A paper thin and clichéd plot/script saved by superior animation

Rating: 5/10 (19 March 2010)

I watched this movie on the recommendation of a good friend. He absolutely loved this movie and as he hasn't steered me wrong before, I took his word for it and watched it. Boy did he let me down on this one. I will state the films' positives first.
The animation is gorgeous. It is a visual gold mine and on every level the movie looks FANTASTIC. Here endeth the positives.
And now for the negatives-
EVERYTHING ELSE about the film. Where do I start? How about Jack Black's character stumbling or falling down every two minutes of the film. This gimmick is so tired in children's films. The goofy, ugly duckling character bumping into a table and then starting a chain reaction of things falling apart around him and then he falls on his ass and something lands on his head has been used ad nauseum in most films like this. The plot, the script, and the characters are so thin that there is zero emotional impact when the villain and Kung Fu Panda meet in the finale. There is no sense of danger whatsoever in regard to the villain. WARNING HERE BE SPOILERS All of the characters are freaking out all through the movie that the villain (a completely wasted effort from the fantastic Ian McShane) is going to kill everybody. He kills no one and Kung Fu Panda dispatches him easily in the end. Which, considering that KFP has zero Karate skill until a montage gives it to him is laughable. Every Disney cliché you can think of is on display here-from the Ugly Duckling to the goofy supporting characters to the "Just believe in yourself" pep talks from the wiser older characters. Basically the film feels like all the money went into the animation and not the script and plot. This is a shame because there is no solid foundation for the films' breath-taking visuals to rest on. There is just no meat to this movie. Take away the visual side and you have a completely un-imaginative film that teaches the viewer nothing and elicits zero emotional response.