Kung Fu Panda

From the very beginning, Kung Fu Panda had me practically falling out of my seat --- laughing. It was the perfect blend of comedy, heart, and action, all necessary elements in a successful and great animation/CGI film, in the tradition of The Incredibles and (less action, but containing the heart and laughter) Ratatouille, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.

I took my wife and nephew and niece to see it on a Friday night and they enjoyed it, too! We were totally laughing, smiling, and guffawing at Po, the main protagonist (voiced by Jack Black) and his misadventures at becoming a Kung Fu expert. This was certainly a flawed character, one that a lot of people can relate to because he dreams, he's funny, and he can laugh at himself. Also, the story was pretty clear and easy to follow because the storytelling was well crafted, and the animation was paired well with characters brought vividly to life by some of the most famous names in Hollywood.

Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman are downright excellent as the main characters, and Ian McShane as the bad dude gave it the right fearful presence. Other big name stars don't shine as much, but that's because their roles are rather limited in the film. But that's still okay because the animators should be given equal credit (if not more) for delivering the funny, action and heart elements of this movie in an effective, amazing and (I've got to use this) AWESOME manner. Visually, this movie is stunning (notice all those scenic shots of the Chinese mountains, bodies of water, and the bridge scene; not to mention the action animation version of "The Matrix" with slow-mo)... simply a delight to watch.

It's clear that Dreamworks has gotten back in the animation game with Kung Fu Panda, after slight ho-hums in Shrek 3 and Bee Movie (call me crazy, but I liked Over The Hedge more than those two). Hopefully, it should earn well over $500M worldwide because it is so good.

This movie rightfully belongs in the top animation movies of all time (okay, let's not include the classic fairy tales of old; let's begin with the 90's onwards), alongside my faves "The Incredibles" "Finding Nemo" and "Beauty & The Beast." Has the makings of being a classic.

My wife and I enjoyed it so much that we saw it again the night after. And maybe another time... haha!

Enjoy!

'Kung Fu Panda' is another delightfully entertaining flick to come out this summer. Osbourne and Stevenson do a fine job in directing. What I really liked about the film is the sincere effort behind it and its lack of pretension and use of clichés. The directors stay focused on the main story which is Po's struggle. I could really relate to Po's dream and love for Kung Fu and his disappointment and lack of faith in failing to be successful in doing what he loves. The stellar voice cast that includes names like Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross and Randall Duk Kim is impressive but it is Jack Black's show all the way, followed by Dustin Hoffman. Black's comic timing is wonderful as he provides some of the very memorable laugh-out-loud moments and he brilliantly succeeds in making Po both endearing and funny. I would never have guessed that Hoffman was behind the voicing of Shifu. The actor does an excellent job. I wish Jackie Chan had more lines. The music and CGI are good enough. There's a lot of energy. It's colourful and very appealing to the eyes and it's funny as hell. What's not to love? In my opinion, 'Kung Fu Panda' is a winner with both adults and kids.

Take it from me, this movie is brilliant. Don't go by it's silly child-pandering name, this film is for everybody. From little kids just looking for some simple fun for a little while to adults looking for a more compelling experience that makes you feel for the characters, this one's for everyone. Funny action adventure with some wise words scattered throughout.

I saw this movie in the Cinema last night. I can not recommend this movie highly enough to kids of all ages. it is a long, long time since i have heard a Cinema audience laughing so much during a movie ( i think the last time was during Gigli!).

Finally Dreamworks have managed to surpass the achievements of Pixar. All the elements are beyond anything i have seen in an Animated movie since The Lion King. the animation is hugely detailed and achingly beautiful, the script is the best i have come across in years. the only bum note in this symphony of fun is the fact that some of the immensely talented voice cast are badly underused. i can only remember hearing Jackie Chan's voice 3 times at most. having said that, the movie rests on the shoulders of jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. while playing their parts in a very different manner to each other, both are note perfect. they invest their characters with an energy (Black) and dignity (hoffman) that i could not find any fault with, even if i wanted to, not that i want to.

Lastly, i believe that Oogway is the best animated character ever rendered, his facial expressions are hilarious and-surpass any previous attempts to give a character convincing facial expressions (i consider Gollum to be a CG character, not an animated character, for the record).

in short, this is an utterly fantastic movie that everyone should watch 9/10

After various 3D animated movies ranging from lacklustre "star" movies ("Madagascar"), boring tripe ("Shark Tale", "Bee Movie"), and over-rated, over-hyped overkill ("Shrek"), Dreamworks can finally be proud of a truly great film. (Sidebar: I actually enjoyed "Flushed Away" and "Over The Hedge".) First, the bad. If I could complain about ANYTHING it may be a few of the voices. Besides Po, Shifu and Oogway, the rest of the cast seemed pretty 'phoned-in'. Thankfully, those characters are pretty inconsequential so they're not really missed.

Now the good... or rather great. While classic kung fu movies are poked fun at, Kung Fu Panda does an excellent job of treating the genre with great respect in a movie geared towards kids. And while it IS kid friendly, it is not dumbed down to the point where it's childish. All the classic elements of those great kung fu flicks are there, while still keeping it pleasantly G-rated.

Let me get this out of the way: this movie has some of the greatest 3D animated fight scenes. Ever. What elevates them from good to great is that while I expected the unbelievable, gravity-defying stunts that are REQUIRED of a good kung fu movie, there is an amazing amount of 'realism' to the physics in this movie. Just watch the jailbreak and you'll understand.

Speaking of animation, the cinematography, character design and backgrounds are all done very, very well. Whether it's flying through the air alongside a leaping character, the painting-like backgrounds, or the wonderful opening sequence (reminiscent of Samurai Jack), they're all beautiful. Snap zooms, slow-motion, and flying cameras are also used with great skill to further the experience.

Even the music and sound is outstanding. Asian drums rumble in the background of intense fights... stones shatter and crumble away... fight sequences rise and fall with each of the music cues, or is that the other way around? Beautiful.

What helps make this a new classic in my eyes is what it doesn't have. There are no Matrix, Spiderman, or other dated references. There are no inside jokes related to the voice actors. There isn't even any double entendre or unnecessary crude humour. Much like "Finding Nemo" or "Monsters Inc", there's just plenty of pop-culture-free goodness that is terribly entertaining.

The last great part of this movie is often the most overlooked part of a good family film... heart. This movie has oodles of it. Other movies have tried to have a lesson in the end like 'be yourself' ("Shrek"), or 'the value of friends' ("Madagascar"), or... 'be yourself' ("Shark Tale"), but "Kung Fu Panda" has genuine cinematic moments with dialogue that carries real weight. Best line: Oogway regarding yesterday, tomorrow and today.

So, finally, as a complete sucker for Pixar animation, I'm glad that another animation company can actually put proper thought and execution into a FAMILY movie. What else can I say? Congratulations Dreamworks. 10 out of 10.