Kung Fu Panda
Stars: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
**** (out of five)
Before we begin, let�s get the clich�s out of the way � yes, everybody is Kung Fu Fighting in Kung Fu Panda and yes, a cover of Carl Douglas� one-hit wonder 1974 track of the same name features on the film�s soundtrack.
But that�s where the clich�s end. Co-directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne have carefully adhered to the conventions of the martial arts genre without exploiting them, opting instead to pay homage to the movies of their youth with the use of animation and Jack Black�s very appropriate brand of humour.
Kung Fu Panda introduces us to Po (Be Kind Rewind�s Black), a lazy panda who dreams of one day becoming a martial arts master, but is simply too fat and lazy to make it happen.
That is until he one day makes his way to a nearby temple to witness the crowing of the next �chosen one� destined to hold the title of master, only to find himself tagged with the honour, much to the chagrin of the crusty guru Shifu (Stranger Than Fiction�s Dustin Hoffman).
The future of China � which just happens to be populated by talking animals � rests in Po�s paws as he begins training with Shifu�s pupils: Master Monkey (Rush Hour 3�s Jackie Chan), Master Tigress (Beowulf�s Angelina Jolie), Master Viper (Watching The Detectives� Lucy Liu), Master Mantis (Superbad�s Seth Rogen) and Master Crane (Arrested Development�s David Cross).
Matters become more pressing when it�s learned that the evil Tai Lung (Hot Rod�s Ian McShane) has escaped from prison and is ready for a showdown with Shifu.
The comedy, if you hadn�t guessed, is derived from an over-weight panda trying to master kung fu while trying to curb his voracious eating habits. For this, Black is the perfect choice to voice Po, a character built almost solely around the actor�s manic delivery.
The rest of the casting is also spot-on � yes, even Dustin Hoffman as an aging warrior � while the fight scenes are spectacular.
And although those scenes are full of laughs, they�re also carefully designed to present kung fu in a realistic fashion utilizing genuine fighting styles and techniques.
As per Stevenson and Osborne�s directions, the fights drive the story from start to finish without seeming gratuitous, while Yong Duk Jhun�s cinematography and the film�s fantastic animation bring China to life in a way we�ve never seen before.
More importantly, kids will love watching a dumb panda fumbling around as he tries to save his village from destruction at the hands of a sinister snow leopard.
Kung Fu Panda is funny, full of action and just scary enough in a couple of scenes to keep both kids and adults at the edge of their seats � parents can�t ask for much better.
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