When the Valley of Peace is threatened, lazy Po the panda discovers his destiny as the "chosen one" and trains to become a kung fu hero, but transforming the unsleek slacker into a brave warrior wo...
Kung Fu Panda sporadically uses the Wuxi Finger Hold to produce an uneven yet delightful animation. A family-oriented parody animation, paying homage to the classic martial arts features that clearly inspired it. 'The Karate Kid', 'Enter The Dragon' and even 'Kill Bill Vol. 2' as a more obscure credit. Whilst not at the stylistic level of 'Hero' or 'House of Flying Daggers', there are glimpses of cinematic allurement, yet the basic story and one-dimensional supporting cast of anthropomorphic animals prevented this flick from reading its own omnipotent dragon scroll. In ancient China, a kung fu enthusiastic panda named Po is nominated as the "Dragon Warrior" and must fulfil his destiny in vanquishing the antagonistic Tai Lung.
Bravery. Self-belief. "Skadoosh". The timeless legend of a bumbling panda beckoned to save the realms of China from an evil snow leopard, where the vital aspect of life itself is the power of belief. A basic moral for children to abide to, and a pleasing adventure for adults to be entertained by. Stunningly animated, particularly the introductory sequence resembling Chinese shadow puppetry, with many shots bursting vibrant colours at every opportunity. Even the lighting was superbly animated, bouncing off furry character models exquisitely. Zimmer's score harnessed Chinese instruments and utilised them to their full potential, exhuming a rural aesthetic that complemented the environmental design.
Then of course, you have Po. The titular beast that would do anything, and I mean anything, for a cookie or dumpling. Voiced excitedly by Black who executed his consistent comedic timing with ease, but failed to take hold of the more heartfelt moments. And that's where my biggest criticism lies.
The visual comedy overwhelmed the poignant moments for the characters which rarely allowed any connectivity between them. Oogway's departure, seen through the eyes of the fragile Shifu, was probably the only heartfelt moment. Po couldn't quite capture any pure emotion, whether that be due to the frenetic screenplay or Black's overabundance of comedy is up for debate. The remaining cast members, aside from Hoffman, were forgettable and could've been replaced by anyone. The Furious Five rarely made an impact to the overall story, and essentially only provided one fight scene against Tai Lung, whom of which was terribly miscast as McShane as he lacks that sharp bite from his voice. Atleast they addressed the fact that Mr. Ping (goose) was the adoptive father of Po (panda), because that could've been an awkward conversation for parents to have with their children.
With Kung Fu Panda being a DreamWorks Animation product, it's unequivocally one of their more memorable films. Beautifully encapsulating ancient China in an accessible story for everyone. Its simplicity and heartfelt absence does however prevent it from realising its true potential as an all-round animated classic. Wait, let me say it one more time..."Skadoosh".
