Anaconda’s Adorable Kung Fu Panda Easter Egg Origin Story

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The new movie Anaconda, starring Jack Black, is filled with self-aware humor and nods to previous films in the series. It even includes a charming hidden reference to Kung Fu Panda with a sweet backstory. This horror-comedy is a fresh start for the original film, which famously starred Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez. The plot follows a group of friends who travel to the Amazon rainforest to recreate the original Anaconda movie, but quickly find themselves genuinely hunted by a massive snake.

Before the film came out, Ash Crossan from ScreenRant spoke with Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn about Anaconda. They talked about the movie’s self-aware humor and how much of it was made up on the spot. Both actors emphasized the mutual respect on set, where everyone supported each other’s chances to be funny.

I have to say, I was really struck by what Newton said about Selton Mello, her co-star. She called his character, Santiago – this Brazilian snake handler – unbelievably funny and just wonderfully strange. What’s so cool is that Selton is a huge deal in Brazil, practically a national treasure known for serious, dramatic roles, and yet he totally embraced this quirky part! Plus, Newton seemed really confident in the director, Tom Gormican, trusting him to make this English-language film.

Thandiwe Newton described a colleague who takes his work very seriously, but sometimes struggles to fully understand what’s being said due to his limited English—although it’s generally quite good. She explained that writers Kevin Etten and Tom Gormican would feed him lines, and he’d deliver them with a completely straight face, without realizing what he was saying.

Following Zahn’s idea that Mello didn’t understand what made Gormican’s jokes land with the English-speaking cast and crew, the Emmy-winning actor remembered a notably somber scene. While Santiago was mourning a character’s death, Mello unexpectedly began to sing. This quickly turned into a group singalong, with Newton thinking, “Why not?” and Zahn finding it hilariously unexpected.

During the scene, Newton unexpectedly said, “Snakety snake,” a line she explained was a reference to a moment in Kung Fu Panda where Po says it to Lucy Liu’s character. She then revealed the sweet story behind adding this hidden detail to the film, explaining that the DreamWorks franchise has become a huge part of her family’s life.

Thandiwe Newton shared how much her three children, even her oldest at 25, adore the character Po. She feels Jack Black’s work on the Kung Fu Panda films is beyond iconic, and she was amazed to see Po featured in the movie – even standing right next to her! It was a really incredible experience.

Despite debuting over ten years ago, the Kung Fu Panda series is still one of Jack Black’s most successful projects. It’s especially significant because it was the first film he starred in that truly launched a franchise. While he’d appeared in sequels or films that later became franchises before, like the Ice Age movies and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Kung Fu Panda marked his first leading role in a successful, ongoing series.

Newton’s fondness for the Kung Fu Panda movies is especially sweet because her daughter, Nico Parker, is now part of the DreamWorks family too! Parker stars as Astrid in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake. Though these franchises haven’t officially crossed over, both are owned by Universal Studios, which could create a fun opportunity for Parker to revisit the Anaconda Easter egg in a future project, completing the connection.

Given that the new Anaconda is self-aware and playful, it was natural for directors Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten to include inside jokes – both from their previous movies and from the original Anaconda. The film playfully comments on the movie industry itself and even features cameos from original stars Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez, playing versions of themselves. The plot also hints at other popular movies, like Kung Fu Panda and even Black’s work on Jumanji.

Be sure to check out some of ScreenRant‘s other Anaconda-related coverage with:

  • Ice Cube & Tom Gormican breaking down his Anaconda return 28 years after the original
  • Gormican on how Jennifer Lopez’s return sets up a potential sequel
  • Jack Black on the cult favorite comedy he wants to make a sequel to
  • Paul Rudd on his one regret from the Anchorman franchise

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2025-12-26 22:00