Skadoosh!

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2008)

Animated films rely heavily on the appeal of the actors voicing the various characters. Get a group of them who could care less about the material and you'll get a quick-to-DVD release (see SHARK TALE). But get a bunch that really gets into it, and you can capture lightning in a bottle. It's happened before. I consider FINDING NEMO and HOODWINKED! to be the prime examples of this type of success. And KUNG FU PANDA now resides in close company with them.
Whomever cast Kung Fu Panda deserves some serious recognition. All of the voice characters, without exception, were perfect for their animal type. From Dustin Hoffman's wise Shifu and Angelina Jolies rough Tigress to Jackie Chan (as Monkey), Seth Rogan (as Mantis), Lucy Liu (as Viper) and the unforgettable Jack Black as Po the Kung Fu Panda, every one of them were awesome shining lights of pure ...um ...awesomeness.
The story is standard fodder: a nobody Panda (Jack Black) seems destined to follow in his father's footsteps as a shlepper of noodle dishes. But Po (the Panda) has always been infatuated with the Kung Fu masters. And when a call comes down from on-high that a new master is being chosen, Po rushes to the tower to find out who it might be (will it be Tigress? Or Viper? Or one of the others?). Surprisingly it turns out to be the rotund and out-of-shape Po.
Training begins and Po is neither liked nor respected by any of the Kung Fu fighters (yes, the song is in there, too, of course). But once Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) learns how to motivate Po, the training begins in earnest.
Problems arise, however, when word spreads that an enemy of the Kung Fu lands has escaped his prison and whomever the new Kung Fu Master might be will have to deal with him.
The antics and battles are funny and epic. Using his blubbery size, Po often bounces his way to success, or eats his way into the audience's heart (particularly funny is when he finds a stash of cookies in a high cabinet and does a perfect split in order to reach them and gobble 'em down).
It is a telling story that shows us you don't have to be some foxy 007 type in order to succeed. Using your natural abilities often times allows you all the power you'll need. And Jack Black's sloth-like nature was a perfect fit for Po and those who enjoyed Kung Fu Panda.
Skadoosh!