Kung Fu Pan-dastic

Rating: 9/10 (2 July 2008)

This beautifully animated movie has the hallmarks of an enduring classic. Cleverly scripted, it follows the Joseph Campbell "Hero" formula with several twists of individualistic humour, primarily allowing Jack Black's deliberately stilted story telling style to be relayed in the opening sequence (as witnessed in "School of Rock" and "Be Kind, Rewind").
The movie pays homage to many Chinese greats including "Enter the Dragon", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" plus several early Jackie Chan movies.
The animation style is predominantly Dreamworks' own with just a touch of Manga.
My children (7 and 3) and I were laughing very early on, usually at different scenes, proving once again that Dreamworks has the formula to appeal across the age demographic.
In true Chinese food style, we felt sated when the credits started rolling. Ten minutes after leaving the cinema, we wanted to see it again...
My 7 year old son gave it 21/10. I'll settle for a more modest 9/10.