Kung Fu Panda (2008)
- IMDb page: Kung Fu Panda (2008)
- Rate: 7.6/10 total 124,651 votes
- Genre: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family
- Release Date: 6 June 2008 (USA)
- Runtime: 90 min
- Budget: $130,000,000(estimated)
- Gross: $631,744,560(Worldwide)
- Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane and Angelina Jolie
- Original Music By: John Powell Hans Zimmer
- Soundtrack: Kung Fu Fighting
- Sound Mix: Sonics-DDP (IMAX version) | SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS
- Plot Keyword: Kung Fu | Panda | Master | Hero | Snow Leopard
Writing Credits By:
- Jonathan Aibel (screenplay) &
- Glenn Berger (screenplay)
- Ethan Reiff (story) &
- Cyrus Voris (story)
- Joe Piscatella uncredited
Known Trivia
- The individual fighting styles of the Furious Five members (Crane, Mantis, Tiger, Monkey and Viper) are actual martial art styles modeled after the particular animals.
- The Kung-Fu/Wuxia convention where attacks on the correct nerve/Chi points can cause paralysis and other effects is adopted although it is not explained in the film, and the jade figurine topped sticks on the shell worn on the imprisoned Tai Lung are positioned at the traditional Chi energy points of the body. The sticks are intended to keep the villain from accessing the power from those points, which is why he was first concerned about removing them before attempting to break his chains.
- Shifu’s Chinese name, as shown in the end credits, means “Teacher-Master” (“Shi-fu” in Pinyin transliteration). Shifu is a red panda, but with a lot more white fur than red.
- Tai Lung’s Chinese name, as shown in the end credits, means “Big/Great Dragon” (“Da-long” in Pinyin transliteration). Tai Lung is a snow leopard, which is why he is white, with a long bushy tail, and has rosette markings.
- Oogway’s Chinese name, as shown in the end credits, means “Tortoise” (“Wu-gui” in Pinyin transliteration). Oogway is a tortoise, and often wears a cassock with the markings of a stylized tai-ji/ tai-chi fish diagram on his back.
- WILHELM SCREAM: When Tai Lung is escaping prison and is hitting the Rhino guards with a mace. He flings a guard into the air and when he kicks the guard through the door, just before he lands, you hear it.
- The characters of KG Shaw and JR Shaw are a reference to The Shaw Brothers Creative Group, who created many 1970′s kung fu movies. Tai Lung is named after Shaw star Lung Ti.
- Po employs the bear-style of kung fu in his showdown with Tai Lung.
- The circular marking on Mantis’ back contains the stylized rendering of a Chinese art character for “longevity” (“Shou” in Pinyin transliteration) which is commonly used in paper cuttings, wooden panels, silk prints, etc.
- According to his online diary, Jackie Chan recorded his voice-overs during a single 5 hour recording session in LA on October 15, 2007. He also recorded his lines for the Mandarin and Cantonese versions.
Goofs: Continuity: Before Po catches the last dumpling, he jumps over and behind Shifu. In the following close shot, we see Shifu looking straight up as if Po was still right above him. Moreover in this close shot, Po's shadow passes over Shifu. This is inconsistent too, as Po's shadow clearly points away from Shifu in the next shot. As Po was already behind Shifu, so was his shadow.
