Kung Fu Panda

The 90s were known as the Golden Age of animation and rightly so. With offerings from Disney like The Lion King and Aladdin ruling both the box office and critics’ lists, it seem like animated movies could do wrong. Skip forward a decade or so and the situation has changed somewhat, with animations a decidedly hit-or-miss affair.

True, there are still great animations but, for every Finding Nemo or The Incredibles, you get a dozen Cars and Shark Tale-s. Keeping that in mind, would Dreamworks Animation, famed for their critically lauded Shrek series but also for the equally lackluster recent effort Bee Movie, be able to conjure up a gem in their latest movie, Kung Fu Panda? Or would it go the way of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, sinking into animated oblivion (I bet you don’t even remember it right?)?

Thankfully, Kung Fu Panda is definitely more of a hit than a dud.

Featuring Jack Black as the voice of the main character, Kung Fu Panda (or KFP, as I’ll call it from now on) tells the story of Po, the titular character who’s a douche-ish, fat (although is there any other kind?), unhygienic and terribly unfit panda. Dreaming of one day becoming the Dragon Warrior, greatest warrior in the land, and being on par and pals with the renowned Furious Five (comprising five animals from whom actual Chinese martial arts are based upon), Po attends the ceremony to find the next Dragon Warrior and, by a twist of events, ends up actually getting chosen by Master Oogway, the wizened turtle sage.

Much to the consternation of Master Shifu, teacher to the Furious Five and whoever the Dragon Warrior is supposed to be and also surprising just about everyone by getting chosen (including himself), Po then has to learn to fight in a remarkably short time, as powerful villain Tai Lung, a former protégé of Master Shifu’s, has broken out of captivity and has come to collect the legendary Dragon Scroll, a supposedly all-empowering scroll under Master Shifu’s and Oogway’s care.

While the plot is simple, it is executed perfectly and with impeccable polish. Poking fun at orthodox martial arts and Chinese kung fu movies in general, Kung Fu Panda doesn’t take itself too seriously, the result being a lighthearted and hilarious, not to mention really entertaining, hour and a half of animated pleasure.

The script is well-done, with perfect pacing (in fact, the movie feels really short, even shorter than its actual run time of 92 minutes) and self-parodying wit (the rib-tickling first line of the movie goes: “Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend.”). The action and laughs never seem to let up (with a scene of Po talking to an antique urn particularly memorable) and the main characters Po, Shifu and Oogway are suitably endearing. I only wish that the writers had fleshed out the supporting characters more. The Furious Five, in particular, seemed potentially engaging but ended up being one-dimensional caricatures of movie stereotypes (and not even particularly outstanding ones).

Aesthetically, the movie is a treat. The visuals are lush, with well-animated action (facial expressions especially, are a perfect fit) and drawn from a variety of artstyles, including both beautiful water painted effects (a la the PS2/Wii game Okami) and the more quirky kung fu style adopted by Nick cartoons such as Samurai Jack. The music, too, is apt, with oriental gongs and festive music playing throughout the movie. The cinematography, too, is perfect, with Matrix-like action sequences and smooth, action-packed fight scenes.

The voice-acting, though, is a bit of a let-down. While Jack Black does a perfect Po (doesn’t he totally remind you of a real-life human Po anyway?), the rest of the cast is unmemorable, probably at least partially due to the fact that they don’t get much airtime. I mean, if you just watch the movie without prior knowledge of the voice cast, would you recognise Hollywood heavyweights such as Dustin Hoffman (who plays Master Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress) or Jackie Chan (Monkey), among others?

Still, minor faults aside, Kung Fu Panda is a hit through and through, fast-paced and witty. Definitely a must watch for any animation fan and even for those who aren’t.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5