Jack Black's greatest role, and one of the best animated films of the last decade.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2012)

"Kung Fu Panda" hits all the right notes of a terrific animated movie: gorgeous artwork, engaging story and characters, and it's made for everyone - big and small.
The titular character is Po (Jack Black), a roly-poly panda with over-sized ambitions to match his girth. Stuck in his workaday job as a noodle-pusher, Po's biggest dream is to be a kung fu master and join the Furious Five, China's legendary superhero team (Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross and Seth Rogen). Po is thrown headfirst into training when a prophecy names him the new Dragon Master, to the chagrin of the Five's master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Meanwhile, the imprisoned Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has escaped, lusting for vengeance against Shifu, his former master. As the nigh-unstoppable escapee approaches, everything rests on the unlikely Kung Fu Panda.
Steeped in Chinese mysticism and showcasing the breathtaking mountainscapes of the Far East, "Kung Fu Panda" is a film that is impossible not to like. The frenetic action scenes come fast and furious, while the quiet moments are stocked with inspirational Chinese proverbs and characterization. Much of the humor - and there's plenty of it - centers around the comically overweight panda as he faces off against his kung fu superiors.
And Jack Black has found the perfect character for his trademark brand of overwrought hyperactive comedy, which usually borders on obnoxious. But here, it completely fits with the Panda who won't quit. Po is full of heart (as is the film), and his boundless energy and need to reek of awesomeness just makes him one of the most likable characters I've ever seen.
And the whole movie is just as likable. No, scratch that.
Lovable.
9/10