Plot: In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts. Full summary » »
Story: It's the story about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around…which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five — Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey — under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart – and his girth – into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}
FullCast & Crew
Produced By:
- Jonathan Aibel known as co-producer
- Glenn Berger known as co-producer
- Melissa Cobb known as producer
- Bill Damaschke known as executive producer
- Lorne Orleans known as IMAX version
- Kristina Reed known as associate producer
FullCast & Crew:
- Jack Black known as Po (voice)
- Dustin Hoffman known as Shifu (voice)
- Angelina Jolie known as Tigress (voice)
- Ian McShane known as Tai Lung (voice)
- Jackie Chan known as Monkey (voice)
- Seth Rogen known as Mantis (voice)
- Lucy Liu known as Viper (voice)
- David Cross known as Crane (voice)
- Randall Duk Kim known as Oogway (voice)
- James Hong known as Mr. Ping (voice)
- Dan Fogler known as Zeng (voice)
- Michael Clarke Duncan known as Commander Vachir (voice)
- Wayne Knight known as Gang Boss (voice)
- Kyle Gass known as KG Shaw (voice)
- JR Reed known as JR Shaw (voice)
- Laura Kightlinger known as Awed Ninja (voice)
- Tanya Haden known as Smitten Bunny (voice)
- Stephen Kearin known as Gong Pig / Grateful Bunny (voice)
- Mark Osborne known as Pig Patron (voice)
- John Stevenson known as Rhino Guard (voice)
- Jeremy Shipp known as Blind Gator (voice)
- Melissa Cobb known as Bunny Mom (voice)
- Kent Osborne known as Pig Fan (voice)
- Emily Robison known as Bunny Fan 1 (voice) (as Emily Burns)
- Stephanie Harvey known as Bunny Fan 2 (voice)
- Riley Osborne known as Baby Tai Lung (voice)
..
Supporting Department
Art Department:- Kelly Asbury known as additional storyboard artist
- Damon Bard known as sculptor
- Max Boas known as visual development artist
- Christopher Brock known as visual development artist (as Chris Brock)
- Richard Daskas known as visual development artist
- Alfred Gimeno known as storyboard artist
- Rodolphe Guenoden known as storyboard artist
- Tianyi Han known as additional visual development artist
- Bill Kaufmann known as visual development artist
- Mark Koetsier known as storyboard artist
- Robert Koo known as storyboard artist
- Christophe Lautrette known as visual development artist
- Buck Lewis known as character design (as H.B. 'Buck' Lewis)
- Caprice Ann Ridgeway known as art researcher
- Ritchie Sacilioc known as visual development artist
- Christian Schellewald known as visual development artist
- Jean-Luc Serrano known as additional visual development artist
- Pat Sito known as matte painting coordinator
- Henrik Tamm known as additional visual development artist
- Kathleen Thorson known as storyboard artist
- Rachel Tiep-Daniels known as visual development artist
- Spyros Tsiounis known as storyboard
- Zhaoping Wei known as visual development artist
- Melchior Zwyer known as visual development artist
- Michael Bovberg known as paint supervisor: Technicolor (uncredited)
..
Company
Production Companies:
- DreamWorks Animation
- Pacific Data Images (PDI)
Other Companies:
- 20th Century Fox Studios post-production facilities (as Twentieth Century Fox Studios)
- Absolute Rentals post-production rentals
- Air Lyndhurst Studios score recorded at (as Air Lyndhurst Studios, London)
- Dakota Music Services music preparation (as Dakota Music)
- Digital Media Services (DMS) digital marketing asset management
- Hewlett Packard rendering services
- Hewlett Packard workstations and servers
- Howard Schwartz Recording recording studio (as HSR NY)
- Interscope Records soundtrack
- Isobel Griffiths Limited orchestral contractor: London
- L.A. Mad Dogs adr voice casting (as L.A. Maddogs)
- L.A. Studios, The recording studio
- London Session Orchestra, The orchestra (uncredited)
- London Voices choir
- One Step Up foley services
- POP Sound recording studio
- Shine end title sequence designed and produced by
- Shine post-production
- Technicolor prints
if (typeof afc_data == “undefined”) { afc_data = new Object(); } afc_data["MIDDLE_CENTER"] = { channel: “test01-channel”, client: “ca-amazon-imdb_js”, title: “Sponsored Links”, help: “What's This?”, hints: “kung fu in title,bo staff,mentor,fighting in the air,arrow catching” };
Distributors:
- Paramount Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
- Bontonfilm (2008) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
- Paramount Pictures (2008) (France) (theatrical)
- Tatrafilm (2008) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
- United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
- United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
- Film1 (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
- Finnkino (2008) (Finland) (all media)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- SBS6 (2010) (Netherlands) (TV)
..
