
Like a karate chop from a praying mantis, Kung Fu Panda is a bolt from the blue. Filled to the brim with rapid-fire wit, colourful animation, and blazingly entertaining action sequences that many action movies lack, this little animated feature from DreamWorks is the best picture the studio ever put to screen and rivals WALL-E as one of the best drawn pics of 2008.
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, Kung Fu Panda tells the rollicking story of Po (Jack Black), a martial arts-obsessed panda stuck slinging noodles for his goose father. Po, despite having no martial arts skills whatsoever, is fanatical over the Furious Five, a quintet of warriors defending the Valley of Peace from various villains. One day, under the threat of an attack from nemesis Tai Lung (Ian McShane), Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) tells of a Dragon Warrior who will help defend against the brutal snow leopard.
Through a series of hilarious events, Po is named as the Dragon Warrior and it is up to the Furious Five to train him for battle against Tai Lung. Led by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), the Five put poor pudgy Po through the ringer and are sceptical of his potential as the Dragon Warrior (for good reason!). Eventually, however, Po learns to use the assets he has and, with the help of Shifu, prepares to take on Tai Lung and to save the Valley of Peace.
Sound ridiculous? It is. But oh does it work like a charm! Stevenson and Osborne’s movie rumbles with intensity and sparkles with vivacious colour, each scene exploding with wild energy and craploads of fun. By using innovative colours to reflect the vivacity of China and the Valley of Peace, Kung Fu Panda is bursting at the seams with force and style. The hand-drawn animation sequence at the beginning of the piece is especially arresting, with the Jennifer Yuh Nelson-directed credits sequence opening the tale up beautifully. Other scenes are alarming in their complexity, yet the talented animators make it sizzle.
Black is perfect as the voice behind Po. He is a mile-a-minute and always on fire, lending his entire body to the character. And the other vocal talents are awesome, too. With Hoffman as Shifu, Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress, Seth Rogen as Master Mantis, Lucy Liu as Master Viper, Jackie Chan as Master Monkey, and David Cross as Master Crane, the Furious Five are an interesting set of characters that continue to enchant long after the credits have rolled. Ian McShane is spot-on as the villainous Tai Lung.
Not only does Kung Fu Panda sparkle with colour and impeccable voice talents, but it knows what it’s doing as a film. Dead right in terms of timing and plot developments, this is as clearly structured a story as an animated film has seen in years. The plot isn’t a kung fu movie satire, as would have been the easy way to go, but rather unfolds like an action comedy. It uses its action well, presenting overblown scenes like the fight on the bridge with broad lines and an enormous scope. Everything runs on time and according to plan, providing a lean and mean final product on the screen.
For a flick with heart, action, and copious amounts of good-natured humour, Kung Fu Panda is one of 2008’s best. Rivalled only by WALL-E for sheer beauty and vibrancy, this is one animated feature that DreamWorks will have a tough time following.
9.2/10
Trailer:
