Kung Fu Panda

Directors:Mark Osborne
John Stevenson

Writers:Jonathan Aibel (screenplay) &
Glenn Berger (screenplay) ...
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Release Date:20 June 2008 (China) more
Genre:Animation | Action | Comedy | Family more
Tagline:Prepare for awesomeness. more
Plot:Po the Panda is the laziest animals in all of the Valley of Peace, but unwittingly becomes the chosen one when enemies threaten their way of life. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)
Plot Keywords:Teeth Knocked Out | Exploding Body | Dynamite | Dream Sequence | Karate Team more
Awards:1 nomination more
THIS is a rarity in digital animation, but hopefully it marks a trend. It¡¯s a great-looking film with an engrossing story that isn¡¯t overweighed by special effects. The medium has come of age. It is no longer enough to dazzle filmgoers. There may be kids in the theater who don¡¯t remember how revolutionary Toy Story (1995) was for those of us who grew up on painted-cel cartoons. That film now looks as dated in digital animation as Kubrick¡¯s 2001 does in space epics.

 

   But Kung Fu Panda has something in common with those old hand-painted features like Dumbo, a mere 64-minute film from 1941. It has strong characters, a clear story line and a moral to live by. In fact, one of Dumbo¡¯s creators, the late Joe Grant, recognized what the new technology needed (but seldom delivered). He is quoted in John Canemaker¡¯s book Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996): ¡°The challenge out there now is to fuse ideas and technology and make them work together. Technology is running ahead of us right now. We¡¯ve got to catch up with it with some good ideas. The only thing the computer can¡¯t do for us is (tell a) good story, fortunately.¡±

   The Panda storytellers are scriptwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, both veterans of the acutely observed animated series King of the Hill, while directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson have animated comedy in their bones through SpongeBob SquarePants and King of the Pride, respectively.

   The story line is simple. In the Valley of Peace, the panda Po (voiced by Jack Black), works in the noodle shop of his father, the duck Mr. Ping (James Hong). (The species mismatch is a setup for a one-line joke later in the movie.) But rather than aspire to noodledum, the clumsy Po is Kung Fu-obsessed and dreams of fighting villains ¡ª not that he could ever pilot his huge girth quickly enough. One day, he is accidentally rocketed into the ring where the next Master Dragon is being chosen by Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), the ancient turtle who oversees the temple on the mountain overlooking the Valley of Peace.

  Once the snoopy Po is plopped into the arena, he is chosen, and the ¡°mistake¡± becomes a challenge for the martial arts master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). He has to figure out how to turn a panda with an insatiable appetite into a fighting machine who can save the village from the evil snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Although Tai is chained in a mountain stronghold, he escapes and returns to battle his former colleagues (and Shifu¡¯s students), The Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). Each animal represents a type of fighting style.
   But as a team or alone, they are no match for the enraged Tai Lung, who believes he should have been chosen Master Dragon. The only defender left is Po, who shares a lot with his voice, Jack Black: He¡¯s overweight, antic, irreverent and his braggadocio hides a tender ego. If only he could believe in himself.

   Some of the funniest moments in the film are Po¡¯s training sessions. Shifu, who has nearly given up, figures that Po¡¯s super-panda appetite must be the motivator. A chopstick duel for dumplings is the final test. Another spectacular scene involves The Furious Five defending the last rope bridge between them and Tai Lung, who¡¯s never met an obstacle ¡ª beast or bridge ¡ª that he couldn¡¯t conquer. The animators had their hands full with this one, highlighting the special martial styles of each fighter.

   The Asian settings are as atmospheric and beautiful as it gets in digital films ¡ª nearly rivaling the painted sets of the Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). And the score by Hans Zimmer proves that he is one of the most versatile film composers working today.

   With an all-star cast and great support all around, this is one early-summer film that should have legs well into the season. It¡¯s very family-friendly and, at only an hour and a half (relatively brief by today¡¯s standards), it should keep little ones occupied. Its message is as gentle and affirmative as that of Dumbo or, to paraphrase the Democratic National Committee¡¯s nominee, ¡°Yes, You Can.¡±

Kung Fu Panda