Other Stuff
Special Effects:
- Halon Entertainment (previsualization)
- James Baxter Animation (dream sequence)
- PDI DreamWorks
Visual Effects by:
- Fernanda S. Abarca known as surfacing artist
- Motohisa Adachi known as effects developer
- Karla M. Alvarado known as visual effects production assistant
- Sean Amlaner known as stereo compositing floor supervisor: Technicolor
- William E. Arias known as lighter
- Shinsaku Arima known as effects animator
- Michael Aucoin known as technical director
- David Bailey known as matte painter
- Tricia Barrett known as lead stereoscopic compositor
- Jeannie Ben-Hain known as stereo compositor: Technicolor
- Brad Blackbourn known as head of pre-viz
- Andrew Bonello known as visual effects compositing engineer
- Silviu Borac known as senior research & development engineer
- Eric Bouffard known as matte painter
- Jess Bressler known as lighting artist
- Daniel J. Brick known as matte painting technical director
- Scott Brisbane known as lead matte painter
- Ronn Brown known as matte painting supervisor
- Jason Brubaker known as compositor
- Mike Brumit known as stereoscopic compositor
- Wendell Bruno known as assistant DMR editor (IMAX version)
- Wes Burian known as surfacing supervisor
- Stuart Campbell known as final layout artist
- Craig Cannon known as paint fixer
- Jessica Canter known as surfacing artist
- Kevin Carney known as character effects technical director
- Gregg Carrier known as software engineer
- Jason Carter known as layout artist
- Zachary Carter known as animation technical director
- Chloe Chao known as research and development
- Aaron Chiesa known as stereoscopic compositor
- Wes Chilton known as effects animator/developer
- Jennifer Cho known as stereoscopic compositor
- Sebastien Chort known as lighting artist
- Tim Christensen known as stereoscopic supervisor: Technicolor
- James Cockerham known as character technical director (as Mitch Cockerham)
- Shaun Collaco known as lead lighting and compositing artist: Dreamworks Animation
- Clint Colver known as digital lighter
- Daniel Craemer known as stereoscopic conversion lead
- Robert Edward Crawford known as layout/previs artist
- Jonathan R. Cummings known as technical director
- Kwesi Davis known as production engineer
- Gilbert Davoud known as character technical director
- Barry Dempsey known as surfacing/lighting technical director
- Caine Dickinson known as lighter: DreamWorks Animation SKG
- Sandy Dong known as surfacing artist
- Dale Drummond known as additional lead lighting
- Gregory Duncan known as senior stereoscopic roto artist: Technicolor
- Adam J. Ely known as digital matte painter: PDI/Dreamworks
- Kolja Erman known as effects technical director
- Aaron Estrada known as lighting and compositing
- Ken Faiman known as character effects animator
- Cassandra Fanning known as digital effects artist
- Peter Farson known as character technical director
- Mark Fattibene known as cg supervisor
- Sean Fennell known as lead crowd artist
- Adrian Fernandes known as additional CG supervisor
- Eric Fernandes known as cg supervisor
- Oliver Finkelde known as character effects technical director: DreamWorks
- Louis Flores known as visual effects lead
- T.J. Galda known as character technical director
- Ashraf Ghoniem known as crowds artist
- Chelsea Goodchild known as stereoscopic compositor
- Jason Gottlieb known as stereoscopic compositing technical director: Technicolor
- Darin K. Grant known as head of production technology
- Caroleen Green known as matte painter
- Alex Gurevich known as lighting technical director
- Craig Halperin known as digital effects artist
- Michael P. Hamler known as lead lighter
- Lei Han known as lighting artist
- Andy Harbeck known as surfacing artist
- Christian Hatfield known as effects animator (as Christian A. Hatfield)
- Marty Havran known as modeler
- Matt Head known as visual effects artist
- Edward Helmers known as lighter
- Corey Hels known as layout artist: Dreamworks Animation
- Ronald D. Henderson known as research and development
- Pamela Hobbs known as matte painter
- David Hochstadter known as stereo compositor: Technicolor
- Robert Holder known as lighter: DreamWorks
- Cindy Hong known as lead lighter
- Nicholas Sanger Hoppe known as character effects animator
