A lot of the charm has been deep fried out of “Kung Fu Panda,” a not-uncommon malady among successful kids’ cartoon franchises that have produced multiple films, and multiple seasons of a TV series.

Three credited writers and the vocal stylings of Jack Black and Awkwafina can’t render “Kung Fu Panda 4” into anything but semi-organized repetition, recycling and random riffs that rarely manage to interrupt the tedium or flatlining one-liners.

“I wish I had a dumpling for every time a villain told me ‘how much we have in common.'”

It’s like a later “Transformers” or Marvel movie, an umpteenth installment of your average action anime, where fan service and endless fights are all anybody involved can dream up.

Our Dragon Warrior, roly poly panda Po (Black) is in his prime, cocksure in fights and enjoying his celebrity. That makes this the perfect time to “Choose your successor,” Master Shifu the wee red panda (Dustin Hoffman) intones.

Po is reluctant to take “the next step in your journey,” senior spiritual management for The Valley of Peace. But that’s of little consequence when old foes like the tiger Tai Lung (Ian McShane) come back from the spirit world, because a new foe, The Chameleon of Juniper City (Viola Davis) is summoning them and adding to her powers to theirs to take down The Dragon Warrior.

A thieving ninja fox (Awkwafina) is arm-twisted into helping Po. His two dads (James Hong and Bryan Cranston) whine and fret over that. But there’s nothing for it but to face a new enemy by making their way to Juniper City.

That “choose a successor” business, all about “You know when you know” you’ve found the right warrior, will have to wait.

Fortune cookie one-liners abound. “Every step leaves a footprint, no matter how small.” “It is easier to hang onto the life you know than reach for the life you don’t.” “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”

There are a few chuckles, here and there, but “the right thing” as far as this movie is concerned is more and more comical brawling. It’s never quite a nine year-old’s idea of “cool” and never as funny as one would hope.

As Black’s Master Po asks in the film’s most telling line, “Where’s the skadoosh?”

The biggest laugh comes from the skipper whose Chinese junk sails to Juniper City on a regular run. Po negotiates with the pelican in charge. He thinks. Then the pelican opens its mouth and the “real” captain turns out to be a fish floating in seawater in the bird’s bill. The comic Ronny Chieng, voicing the fish, makes more amusement out of that sight gag than anybody else here manages.

Dreamworks built its animation empire out of smart-mouthed, sight-gagged character comedies like “Shrek” and “Puss in Boots” and “Madagascar.” It’s not shocking that they came back to the “Kung Fu Panda,” as, like Pixar, they’ve hit the wall when it comes to new ideas. But even they’d have to admit that cashing-in on a time-tested intellectual property may make business sense, and that Po and Co. deserved better than this.

Rating: Cartoon violence, “rude humor”

Cast: The voices of Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ronny Chieng, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan and Dustin Hoffman.

Credits: Directed by Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine, scripted by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Darren Lemke. A Dreamworks/Universal release.

Running time: 1:34