Why The Miyagi-Do Dojo House Looks So Different In Karate Kid: Legends Explained By Director

Karate Kid: Legends director Jonathan Entwistle explains why the Miyagi-Do dojo house looks different. The latest entry in The Karate Kid franchise 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, the cast of Karate Kid: Legends includes Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Sadie Stanley, and Joshua Jackson. Taking place three years after Cobra Kai, Karate Kid: Legends revisits the Miyagi-Do dojo house, but it bears little resemblance to the Netflix show’s depiction.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Entwistle revealed that Karate Kid: Legends constructed Miyagi-Do dojo at a filming location in Montreal. Unlike the house in Cobra 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 a Cobra Kai set. For the motion picture, we went back to the original version of Miyagi’s house [in The 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

From Cobra Kai season 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 original Karate Kid movies, which feature beige siding on his home, most of the changes to the house in Cobra Kai are noticeable, including what appears to be a new roof.

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Karate Kid: Legends has a number of connections to past franchise media, showing how interconnected this universe has become in recent years.

The transition back to a home that more closely resembles The Karate Kid movies was apparent in early footage of Karate Kid: Legends. The new installment features hardly any changes to Miyagi-Do dojo, but because it occurs multiple years after Cobra Kai, there may be questions as to why it looks so different. During Karate 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

Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso sitting on the curb and looking at Ben Wang as Li Fong in Karate Kid Legends

The impact of Mr. Miyagi extends throughout the Karate Kid franchise, even to Cobra Kai, so it is significant that his home is featured again in Karate 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 wider Karate Kid franchise, audiences may appreciate seeing the house that way.

Source: THR