- Robbin Huntingdale known as surfacing artist
- Lok Ming Hwa known as lighting / technical director
- Katya Isichenko known as additional character effects
- James Jackson known as visual effects artist
- Lucas Janin known as effects animator
- Yong Duk Jhun known as head of layout
- Tobin Jones known as senior fx animator
- David Jordan known as lighting artist
- Julia Jordanova known as visual effects
- Jeff Kasunic known as lead lighter: DreamWorks
- Louis Katz known as lead matte painting compositor
- Andrew Young Kim known as effects animator
- Lisa Kim known as lead lighting artist
- Soo Kyung Kim known as lighter
- Takumi Kimura known as lighting artist
- Jennifer Leigh King known as digital artist
- Gokhan Kisacikoglu known as digital effects artist
- Amy Sun Kwa known as technical director
- Andy Lawler known as stereoscopic compositor
- April Lawrence known as production supervisor: Character Effects (as April Struebing)
- Domin Lee known as visual effects
- Gary H. Lee known as layout/previs artist
- Jaemin Lee known as visual effects artist
- Jaewon Lee known as modeler
- Li-Ming 'Lawrence' Lee known as lead effects animator
- Greg Lev known as lead lighter
- Dan Levy known as lighter
- Victor Lew known as visual effects artist
- Kirk Lilwall known as third assistant editor: DMR (IMAX version)
- Benjamin Lishka known as lead lighter
- Fabio Lissi known as production engineer
- Sunshine Lliteras known as stereoscopic roto artist: Technicolor
- Nathan Loofbourrow known as character technical director supervisor
- Juan David Lopez known as stereo compositing td
- Arman Mafi known as stereoscopic compositor
- Markus Manninen known as visual effects supervisor
- Charlotte Manning known as render engineer: Dreamworks Animation
- Mariette Marinus known as character technical director
- Jeffrey Martin known as character effects animator
- Jason Mayer known as effects artist
- Matthew McCrory known as lighting artist
- John McGee known as digital artist
- Steve McGrath known as modeler
- Josh McGuire known as stereoscopic compositor
- Mark A. McGuire known as head of global technical direction
- Clare Ann McKenna known as lighting/compositing artist
- Phil 'Captain 3D' McNally known as stereoscopic supervisor
- Antonio Meazzini known as digital effects artist
- Landon Medeiros known as lead stereo compositor: Technicolor
- Zeki Melek known as visual effects
- Jacob K. Melvin known as technical director
- Tom Molet known as character technical director
- Ori Neidich known as media tools & post-production technology engineer
- Rob Nitsch known as character effects technical director: Dreamworks
- Betsy Nofsinger known as lighting supervisor
- William Opdyke known as visual effects
- Michael J. Pan known as production engineer
- Rupali Parekh known as lighting artist
- Alex Parkinson known as character effects supervisor
- Alex Parkinson known as crowds supervisor
- Alex Parkinson known as effects supervisor
- Dean Parks known as stereo compositor
- Jennifer L. Patrick known as compositor
- Nikita Pavlov known as visual effects
- Mary Payne known as lighting artist
- Andrew Pearce known as director of reseach and development
- Drew Perttula known as pipeline engineer
- Joseph Vincent Pike known as stereo compositor: Technicolor
- Sven Pohle known as character technical director
- Bryan Poon known as character effects
- Dagan Potter known as visual effects
- Travis Price known as surfacing
- Andrew Pungprakearti known as stereoscopic compositor
- Gene Ragan known as technical lead
- Jeff Ranasinghe known as lighting and compositing artist
- Paul Rivera known as matte painter
- Kevin Rodgers known as character technical director
- Craig Edward Rogers Jr. known as film recording
- Eric Roth known as lighting artist
- Christopher Russell known as stereoscopic coordinator: Technicolor
- Brian Rust known as stereoscopic conversion
- Nico Scapel known as character technical director
- Paul Schoeni known as modeler
- David Schoneveld known as visual effects
- Patrick Schultz known as stereoscopic compositor
- Scott C. Sells known as digital effects artist
- Sameer Shah known as lighting technical director
- Gaurav Shenai known as character technical director
