Kung Fu Panda

“Kung Fu Panda”

USA. 2008. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson. Story by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. Screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Starring: the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan, Wayne Knight, Kyle Gass and JR Reed.

Rating: ★★★½

Kung Fu Panda. Either you love that title for seeming to be the paradox of paradoxes or hate it with utter disbelief. You also know that it will follow the outline of a classic underdog story because, well, pandas are not the most nimble animals and are not usually associated with kung fu. What is very surprising is how vibrant and refreshing the film is in its delivery of the durable formula.

The first thing the movie gets right is casting Jack Black in the lead role. From the opening scene as Po the Panda sees himself as a formidable warrior, we hear him narrating his exuberant martial arts using the words “pure awesomeness” as only Black can say them. His trademark voice instantly tells us this panda would make a truly funny, one-of-a-kind warrior and not because of his figure.

That opening sequence is all a dream, of course, as Po really works with his father and noodle restaurant owner, Mr. Ping (James Hong). When he is not following his father's orders and laboriously waiting tables though, he admiringly looks to the Jade Palace and dreams of martial arts glory. Understandably, he conceals this from his dad fearing that he will never see through his pipe dreams.

One day, he heads over to the Jade Palace to witness the announcement of the new Dragon Warrior, which would presumably be one of the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). It is there that, after he literally rides on a rocket trajectory to get past the walls and plummets back down to the ground, he has been shockingly chosen by Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) as the new Dragon Warrior to defeat the nefarious snow leopard, Tai Lung (Ian McShane). The training master of the Furious Five, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is flabbergasted at this seemingly accidental choice to which Oogway replies, “There are no accidents.”

Shifu and the Furious Five initially mockingly doubt that he is the chosen one to potentially beat Tai Lung, who has just escaped out of his prison fortress, but we know the master will inevitably see through Po’s perseverance and come around to train him (particularly after Oogway convinces him to believe while dispersing some deeper, family-friendly lessons). Where the movie really impresses is in its level of detail of the animation of the kung fu training. Those who are intimately familiar with martial arts and its movie genre will instantly recognize that screenwriters, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris and directors, Mark Osborne and John Stevenson have really done their homework (including having each of the Furious Five be animals who have a mimicking kung fu style). The animators pay such great attention to the intricate fighting techniques from the Shaw Brothers to the more recent Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies that I almost wondered whether famed choreographer Yuen Wo Ping was called in to draw the animation. It is no wonder Jackie Chan himself agreed to show his support by voicing a character.

The filmmakers additionally go a little further to surprise in the finer storytelling details. Po does persist throughout but has moments of doubt when he literally shouts out asking, “How are you going to turn me into a dragon warrior?” Shifu’s eventual strategy to this leads to an exuberant sequence in which he and Po battle fiercely over the last remaining dumpling and Po finally has his moment of clarity. Also, the finale avoids merely striking the typical crowd-cheering note (although it certainly has that) but ends with an intimate and very funny dialogue exchange.

Indeed, funny is something this film is frequently for children and adults alike and much of the credit goes to Jack Black, whose simple comedic voice puts a new spin to the martial arts on display (his delivery of the phrase, “Skidoosh” will have kids repeating it like crazy). It may sound like of oblique praise to say this but Black was practically born to voice this panda. Dustin Hoffman is also an ideal choice to voice Shifu as he brings some real gravitas to the story (even though I couldn’t help noticing that since Shifu means “master” in Chinese, it would make him Shifu Shifu). On the villainous side, Ian McShane from Deadwood brings some juicy ferocity while Angelina Jolie convincingly dials herself down to a more serious presence as Shifu’s most trusted disciple.

If one really stops to think about it, there are not that many high concept movies that really sell themselves instantly at the title like Kung Fu Panda does. And not many of them end up being very good as they lazily depend on stock clichés to pass as entertainment. The one thing Kung Fu Panda is not, from its filmmakers to ultimately its titular character, is lazy and their enthusiasm goes a long way to turn a time-tested premise into a fresh, skillful entertainment and silence the naysayers.