kinopoisk on December 1, 2022 and ivi on December 3, 2022; fledgling family entertainment channel FamilyJam acquired the linear television rights to the Russian dub in early 2023.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Shah, Zeenya (April 26, 2022). "New international sales for Chinese animated series Kung Fu Wa!". Kidscreen. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Kung Fu Sock". TV Guide. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Kung Fu Sock, 12:00pm on Pop Max". Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ John Hopewell (June 10, 2021). "Federation Kids & Family to Distribute 'Kung Fu Wa!' From China's Tencent Video and UYoung Media". Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2023.