- Josh Shuman known as lead stereoscopic compositor
- Chris Simmons known as digital artist: lighting
- Christopher Sinnott known as visual effects coordinator
- Marty Sixkiller known as media tools supervisor
- Marty Sixkiller known as software engineer
- Aaron Smith known as CG supervisor
- Karen Smith known as visual effects artist
- Drew Solodzuk known as DMR editor (IMAX version)
- Young Song known as surfacing artist
- Matt Steele known as character technical director
- Curt Stewart known as effects artist
- Francois Sugny known as effects animator
- Joe Ark Sun known as character effects animator
- Ka Yaw Tan known as lighting artist
- Olcun Tan known as effects developer
- Hector Tantoco known as digital artist
- Andranik Taranyan known as senior compositor
- Munira Tayabji known as lead technical director (as Munira M. Bhaiji)
- Amy Taylor known as character effects technical director
- Don Taylor known as lead lighter
- Neil Thompsett known as digital artist
- Dave Tidgwell known as visual effects lead
- Rachel Tiep-Daniels known as modeler
- Pragya Tomar known as stereo compositor
- Ryan Trenhaile known as digital compositor
- John Truong known as character effects animator
- Ozgur Ustundag known as lighting artist
- George Vajna known as second assistant DMR editor (IMAX version)
- Marla Valentine known as matte painting compositor
- David Patrick Valera known as layout artist
- Pablo Valle known as lighting supervisor
- Brent Villalobos known as production engineer
- Juvenal Vique known as stereoscopic depth artist: Technicolor
- Koen Vroeijenstijn known as visual effects animator
- Dave Walvoord known as CG supervisor
- Matthew Wang known as layout technical director
- Gina Warr known as lead lighting artist
- Jason P. Weber known as character effects developer
- Joshua West known as modeler
- Gabriel White known as lighting artist
- Rhiannon Leffanta Wilhelmi known as layout artist
- Lori Williams known as digital artist
- Ron Williams known as character effects animator
- Eve Wong known as lighting technical director
- Laura Wood known as production engineer
- Stephen Wood known as visual effects animator
- Joanna Wu known as additional lighter
- Greg Wuller known as supervising technical director
- Zhang Xiao known as visual effects animator
- Emily Yi known as digital artist (as Emily How)
- Melva Young known as lead lighter
- Can Yuksel known as visual effects animator
- Sophie Burie known as character effects animator (uncredited)
- Michael Scott Hutchinson known as character technical director (uncredited)
Release Date:
- France 15 May 2008 (Cannes Film Festival)
- Russia 5 June 2008
- South Korea 5 June 2008
- Ukraine 5 June 2008
- Estonia 6 June 2008
- Lithuania 6 June 2008
- Malaysia 6 June 2008
- Philippines 6 June 2008
- Philippines 6 June 2008 (IMAX version)
- Singapore 6 June 2008
- USA 6 June 2008
- Egypt 11 June 2008
- Kuwait 12 June 2008
- Thailand 12 June 2008
- Colombia 13 June 2008
- Indonesia 13 June 2008
- China 20 June 2008
- Mexico 20 June 2008
- Poland 20 June 2008 (limited)
- Australia 26 June 2008
- New Zealand 26 June 2008
- UK 26 June 2008 (London) (premiere)
- Hong Kong 28 June 2008
- Israel 1 July 2008
- Iceland 2 July 2008
- Argentina 3 July 2008
- Croatia 3 July 2008
- Czech Republic 3 July 2008
- Germany 3 July 2008
- Hungary 3 July 2008
- Portugal 3 July 2008
- Slovakia 3 July 2008
- Switzerland 3 July 2008 (German speaking region)
- Austria 4 July 2008
- Brazil 4 July 2008
- Ireland 4 July 2008
- Poland 4 July 2008
- Romania 4 July 2008
- Turkey 4 July 2008
- UK 4 July 2008
- Belgium 9 July 2008
- France 9 July 2008
- Netherlands 9 July 2008
- Switzerland 9 July 2008 (French speaking region)
- India 11 July 2008
- Pakistan 11 July 2008
- Panama 11 July 2008
- Spain 11 July 2008
- Venezuela 11 July 2008
- Denmark 18 July 2008
- Norway 18 July 2008
- Sweden 18 July 2008
- Japan 26 July 2008
- Finland 1 August 2008
- Slovenia 7 August 2008
- Italy 29 August 2008
- Greece 4 September 2008 (Athens)
- Brazil 21 November 2008 (DVD premiere)
- Spain 22 November 2008 (Festival de Cinema en Valencià Inquiet)
- Czech Republic 2 May 2009 (AniFest Film Festival)
- USA 12 July 2009 (Outfest Film Festival)
MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action
..
