Karate Kid: Legendsdirector Jonathan Entwistle explains why the Miyagi-Do dojo house looks different. The latest entry inThe Karate Kidfranchise follows Li Fong (Ben Wang), a kung fu prodigy who enters the Five Boroughs Tournament, having been trained by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso. Along with Wang, thecast ofKarate Kid: Legendsincludes Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Sadie Stanley, and Joshua Jackson. Taking place three years afterCobra Kai,Karate Kid: Legendsrevisits the Miyagi-Do dojo house, but it bears little resemblance to the Netflix show’s depiction.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Entwistle revealed thatKarate Kid: Legendsconstructed Miyagi-Do dojo at a filming location in Montreal. Unlike the house inCobra Kai, which he explained was a set,Entwistle and the crew made Miyagi-Do dojo to resemble the setting of previous movies. The director added that, unfortunately, the real home no longer stands. Read Entwistle’s comments below:
Yeah, we rebuilt the Miyagi house in Montreal. [Cobra Kai] was shooting at the same time, and their [Miyagi house] is aCobraKaiset. For the motion picture, we went back to the original version of Miyagi’s house [inThe Karate Kid] and where it would be today. Sadly, the original house [in Canoga Park] is now gone. It was lost in a fire.
What This Means For Karate Kid: Legends
The Film More Closely Resembles Karate Kid
FromCobra Kaiseason 1’s ending onward, Daniel is teaching Sam LaRusso and others Miyagi-Do Karate at the home of Mr. Miyagi, where he had once trained. Daniel made an effort to update Miyagi’s house, cleaning the grounds and painting the exterior a bright blue. Compared to the originalKarate Kidmovies, which feature beige siding on his home,most of the changes to the house inCobra Kaiare noticeable, including what appears to be a new roof.
The transition back to a home that more closely resemblesThe Karate Kidmovies was apparent in early footage ofKarate Kid: Legends. The new installment features hardly anychanges to Miyagi-Do dojo, but because it occurs multiple years afterCobra Kai, there may be questions as to why it looks so different.DuringKarate Kid: Legends, the house is shown more than once,and though it is portrayed as being untouched on the outside, longtime fans of the franchise will likely enjoy that kind of callback.
Our Take On The Miyagi-Do Dojo House
It Is A Nice Tribute To The Karate Kid Franchise
The impact of Mr. Miyagi extends throughout theKarate Kidfranchise, even toCobra Kai, so it is significant that his home is featured again inKarate Kid: Legends. While it may be jarring to see the Miyagi-Do dojo presented differently from how it was last shown, it can still also serve as a nod to the original films.
The movie establishes that while he was the sensei of Daniel, Miyagi also knew Mr. Han. Because of those connections and other references to the widerKarate Kidfranchise, audiences may appreciate seeing the house that way.
