Kung fu Panda (2008)

Director: John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Story: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Music: Hans Zimmer, John Powell
Time: 92 minutes
Bottom-line: Hilarious and exciting, with memorable characters

One of the biggest critical and commercial successes for Dreamworks, Kung Fu Panda is one film that never gets old. The film features an ensemble cast, with Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman in the lead roles, with Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, and Jackie Chan in the supporting cast. The success of this film led to the development of two more sequels, which released in 2011 and 2016 respectively.

Valley of Peace, China: Po (Black) is a giant panda who helps out his adopted goose father, Mr. Ping (Hong), in his noodle restaurant. Po idolises a set of warriors called the Furious Five: Tigress (Jolie), Monkey (Chan), Mantis(Rogen), Viper (Liu), and Crane (Cross), all trained by a red panda Master Shifu (Hoffman). Po however is unable to pursue his dream of learning kung fu because his father wants him to help with the business. Meanwhile Grand Master Oogway, an old tortoise (Kim) has a vision that a snow leopard Tai Lung (McShane) will escape from prison, in search of the Dragon Scroll – the key to infinite power. So Oogway and Shifu decide to hold a tournament to choose the “Dragon Warrior” – the one who woul save the Valley from Tai Lung. However the chosen one is not one of the Furious Five, but Po! Is it a mistake by the wise and experienced Oogway? Or is Po actually capable of becoming the Dragon Warrior?

Po

The film is sometimes called a wuxia film, meaning that it is an adventure story based on martial arts (Chinese). Kung fu Panda gives a blend of Chinese culture, adventure, action, comedy, and a message. The concept of the Dragon Scroll is what gives us something to think about: we all have something that we desire, thinking that if we possess it then we would be a step ahead. As Po realises in the film – and so do we – such a thing does not exist physically. We can be whatever we want to, as powerful as we want to, if only we believe in ourselves. There is no secret ingredient that works magic. All five warriors and even Shifu disparage against Po, dismissing Oogway’s decision as a flaw...but Po still manages to convince them wrong by working for it.  

(From left) Viper, Monkey, Mantis,
Shifu, Tigress and Crane

The animation is stunning – the way the characters have been created, the way the stunts have been shown, the swift moves and the stylish action. The animals of the Furious Five are a tribute to the five styles of Chinese martial arts. The lead character being a panda gives scope for slapstick humour but no other animal seems to fir that role. The vocal work is excellent, in particular Jack Black (I’d say it is better than most of his acting performances too!). Look out for the scenes where Po trains, and not to forget the (melodramatic) showdown between Lung and Po.

Tai Lung

Filled with humour, there is not a single dull moment in Kung fu Panda. The message might be clichéd, but the presentation matters too. With this animation, vocal work and action sequences, this one is a sure-shot entertainer!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%