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database
Kung Fu Panda (2008) Related Movie
10 Comments
Leave a Reply
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
Caught a screening of "The Panda" and all I can say is wow! I took my 6year old daughter, who has the attention span of a 6 year old, and shewants to see it again. So do I!
Jack Black is not only half of the greatest band in the world, he isalso a fine voice actor. His flawed character, Po the Panda is veryrefreshing. So is this film. After having to sit through the boring"Over the Hedge" and the last two "Shrek" messes, I really appreciatedan animated feature form Dreamworks that didn't have too many celebvoices all competing for screen time. This is Jack Black's movie. Hehas 75% of the lines in the script and that is not a bad thing.
Don't just drop the kids off to see Kung Fu Panda. Go with them. Ithink it's one of those rare movies like The Incredibles and FindingNemo that adults can enjoy as much as the kids.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
I was almost dreading seeing this movie – we won tickets to thescreener and from the first scene I found myself laughing out loud. Themovie is so much better than I thought it would be (and that was bad) -I expected the comedy to be slapstick/junior/potty but it wasn't. Thestory was also good enough to keep my kids focused glued to the screen.The animation is wonderful. Music is tasteful. I can't imagine anyonebut Jack Black pulling off the voice though – he definitely made themovie for me. The only thing distracted me was that most of the movie Ispent trying to figure out who was doing the voice of Tai Lung (IanMcShane). As mentioned previously in the forums about the pop culturereferences in this movie – I don't remember one – very nice indeed – itworks with some of the other movies but I can do without. This is thefirst movie in a while I'd like to see again.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
From the very beginning, Kung Fu Panda had me practically falling outof my seat — laughing. It was the perfect blend of comedy, heart, andaction, all necessary elements in a successful and great animation/CGIfilm, in the tradition of The Incredibles and (less action, butcontaining the heart and laughter) Ratatouille, Finding Nemo andMonsters, Inc.
I took my wife and nephew and niece to see it on a Friday night andthey enjoyed it, too! We were totally laughing, smiling, and guffawingat Po, the main protagonist (voiced by Jack Black) and hismisadventures at becoming a Kung Fu expert. This was certainly a flawedcharacter, 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 prettyclear and easy to follow because the storytelling was well crafted, andthe animation was paired well with characters brought vividly to lifeby some of the most famous names in Hollywood.
Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman are downright excellent as the maincharacters, and Ian McShane as the bad dude gave it the right fearfulpresence. Other big name stars don't shine as much, but that's becausetheir roles are rather limited in the film. But that's still okaybecause the animators should be given equal credit (if not more) fordelivering the funny, action and heart elements of this movie in aneffective, amazing and (I've got to use this) AWESOME manner. Visually,this movie is stunning (notice all those scenic shots of the Chinesemountains, bodies of water, and the bridge scene; not to mention theaction animation version of "The Matrix" with slow-mo)… simply adelight to watch.
It's clear that Dreamworks has gotten back in the animation game withKung Fu Panda, after slight ho-hums in Shrek 3 and Bee Movie (call mecrazy, but I liked Over The Hedge more than those two). Hopefully, itshould 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 beginwith the 90's onwards), alongside my faves "The Incredibles" "FindingNemo" 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!
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
After various 3D animated movies ranging from lacklustre "star" movies("Madagascar"), boring tripe ("Shark Tale", "Bee Movie"), andover-rated, over-hyped overkill ("Shrek"), Dreamworks can finally beproud of a truly great film. (Sidebar: I actually enjoyed "FlushedAway" and "Over The Hedge".) First, the bad. If I could complain aboutANYTHING it may be a few of the voices. Besides Po, Shifu and Oogway,the rest of the cast seemed pretty 'phoned-in'. Thankfully, thosecharacters are pretty inconsequential so they're not really missed.
