Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Director: John Stevenson

Cast: Jack Black as Po (voice), Dustin Hoffman as Shifu (voice), Angelina Jolie as Tigress (voice), Ian McShane as Tai Lung (voice), Jackie Chan as Monkey (voice), Seth Rogen as Mantis (voice), Lucy Liu as Viper (voice), David Cross as Crane (voice), Randall Duk Kim as Oogway (voice), James Hong as Mr. Ping (voice), Dan Fogler as Zeng (voice), Michael Clarke Duncan as Commander Vachir (voice), Wayne Knight as Gang Boss (voice), Kyle Gass as KG Shaw (voice), JR Reed as JR Shaw (voice)

It seems like this is a movie made for all the fanboys out there,
regardless of what their obsessions are about. You know, being one who
idolizes certain somebodies or some things, and given a day that Fate
decides to throw you a curveball and give you that one opportunity to
come up close and personal to meet and greet your idol in the flesh, or
be thrown into the exact situation that you've always been dreaming
about. What would you do, and would you go weak in the knees or be
overcome with disbelief that you're actually, finally, realizing your
dream?

Panda Po (voiced by comedian Jack Black) epitomizes exactly that in
Kung Fu Panda, and that struck a chord in me and with many in the
audience as well. And for that, no matter how cliché the story would
become, it had already done its deal and made the connection. It is no
wonder it is rated G here, and I expect that the holiday season would
allow cash registers to ring, for animation fans with the different
styles utilized to tell the story (you must be on time and not miss the
opening sequence), for kung fu fans to get a kick out of classic kung
fu moves personified in their animal forms - Tigress (Angelina Jolie),
Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey
(Jackie Chan) - collectively known as the Fearsome/Fab Five, and for
the kids, given the obvious reason that hey, the protagonist is a
cuddly bear. The marketing department, if not already done, should
stock up on the plush toys, not only of the hero, but the supporting
casts as well. And make their younger forms available too, for they
will sell.

Story-wise, I can't help but to note its tip of its hat towards the
Jackie Chan martial arts movie of the past like Snake in Eagle's
Shadow, Eagle Shadow Fist, etc. The formula which follows a misfit with
weak or zero martial arts background having to undergo harsh training
under a kung fu master, finally realizing his true calling in time to
defeat the villain everybody fears. With the Jackie Chan movies, the
demise of loved one always trigger off a chain reaction, but since this
is G-rated, you won't have the pleasure of having blood spilled, but
with so many splatter-type movies in recent times, I have to admit this
was refreshing, and even having animated animals that talked, didn't
irk me as they are just so lovable here, in their own right.

It's an excellent and very even mix of comedy and drama, even though
they are quite cliché at times if you grew up with the formula, but I
thought that was the point. While the trailers might have given away
some stuff, there are still lots more available which are hidden up the
sleeves, and some minor word replacement such as "suck" to "stink",
though you would likely be able to stay a step ahead throughout and
even guess whatever secrets the movie have, actually are. For its
stylistic training sequences, they became a throwback and a link to the
fore-mentioned Jackie Chan movies. The fight choreography isn't done
shoddily too with its designing of fights true to the characters'
forms, and integrating them all in a manner rarely seen before. Since
it's an animated flick, it was able to, and probably ramped up
whatever's possible in the kung fu fantasy realm, to give us everything
from rooftop flights to an incredible prison break. It didn't waste any
effort in tapping from the wealth of kung fu material, what with the
various names of deadly moves, secret manuals,
teacher-student feuds, and the best part of it all? Humour being quite
unexpectedly well placed, with more hits than misses to break out into
a hearty laugh by the panda antics.

For all its A-list voice actors in the movie, with the likes of Michael
Clarke Duncan, Dan Fogler, Ian McShane and those who provide voices to
the 5 key animals, Kung Fu Panda is clearly a Jack Black and Dustin
Hoffman vehicle. The bantering between the two is priceless as the
latter plays Sifu (duh) the master teacher, a highly-strung and serious
character who has a past they are shameful about (don't they all). And
as his own teacher Oogway (read: Wu Gui, aka tortoise, voiced by
Randall Duk Kim) advises, herein lies an opportunity for Sifu to
rediscover himself when training possibly the next-big-thing (pardon
the pun) Po, whom he foretold as the mythical Dragon Warrior. So begins
the forging of friendship, long lasting bonds and trust between the
two, even though they got off the wrong footing. And you can probably
feel for Po, because for a fanboy type, having your idols scoff at you
at first opportunity, is actually quite painful.

As a kids movie, there's almost always a message to take away. Here,
it's a reminder to believe in oneself, which I guess is a universal
theme to instill some confidence in the young ones. You might not look
the best, nor are the best amongst your peers, but so long as you have
that attitude to want to learn, that should put you in good steed. As a
summer blockbuster movie, it's fun, thoroughly entertaining, and
doesn't try to be too smart. It's likely to be a crowd pleaser across
all age demographics, and an ultimate popcorn fare, so long as you
manage to keep the popcorn away from the thieving hands of the panda.
And with this release beating local film Kung Fu Gecko to the screens,
I wonder what's the status currently on the Nickson Fong project.