Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Poster Description: Po strikes a bombastic kung fu pose, balancing on one leg upon a rock surrounded by temples and rocks. He wears shorts and foot bandages. With Jack Black’s name in yellow, the sky radiates red stripes from his raised foot. The film’s title is yellow and red.

 

Upon its release, I overlooked Kung Fu Panda, considering it just another anthropomorphic CGI fest. As a bow to Chinese culture, while it isn’t one of my favourite films, I can easily tell you why I enjoy it now.

Jack Black (School of Rock) voices the aforementioned Panda, so as you’d expect, he’s oh-so-shy and retiring. Po is a real fanboy for his heroes, the Furious Five, and is excited to find out who the Dragon Warrior will be. Imagine everyone’s surprise (not to mention his own) when it is revealed to be Po! He must protect the Valley of Peace, but is he worthy of the title? With the valley’s most dangerous enemy on his way, there’s no time to figure that out.

On paper, Kung Fu Panda shouldn’t work. Po works for his father at their noodle shop, and a fat character as the Chosen One sounds like potential for lazy, mean jokes at their expense. In the hands of another studio, the film would have been reliant on fart jokes to keep the kids invested (oh, yeah. I’m looking at you, Illumination). Instead, we have a story that tackles imposter syndrome with pathos and compassion. As a disabled kid, I strongly connected with Po’s feelings of being less than other people, and admired how, even when the Furious Five and Master Shifu ridiculed him, Po was just happy to be in their presence. We laugh at Po’s determination, rather than his suffering…okay, there might be a bit of that, too, but it doesn’t stop us rooting for him. Black’s performance is viscerally dynamic, and it should surprise no one that a lot of his lines were improvised (including that infamous “skadoosh” they edited in a different place in the trailer, and I’m still not over; it sounded so perfect compared to the end result).

Image Description: The Furious Five poses in battle formation in a sunlit arena, surrounded by trees, rocks, and Chinese-inspired buildings.

 

I like how the Five are named in homage to the fighting kung-fu styles: Crane, Monkey, Viper, Tigress, and Mantis. Although they somewhat lack in individual personalities, it doesn’t necessarily matter when their action scenes are this breathtakingly fluid. The voice-actors choices fall somewhere between pitch-perfect (Jackie Chan) and questionable (Seth Rogen…why?), but it’s weirdly refreshing that Tigress’s character design doesn’t conform to the curvy female stereotype.  Also, Crane wears a hat, and it’s pretty charming.

Voiced by Dustin Hoffman, Shifu (a red panda with very realistic eye bags) is the Five’s jaded master. Shifu cannot understand why a fat panda without kung fu training is the Dragon Warrior. He is particularly frustrated with Master Oogway, who made the choice – or was the universe guiding the old tortoise? While it isn’t stated straightaway, you genuinely feel the history between Shifu and Oogway as master and student. Randall Duk Kim gives Oogway this chill edge that comes with a long life while still managing to be really funny. He also has many of the film’s best quotable lines, including my favourite:

GIF Description: Oogway leans on his cane near the peach blossom tree. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.” Po stares at him in the growing darkness.

 

At first, Shifu is unwilling to teach and Po struggles. It is only when Shifu discovers the panda doing a perfect splits to reach Monkey’s cookies that he realises what makes Po tick: food. Since I started helping children with their reading at my local school, I emphasise with Shifu’s epiphany over everyone learning differently. The montage of the unlikely duo  training together is an incredibly satisfying slice of cinema and kung fu, full stop. The look of unbridled joy on Shifu’s face as he rediscovers his love of teaching is character progression at its most touching. 

 

Image Description: Sunlight and mist blanket mountains and rock piles, but Po and Shifu are too busy doing one-knuckle press-ups to care!

Ian McShane provides plenty of menace as Tai Lung, an all-powerful ex-student of Shifu’s, who grew up believing he would be the Dragon Warrior. We meet Tai Lung as a prisoner in a high-security facility, but his story is a sobering example of a gifted child brought so very low. Nevertheless, his escape is arguably one of the most creative, one-sided prison breaks ever put into film, never mind an animated movie – and it all starts with a feather! It effectively showcases just how ruthless and adaptable Tai Lung is, but if they don’t use the sequence to study action in animation done right in film schools, they absolutely should!

Image Description: Tai Lung is a buff snow leopard in purple trousers. He has launched into the air, holding blue flames in giant paws, his mouth open in a fierce roar.

 

The most surprising thing about Kung Fu Panda is its stunning appearance and sound design. Hans Zimmer and (Shrek composer) John Powell provide the score with traditional Chinese instruments to tug on the heartstrings in the moments that count, such as Master Oogway’s final farewell. In contrast, I love the goofy, bouncy noises whenever Po attacks Tai Lung, as he utilises everything he has learnt. It is all so incredibly satisfying.    

So, I was wrong about Kung Fu Panda when I first saw it. An anthropomorphic CGI fest, for sure, but with flawless action sequences, and a sharp script laden with comedy and compassion for imposter syndrome and the perils of being a gifted child, it is far better than most give it credit. If you think this is good, you should see the sequel!

 

My Rating: 4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

My Sources:

Kung Fu Panda poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/

Image: The Furious Five - https://kungfupanda.fandom.com/wiki/Furious_Five

GIF: Wise words from Master Oogway - https://tenor.com/en-GB/view/oogway-saying-oogway-yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-a-mystery-but-today-is-a-gift-gif-21874265

Image: Po and Shifu - https://kungfupanda.fandom.com/wiki/Shifu

Image: Tai Lungs kicks ass - https://kungfupanda.fandom.com/wiki/Tai_Lung