Now the good… or rather great. While classic kung fu movies are pokedfun at, Kung Fu Panda does an excellent job of treating the genre withgreat respect in a movie geared towards kids. And while it IS kidfriendly, it is not dumbed down to the point where it's childish. Allthe classic elements of those great kung fu flicks are there, whilestill keeping it pleasantly G-rated.
Let me get this out of the way: this movie has some of the greatest 3Danimated fight scenes. Ever. What elevates them from good to great isthat while I expected the unbelievable, gravity-defying stunts that areREQUIRED of a good kung fu movie, there is an amazing amount of'realism' to the physics in this movie. Just watch the jailbreak andyou'll understand.
Speaking of animation, the cinematography, character design andbackgrounds are all done very, very well. Whether it's flying throughthe 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 arealso used with great skill to further the experience.
Even the music and sound is outstanding. Asian drums rumble in thebackground of intense fights… stones shatter and crumble away…fight sequences rise and fall with each of the music cues, or is thatthe 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 noinside jokes related to the voice actors. There isn't even any doubleentendre or unnecessary crude humour. Much like "Finding Nemo" or"Monsters Inc", there's just plenty of pop-culture-free goodness thatis terribly entertaining.
The last great part of this movie is often the most overlooked part ofa good family film… heart. This movie has oodles of it. Other movieshave tried to have a lesson in the end like 'be yourself' ("Shrek"), or'the value of friends' ("Madagascar"), or… 'be yourself' ("SharkTale"), but "Kung Fu Panda" has genuine cinematic moments with dialoguethat carries real weight. Best line: Oogway regarding yesterday,tomorrow and today.
So, finally, as a complete sucker for Pixar animation, I'm glad thatanother animation company can actually put proper thought and executioninto a FAMILY movie. What else can I say? Congratulations Dreamworks.10 out of 10.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
I Love it! The story was great and the background was beautiful, itreally felt like an ancient Chinese city. This original story is one ofthe best since Shrek. And the meaning behind the story may be evenbetter! The story is about Po, an overweight panda who is the son of anoodle maker, who dreams of Po following in his footsteps. But Po longsto be a ninja fighter. Po is as you know is a panda bear and the film'sunlikely hero: as the bigger than life and completely lovable bearvoiced by the comic genius Jack Black. Po is a Sweet but clumsy, bearwho hears the news the ancient and long awaited dragon warrior will benamed, so he runs (as much as he can) to hear who will be named at thecelebration.
Without giving too much away, when an "accident" seems to name Po asthe dragon warrior (much to the horror of Master Shifu (voicedperfectly by Dustin Hoffman) and the disappointment of Furious Five:Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane(David Cross) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). Shifu must find a way to trainhim. One hilarious moment after another continues until Shifurecognizes Po's true driving force. This is just in time as the villainTai Lung (Ian McShane), a snow leopard has returned as he believe isthe true Dragon Warrior.
I can not recommend this movie enough. Certainly this is marketed forthe kids – but the whole family will enjoy it.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
I really wasn't expecting much, other than a few laughs, which wouldhave been OK for a Dreamworks animation movie. But KUNG FU PANDAexceeded all expectations. The story is simple but the execution issuperb. It would be really difficult to find something to improve onthe production. The voice-overs are really good, esp Jack Black andDustin Hoffman. The animation is very rich and the colors are crisp andbright. The action sequences are breath-taking. The laughs are mixed inat the appropriate moments. The theater was full and it was composed ofa mixture of Adults and young kids. This is a fun for all movie. Atestament to this fact is that almost the whole crowd stayed for theend credits. This is a very rare occurrence nowadays.
Oh.. and I hope this does not count as a spoiler. I absolutely lovedthe Samurai-Jack type animation for some scenes.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
Like many others, I saw the "trailers" featuring Jack Black. Thefeaturette made me think "Okay, at least I got to check this out". Notmuch more. It didn't make me think "This is gonna be awesome" oranything like that.
Boy, was I ever under-expecting.
At first I thought it was quite okay, decent entertainment and at leastnot totally crap. But then the really funny scenes and details kickedin, after Po gets into the temple. From then on, it was laugh afterlaugh, excellent voice acting, amazing CG animation (but this isDreamworks so I expected that).
