I can't wait to see it again!

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2008)

Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po (an overweight, underachieving panda) who spends his days serving noodles at his father's restaurant and his nights dreaming of kung fu greatness. When the wise Master Oogwei (a tortoise) foretells the return of a deadly warrior who is bent on exacting revenge on their village, he and Master Shifu (a red panda) must find the fabled Dragon Warrior who is destined to save them all. Much to everyone's surprise, and seemingly by accident, Master Oogwei chooses Po. With entire village's fate in his hands, Po must face the countless doubters all around him as well as the doubt in his own heart.
Though I was excited to go see this movie, I had some reservations. Jack Black's bumbling-yet-lovable shtick can be too much at times, and as a starring actor he can be rather polarizing. I'm happy to say that he blew me away in his role as Po. The part was clearly written for Jack Black and is very much in keeping with his personality, but rather than bringing out that annoying side of his, here he was nothing short of absolutely endearing. I suppose it doesn't hurt that Po is a roly poly panda bear, but Jack Black injected the character with so much heart and soul that you couldn't help rooting for him from the very start, no matter how hopeless it seemed. Indeed, he had the audience laughing out loud by the end of the very first line.
Dustin Hoffman shines equally in his role as Master Shifu, the kung fu master charged with training Po in the art. While Po is clearly flawed, Shifu is just as insecure and uncertain due to past tragedy, and he too must learn to trust that destiny will right things in the end. A number of other well-known talents voiced the roles of the Furious Five, a team of warriors trained under Shifu. The Furious Five are all Dragon Warrior hopefuls (as well as Po's idols), until Po is picked over them. It was fun to recognize their voices (Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Lucy Liu as Viper, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Jackie Chan as Monkey, and David Cross as Crane), but their roles were largely unexplored. That's okay, I was so entertained by the developing relationship between Po and Shifu that I wasn't much interested in the rest of them. Other memorable supporting parts were the roles of Po's noodle chef father (who is, inexplicably, a goose), the prison warden (an imposing rhinoceros voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan), and Master Oogwei who was reminiscent of a softer, gentler Master Yoda and is brought to life so beautifully by Randall Duk Kim.
The story itself is simple and predictable (and, as some critics have been quick to point out, clichéd), but it is told so well that I can't think of anything I would have changed. Obviously there is an element of the fantastic, but the plot is woven together so seamlessly that it is easy for small children to keep track of and yet interesting enough to keep adults on the edge of their seats. Speaking for myself, there were several scenes that had me biting my nails with anxiety, and others that brought tears to my eyes.
Many of the laughs involved classic references to the martial arts movie genre. Having grown up in a household where martial arts movies were a big part of family movie nights, I can tell you that the writers definitely did their homework. Once again, critics will complain that they just recycled old clichés, but that's the point. Anyone who is a fan of old kung fu movies will appreciate how well researched this is. Honestly, anyone who complains of this as being "unoriginal" is probably the same kind of movie critic who will complain about there being too much singing and dancing in a musical. It's part of the genre, so love it or leave it.
Lastly, the animation was absolutely incredible. Dreamworks really outdid themselves here. The characters' movements were graceful and fluid... well, maybe not Po's so much, but you get what I'm saying. This was absolutely vital in a movie that features so much movement, and the animators did a wonderful job. There was also such incredible attention to detail. I'd like to watch the movie several times over just to take it all in. And the way they captured the treacherous beauty of the Chinese mountain ranges was breathtaking. Several scenes looked just like Chinese watercolor paintings.
In closing, I'd definitely recommend this movie to viewers of all ages looking for a movie that is hilarious yet moving, and visually stunning. The whole audience laughed and cried together, and the experience reminded me of why some movies have to be seen in theaters.