Formulaic yet mystical, amusing and incredibly well animated. Props for the striking swift and creative fights.

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2020)

As an upbeat movie that provides some sort of homage to kung fu movies and follows the chosen-one and embrace-your-destiny tropes it succeeds in all aspects. As a ground-breaking, oscar-worthy, emotionally deep animated movie it doesn't quite strike that impactful as some of the themes are approached comedically instead.
Where a movie about a norms' breaking panda who at first was unfit for a destiny he was chosen for finds himself discovering who he trully is, could have communicated that known trope in a new groundbreaking way; it settles for an eye-grabbing old-China aesthetic setting, endearing anthropomorphic characters and an epic, funny and mystical story worthy of praise and originallity.
However, it is inevitable to compare it with other animated movies that set the bar back then like Shrek and PIXAR movies of the 2000s. And unfortunately the movie borrows its tone from the studios' critically-acclaimed previous movie Shrek. A tone that works in that movie because it represents a satire of Fairy Tales tropes and stories. Kung Fu Panda on the other hand, provides emotional weight to each of its characters taking many of its themes maturely enough to be taken seriously. Not to say that the humor doesn't fit the story, quite the contrary, it is welcomed and I personally find some of those moments amusing. Nevertheless, some of the more emotional moments are ruined as Po's character is overly played for laughs. Outstanding lessons in such a spiritual approach at the art of Kung Fu through the character of Oogway or even Shifu loose their emotional impact because right after it Po deliveres slapstick comedy.
Personally, should the movie had embraced its mysticism and provided a more mature take at the common trope of embracing-your-destiny in such a lacking backdrop that is Ancient China, it would have become a more impactful tale aside from the amusing and heartfelt movie that it is. Kung Fu and other martial arts are perfect to channel a spiritual journey a troubled or lost person can take to find his/her destiny or to cope with the past or search for the future. Movies like the Karate Kid and the Last Samurai and even anime like Dragon Ball Z are good examples of these approach. Although a more comedic, child-friendly approach is refreshing and welcomed it can potentially damage the more spiritual aspects if they are mutually exclusive or if the humor is excessive
IN CONCLUSION, the film is one of the better ones of DreamWorks Animation as its endearing and jaw-droppingly well animated characters, plot and setting provide a spectacle of well-chorographed fights, legendary foes, mystical masters and an inspiring uplifting tale of self-confidence and acceptance. And the best part is that the sequels expand not only in the new adventures of the protagonists but also on their backstory. Dreamworks knows how to do sequels.