The whole deal simply hit home run for me. Spot on. I love martial artsmovies, I love Dreamworks CG movies and I must admit I find Jack Blackamazingly funny (saw Be Kind Rewind the other day and loved it). Therewas so much charm and amusement in this movie. It's without doubt thebest animation from Dreamworks since the first Shrek.
Now, I am not saying this will be for everyone. There IS a lot offighting going on, and while it is (for most of the movie) comical (yetamazing to behold) violence, it might not be suitable for the smallestof children. But for any healthy kid aged 6-7 or above (especiallyboys), this will be kick-a**! I cannot really put my finger on anythingbad. Sure, the movie is filled with clichés, but sometimes you can go along way with those. And this one serves them perfectly. I even ratedthis higher than Ratatouille, due to the fact that it took me totallyby surprise. With Ratatouille, I EXPECTED it to be great. Kung Fu PandaI only expected to be decent, but it was awesome. That deserves thelast point.
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
(Synopsis) Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po, (voice Jack Black), asweet, but clumsy Panda who has dreams of fighting with the legendaryFurious Five and protecting the city against all threats. The onlyproblem is that Po has no real life experience of kung fu, and his realjob is serving noodles at his dad's noodles shop. News of selecting theDragon Warrior is sent out from the Jade Temple, and the whole cityalong with Po, go to the celebration. The competition is between theFurious Five: Tigress (voice Angelina Jolie), Viper (voice Lucy Liu),Crane (voice David Cross), Monkey (voice Jackie Chan), and Mantis(voice Seth Rogen). Po accidentally enters the contest and is named theDragon Warrior. Master Shifu (voice Dustin Hoffman) must find a way totrain Po and make him a Kung Fu Master, especially, after they learnthat the snow leopard, Tai Lung (voice Ian McShane), is headed theirway.
(My Comment) This is a cute animated comedy that also inspires lessonsin life. The audience can relate to people who have dreams of doing theimpossible, just as Po. Po ultimately learns that if he believes inhimself, he can do anything. Jack Black (Po) and Dustin Hoffman (Shifu)voices were just right for their parts, and the chopstick fight betweenthem is fantastic. Ian McShane (Tai Lung) was also wonderful as thevillain, and his battle sequence on the rope bridge is spectacular.This film is for the whole family, because adults will enjoy the moviejust as much as their children. (DreamWorks, Run Time 1:28, Rated PG)
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
I saw this movie in the Cinema last night. I can not recommend thismovie highly enough to kids of all ages. it is a long, long time sincei have heard a Cinema audience laughing so much during a movie ( ithink 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 moviesince The Lion King. the animation is hugely detailed and achinglybeautiful, the script is the best i have come across in years. the onlybum note in this symphony of fun is the fact that some of the immenselytalented voice cast are badly underused. i can only remember hearingJackie Chan's voice 3 times at most. having said that, the movie restson the shoulders of jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. while playing theirparts 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 everrendered, his facial expressions are hilarious and-surpass any previousattempts to give a character convincing facial expressions (i considerGollum to be a CG character, not an animated character, for therecord).
in short, this is an utterly fantastic movie that everyone should watch9/10
30 Mar 2012, 5:54 pm
After the disappointing SHREK 3 and the only "cute" OVER THE HEDGE,DreamWorks Animation finally delivers another highlight to the CGIanimated universe.
I got used to the rather simple story of MADAGASCAR after watching itagain, I really liked SHREK and even more SHREK 2 (am I the only one?).I never liked the cultural references they built in, because I thinkthey only work in their time (but in their time they worked great!). Sofor me KUNG FU PANDA is the first great "classic" DWA film. Go see it,it also works for adults. If you have seen some of the classic martialarts film (Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee etc) you will even more enjoy it. Thevoice talent of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane is perfectlyused. The other voices are OK.
It will be a big hit for DWA, north of 200 millions domestic,eventually even 300 mil.
That said, my favorite CGI's are 1. THE INCREDIBLES, 2. RATATOUILLE and3. FINDING NEMO and closely followed by KUNG FU PANDA. Looking forwardto seeing KFP an second time and then maybe it will become my new Nr.3.